---
Instead, he opened himself to it, letting warmth bleed through every fiber of his being.
"Yes, little one," he thought back, focusing his aura toward her. "It's me."
A flurry of sand-hued memories swirled into his mind. Miryam curled beside Luna, wrapped in warm woven cloth, drinking sweetened marrow broth from a carved stone bowl. Luna had fed her, even tucked her in against her chest like a mother might.
Yet still… it was him Miryam reached for in her dreams. Him she longed to hear again.
Now, the soul-bond glowed brighter.
Luna's aura whispered just behind the wyrmling's.
"She's been worried about you every night," came Luna's voice, tinged with soft laughter and sadness. "She sleeps curled up holding your old sash."
Miryam chirped—a soul-sound like pebbles shifting under warm sand. "Papa… where have you gone?"
That simple question hit deeper than any blade. Kai's breath caught. "Never gone, little one," he answered firmly. "Just… finding the way back."
