Chapter 24 - The Distance That Remained
Morning arrived quietly.
The rain had eased sometime before dawn, leaving the forest washed clean and heavy with mist. Pale light filtered through the narrow mouth of the cave, catching on damp stone and the uneven ground below. Water dripped steadily from the rock above, the sound slow and rhythmic...too calm for what lingered between them. The air carried the scent of wet earth and cooled ash, lingering from last night's fire.
Jun Kai stirred first.
His shoulder ached dully, the pain no longer sharp but insistent enough to pull him from sleep. He drew in a breath...and paused.
Warmth.
Not the fevered heat from the night before, but something steadier. Controlled. Faint traces of lightning pulse still hummed beneath his skin, restrained and disciplined.
He opened his eyes.
Jin Yue was already awake.
