{"In his touch, I found my sanctuary not stone or sea or power, but skin against skin, breath against breath. Where all storms stilled, and only love remained."}
MORKAI'S POV
The sea never stayed quiet for long, and the Pearl Castle stood resolute against the restless tides, but I could feel her pain deep in the stone, in the salt-worn bones of this place. She had taken a wound. Not enough to bring her down, no. But enough to remind us that even ancient thrones bleed. I stood on the outer battlements, arms folded across my chest, the wind tugging at my cloak. Below me, the tide whispered secrets against the rock. The scent of salt and ozone hung heavy, a memory of lightning still lingering in the air. Beside me, Caelan ran his fingers along the fractured edge of a coral-etched pillar. He did not speak, but his silence was a language I understood. His eyes, full of thought and grief, scanned the horizon as though searching for answers the ocean would not give freely.
