A full day had passed.
Ryn spent most of it inside the cave.
Not sleeping much, he couldn't afford to. He cycled his Essence in slow patterns, reinforcing what little stability he'd manage to achieve. The cold flow dulled pain enough that he could breathe normally again.
Enough that he could stand and walk around.
Healing came slowly. The fractures along his back knit slowly, held together more by will than actual ability. His spine still protested whenever he shifted his weight, but it'll have to do.
What didn't improve was the tugging feeling.
It was there when he woke, if you could call it waking. There when he rested his head against the stone. Even there when he tried to circulate his Essence more aggressively, hoping the focus would drown it out.
It didn't.
If anything, it grew clearer in the quiet.
A faint pressure at the edge of his thoughts, tugging forward, nudging him in a single direction.
