The stars above the Celestial Realm felt dimmer tonight, as if the cosmos itself had decided to hold its breath.
Eon sat on the wide stone edge of the smaller family courtyard fountain, bare feet trailing lazy circles in the cool water. The gentle lapping sound was the only thing keeping his racing mind from spiraling back into the chaos of the training grounds. His body ached in places he didn't know could ache, but it was the echo inside his chest that refused to quiet—the restless golden-white energy that still hummed beneath his skin like a caged storm looking for cracks.
The others had claimed the surrounding benches like they owned them. Plates of food sent up by Aurora sat half-eaten: roasted meats, fresh fruits that shimmered with faint enhancement runes, and warm bread that smelled like home. No one had much of an appetite after the day they'd had.
