Chapter 114
The pressure didn't fade after the shape stabilized. It sank deeper instead, settling into the space around them until even the air felt heavier to breathe. Kael felt it in his chest with every inhale, steady and unrelenting, like something had taken hold inside him and wasn't planning to let go.
Ariana didn't release his hand. Her fingers tightened slightly, and he felt it through the connection between them, not clean or familiar, but sharp enough to cut through his focus. "It should have broken," she said quietly, and this time there was strain in her voice she couldn't hide.
Kael kept his eyes forward, his breathing controlled but shallow as tension tightened under his ribs. "It tried," he said. "But it found something else to hold onto."
