The silence that followed the surge of power did not feel like an absence of sound. It felt deliberate, almost sentient, as though the room itself had registered what had just happened and was now holding still to see what I would do next.
I did not move.
The faint glow that had once spilled uncontrollably from beneath my skin had already begun to recede, but its presence lingered in subtler ways, threading through my veins, steadying my breath, sharpening my awareness. My body no longer felt like something reacting to forces beyond it. It felt aligned, as though something ancient had shifted into place and decided to stay.
Across from me, Kael stood exactly where the last of the light had forced him to stop.
