The morning air felt light.
Not colder.
Not warmer.
Just lighter.
Kael noticed it in his shoulders first.
Nothing pulled them forward.
Nothing pressed from behind.
Lira walked beside him, watching the sky shift from pale gray to soft blue.
"It feels like we're not carrying anything anymore," she said.
Kael felt the truth of it.
We're not.
They followed a narrow path that curved between low hills.
The ground was firm.
The wind steady.
No tension hid in it.
Sera walked a little ahead this time.
Not leading—
just walking.
Kael didn't stop her.
He didn't need to.
Jon pointed toward a cluster of distant houses.
"People live out here like nothing ever changed."
Kael looked.
Smoke rose in thin lines.
Calm.
Maybe nothing did, his intent replied.
The Seer walked quietly behind them.
"This is what happens when fear loses its center," he said.
"It thins out."
They didn't approach the houses.
They didn't need to.
The bond remained quiet.
No calls.
No threads pulling.
By midday, they rested near a shallow slope where tall grass swayed.
Kael sat first.
Lira sat beside him.
The others followed, spacing naturally.
No one asked what came next.
Lira leaned her head against his shoulder.
"Do you miss the urgency?" she asked.
Kael considered.
His intent was calm.
No.
She smiled.
"Good."
They stood and continued when it felt right.
No signal.
No reason beyond balance.
As the day faded, Kael realized something simple.
The road no longer felt like a place between events.
It felt like life itself.
Not dramatic.
Not loud.
Just steady.
And for the first time—
That was enough to keep walking.