Chapter 75
Kael was gone, and this time there was nothing left behind that could reach him. The space did not close after he disappeared. It stayed open, stretched in a way that felt wrong, like something had passed through it and left a mark that would not fade. Ariana stood where she was, her eyes fixed on the place where he had been, waiting without realizing she was waiting, as if something in her still expected him to come back.
For a few seconds, nothing happened. There was no panic, no sharp grief, just a strange quiet that did not feel real. Then it started to settle in, slow and heavy. The absence spread through her chest, filling the space where the bond had always been. It had never been something she needed to think about before. It had always been there, steady and constant. Now it was gone, and the silence it left behind felt heavier than anything else in the space.
