Jax abruptly woke to the sound of Mira crying next to him. Her eye's welling up with tears.
It wasn't quite loud enough to startle him. It was sharp enough to fully pull him from sleep all at once. For a moment he laid completely still, listening to the uneven rhythm of her breathing while trying to decide whether waking her would help or only make things worse.
He could reach for her, he truly wanted to reach for her. However he remained where he was. "She's going to need all the rest she can get," he murmured to himself, the words more justification than certainty.
Carefully and slowly, he eased himself out of bed.
"James...," she whispered with a faint cry. "Run... please James."
Nothing came after that except a few shallow breaths, a faint snore, and then she settled again, her chest rising and falling in steady rhythm.
"I wonder what she's dreaming about," he said quietly as to not wake her. "I really hope it's not a night terror." He moved through his normal morning routine like he always did, washroom then stretching followed by cycling mana slowly through his hands, anchoring himself in the repetition.
When he passed the mirror leaving the room, he paused. Taking a look at himself, he noticed he should to shave. Where his normally smooth skin was sat a thin beard that had grown while they were away from Ravelin.
He ran a hand along his jaw while studying himself in the reflection. His face looked older than it had a week ago, in weight and exhaustion. "Maybe I'll keep it until its big and long," he muttered. "Maybe it'll make Mira think I'm more mature."
The thought sounded foolish as soon as it left his mouth. He leaned a fraction closer to the glass. For the briefest instant, the reflection felt wrong, not distorted, not warped, just slightly delayed. As if it had taken an extra breath before responding.
As he reached the door, Mira stirred. "Wait… you're leaving without me again." Her voice was thick with sleep, but there was something beneath it… something that sounded closer to fear than annoyance.
"I'm getting us breakfast," he said gently. "I'll be back before you wake, I promise."
She rolled onto her side, half-conscious. "Don't…" The word faded before she finished forming them. He lingered in the doorway for a bit longer than he had in the passed, then forced himself to leave.
Downstairs, April looked up from behind the counter as he entered. "You're up early,"
"I'm headed out to train for a bit," Jax replied. "Can you save some plates of breakfast for us? I'll be back shortly to get them."
"Are you sure you're alright?" April said while looking him up and down for a moment. "You look like you haven't slept in days." "I'll have food ready," she said. "Try not to run yourself into the ground."
"I should be fine, just need a bit more rest and food" He said as he stepped outside before she could say anything more. The morning air was cool against his skin.
He trained harder than usual, footwork drills along the outer perimeter, stone shaping against a flat outcropping until his palms ached, mana cycling until his breathing settled into something controlled and distant.
When the sun crested the trees, he realized he had stayed out longer than intended. He returned to the inn quickly, grabbed the plates April had prepared, and headed upstairs.
"Gods I hope she's still asleep," he muttered as he opened the door. "If not I'm in trouble."
"Where were you, Jax?"
Mira stood near the bed, her hair tangled, eyes rimmed with sleep and her eyes red. "I told you to stop leaving without me." Her tone carried anger, but it trembled beneath the surface. "I don't like waking up and you're not there," she continued, quieter now. "Please Jax... stop leaving me alone."
The vulnerability hit harder than any accusation. Jax crossed the room without hesitation and pulled her into him. "I'm sorry," he said immediately. "I didn't know it bothered you like that."
She clutched the front of his shirt. "I know it's stupid-," she whispered.
"It's not," Jax cut in, assurance riding the sound waves. He meant what he said.
After a moment she stepped back, embarrassed, and wiped at her face. "It was only a joke," she insisted weakly with a few sniffles trailing behind.
He nodded as if he had believed her. "I brought breakfast at least." Raising the bag that held their food.
That earned a small but very genuine smile. They ate together quietly, after dressing and gathering their things, they stopped by Takeo's shop before leaving town.
The behemoth listened to Jax's apology with a booming laugh that filled the cramped storefront. "You two take care of each other," Takeo said, folding his massive arms across his chest. "Out there, it's just you two."
Jax didn't hesitate before he answered. "I will always have her back," he replied, his hands tightening unconsciously at his sides.
Takeo's eyes lingered on him a moment longer, the humor fading slightly. "Make sure she has yours too."
They left shortly after, stepping back onto the road as the village settled into the quiet rhythm of early morning. Mira walked beside him with her arms loosely crossed, her expression still carrying the faint irritation she'd been nursing since yesterday.
"I still think he scammed us," she muttered. "There's no way that cup was worth that much."
Jax huffed and let out a quiet breath. "That was three whole days of work we just lost," he said. "Consider this a lesson Mira."
Mira sniffled and looked ahead again. "Don't touch shiny things," she said firmly, though the determination on her face was only half convincing.
The road continued ahead of them in a long brown ribbon passing through the fields. The morning light caught Mira's hair as she walked, turning the strands bright where the sun touched them. Jax enjoyed the way it gleamed and forced himself to look forward again. Afraid of being caught staring.
"If we push hard, we could cut a full day off travel," Mira said after a moment. "Endurance training."
Jax nodded. "If we're diving again as soon as the dungeon opens back up, we need to be able to last longer."
They slowed briefly to stretch before starting. Mira mirrored his movements beside him with easy familiarity, matching his motions without needing to watch closely. He was always watching her.
"How long do you think you can you go?" she asked as she stretched her legs and arms, making sure she was ready for the jog,
"Roughly three hours," he replied, fastening the laces on his boots. Then his voice dropped slightly as he added, "Do not separate from me." "The last thing I need is to lose you... again" He added in a stern tone.
A faint smile pulled at her lips. "I won't. Probably."
They began to run together, their feet smacking the finely packed dirt in a steady rhythm as the village slowly faded behind them. Their breathing settled , footsteps aligning naturally as the road carried them farther from the safety of familiar ground.
Ravelin waited ahead, unchanged.
For now.