Chapter 119 When The Earth Breathes Again

• The change did not arrive with warmth.
• If anything, the cold lingered—persistent, stubborn, refusing to release its grip entirely. But it shifted, and those who had survived long enough learned to recognize such shifts instinctively. The air no longer cut as sharply when drawn into the lungs. Frost no longer screamed beneath pressure. Snow, once hard as stone, now yielded slightly beneath boots, compressing instead of shattering.
• It was subtle. Almost merciful.