C205 A PROMISE MADE IN SILENCE

Aria did not sleep.

She lay still on the small bed, eyes open, listening to the quiet of the room—too quiet, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. Every sound felt sharpened, every movement heavy with meaning.

He was still there.

Not inside the village. Not close enough to touch.

But present.

The knowledge sat in her chest like a slow-burning coal