Location: Luminari Pavilion → Dark Forest, Outer Ring | Doha (Lower Realm)
Time: Two Weeks After Recovery, Dawn
Dawn light painted the Pavilion's crystalline walls in shades of amber and rose—colors that shouldn't exist in architecture that didn't quite follow normal physics. Jayde stood at the threshold, one hand resting on the doorframe that marked the boundary between impossible sanctuary and the real world waiting beyond.
Environmental assessment: Optimal conditions. Clear skies, mild temperature, light winds. Combat readiness: Confirmed.
(Finally. Two weeks felt like forever.)
Reiko pressed against her leg, his massive form radiating excitement through their bond. The shadowbeast had grown during recovery and training—shoulders reaching her hip now, muscles filling out under obsidian fur that rippled with Voidshadow essence. Still young, still developing, but stronger. Better.
