Chapter 45 The Weight Of What Remains Unsaid

The valley did not release them all at once.

Elara noticed it in fragments-the way the mist thinned unevenly, how the hum beneath their feet faded in pulses rather than ending, how the air behind them felt heavier than the air ahead. It was as though the land itself was reluctant to let go, as though it had not finished listening.

They walked in