Kaiden stared at me silently from across the clearing, his glowing hand slowly lowering to his side while the corpse of the monster twitched weakly against the dirt. The silver light from the forest filtered through the trees above him, casting sharp shadows across his face, and for several long seconds neither of us spoke. The atmosphere felt strange now. Tense. Heavy. Not like before in the graveyard where irritation and pride had ruled the conversation. This felt different. His expression no longer carried the same hostility, but neither did it hold warmth. It was almost as though he was seeing me properly for the first time and did not know what to do with that realization.
Behind me, I heard movement before Aeliora emerged from the clearing while brushing damp strands of hair behind her ear.
"I heard noises," she said quickly before her eyes landed on Kaiden. Her expression shifted immediately into surprise. "Master Kaiden? What are you doing here?"
