The night passed without nightmares.
For the first time in many days, the tribe slept in peace under unseen protection. Fear did not crawl through their dreams, and no one woke screaming. But peace did not reach everyone equally.
Geng did not truly sleep.
He sat against the stone wall of the tunnel long after the others drifted into rest, eyes half-closed, mind wide awake. Thoughts circled him like vultures.
What if I fail her? What if I turn into him again? What if I lose control?
Each question struck deeper than the last. Responsibility did not feel like honor. It felt like standing at the edge of a cliff in the dark.
At some unknown hour, exhaustion defeated fear. His head dropped forward. Sleep took him sitting.
Morning crept quietly into the tunnel.
Mimi woke first.
She did not fully understand everything that had happened the night before – not the verdict, not the burden, not the divine judgment – but she understood one thing clearly in her heart.
