Chapter 136: Opening Eyes
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"He’s not just building a kingdom," she whispered to the sleeping baby. "He’s building a legend."
Miryam twitched faintly, as if the soul within her had heard.
One day later...
A dusky hush still cloaked the Monarch of Mountain when Kai awoke from his sleep. Flecks of mica in the cavern roof glittered faintly, catching the glow of dawn creeping down the central skylight. He lay on his side, one arm curved about Luna’s waist while her hair spilled like molten gold across his shoulder. Their vine-bracelets pulsed with a languid rhythm. Moonbound heartbeat answering heartbeat. For a rare instant he allowed himself to lie still, breathing the scent of warm rabbit and star-milk that lingered in the cool air.
A gentle mental brush tickled his thoughts.
<<Father...?>>
Kai blinked fully awake. The touch was softer than any words, a ripple of awareness moving through the soul link he shared with Miryam the hatchling. She was still in her carved cradle, ten paces away, yet he felt a new flutter of curiosity from her dormant aura. Not awake, but stirring closer to the surface.
He freed himself from Luna with care. She murmured something dreamy—"...five more minutes..."—then curled into the nest of pelts. Kai smiled, pulled a beast skin blanket over her shoulders, and rose.