#Chapter 220 – Starting Over

Damon Mist clung to the ground, curling through the trees and over the river’s edge. The water ran clearer than I remembered, sunlight breaking across its surface in ripples. The world smelled like thawing earth, and a faint trace of silver magic and crushed herbs. Lila was kneeling near the bank, sleeves rolled to her elbows, her fingers buried in the soil as she tugged roots free with ease. She moved with the same patience she used to heal: deliberate, reverent, and the earth itself trusted her hands. I stood for a long time before saying anything. I’d faced armies without hesitation, but watching her now, I couldn’t even find the courage to speak her name. When I finally did, my voice came out rough. “You had your hands in dirt the first time I saw you, too. Seems you prefer rivers and roots to palaces.” The joke fell flat, even to my ears. She looked up, squinting against the light. “Rivers don’t play games,” she said simply. There was no venom in it, only truth. Sh