Days passed slowly after Jasper's return measured not by the sun's rise and fall, but by the subtle shifts in his presence.
His strength returned first.
Nicole noticed it in the way he stood straighter, how his movements regained their lethal grace, how the weight in the air around him no longer pressed quite so heavily against her chest. The wounds left behind by the Tirade faded, leaving pale scars that spoke of violence endured rather than weakness.
But his mana… that was another matter entirely.
It came back in uneven tides. Some mornings he felt almost like himself warm, steady through the bond only for the night to steal it away again, leaving behind exhaustion and a sharp, restless edge that made sleep elusive.
He would have avoided Vicar entirely if Nicole hadn't insisted.
