The road away from the ruins did not announce itself. It revealed itself slowly, like something that had been waiting for recognition rather than discovery, a narrow stretch of worn earth cutting through overgrown grass and fractured stone. If I had not been looking for it, I might have missed it entirely. That felt appropriate.
Nyx walked beside me in silence, her posture still guarded, her attention sweeping the surroundings with practiced awareness. She had not relaxed since we left the Temple, and I did not expect her to. The world might have returned to something resembling normal, but we had not. That difference mattered more than the scenery.
