Chapter 105

• Kael’s Pov
• The night stretched endlessly above me, a blanket of silver-lit stars that carried no warmth, no comfort. I had seen nights like this after battles, where silence did not mean peace but only the aftermath of ruin. Tonight was no different.
• When the patrols returned, their eyes told the story before their mouths could. Warriors who had once stared down death without a flinch now trembled like frightened cubs. My gut clenched, instincts sharpening as I stepped closer, watching their shoulders sag beneath invisible weight. They looked more shaken than they had on the battlefield, and that alone was enough to set every nerve in me on edge.