Location: Dark Forest → Forest Edge
Date/Time: Day 789 (Since Nexus Contract) - 25 Voidmarch, 9938 AZI
Realm: Lower Realm
Dawn hadn't broken yet when Jayde stepped out of the cave for the last time.
The Dark Forest breathed around her—ancient trees exhaling moisture into the pre-dawn chill, nocturnal creatures settling into their daylight rest, the first tentative birdsong beginning somewhere in the canopy above. The air tasted of moss and old wood and the particular mineral tang she'd come to associate with home.
Home.
Strange word. Strange concept. But this cave had earned it.
(This is where we learned to be strong. Where we stopped being afraid all the time.)
And now we leave it behind. The strategic value has been compromised. Departure is correct.
Jayde turned back for one last look.
