The overlook stayed quiet except for the wind. It moved through the peaks in low, steady currents, pressing against Leo's face and tugging at his hair.
Leo sat beside Iori on the cold stone ledge. The chill soaked through his clothes, starting at his thighs and climbing higher. Above them, stars faded one by one as pale gray spread across the horizon. The first hint of sunrise bled into the dark. Below stretched endless wilderness. Jagged peaks and deep valleys with no cities, no lights, no roads.
They had been awake all night.
Tiredness tugged at Leo's eyes and loosened his limbs from all the dancing in Emberfall. Still, he stayed alert. Whatever came next mattered more than sleep.
Iori remained quiet for a long moment. Her breath misted faintly in the cold.
"Do you understand why I showed you those three cities?"
Leo glanced at her. "You said it was context."
"It was," she said, eyes on the brightening horizon. "But it was more than that."
