After resting for a while, Lissana’s sleep was light and fragmented, more like a forced pause than genuine rest. There were no dreams, only diffuse shadows and a constant sense of urgency that kept her anchored to wakefulness. When she opened her eyes, the assigned room was immersed in a tranquil dimness, barely broken by the pale light filtering in from the palace corridors. That artificial calm was unbearable to her, as if the world pretended normalcy while everything crumbled inside.
She sat up slowly, her body still heavy and her mind overly alert. Every muscle ached, not so much from the journey as from the weight of decisions she had been reluctant to make. She felt Eren’s absence even before she looked for him… until she saw him.
He was standing by the window, gazing outside with
