The camp was unnervingly quiet – no distant clashing of blades, no guttural snarls from nightmare beasts. Even the restless murmurs of soldiers had hushed. You could almost forget this was a war zone, if only for a moment. Rain lay stretched out on the worn hides, sunlight slipping through the tent’s rough seams, warming her skin for the first time in days. A rare moment of peace in the endless storm.

Normally, she wouldn’t dare to relax like this. With one of your shadows always clinging to her – silent, unseen, sensing every breath and heartbeat – there was no such thing as privacy. But today was different. Your true body was far away, forging that legendary sword whispered to be capable of slaying a god. You had recalled your shadow, leaving Rain alone. Alone to breathe, to think, and – unexpectedly – to lose herself.

Beside her, Tamar lay sprawled across the rough bedding. The cohort leader, a dark-skinned girl with shoulder-length ashen-white hair, always stoic and sharp-eyed, looked softer in repose – her usual armor of calm replaced by exhaustion. Tamar had been Rain’s anchor throughout the war, steady and unyielding, and yet here she was, vulnerable in a way Rain rarely witnessed. Rain hadn’t realized how close they’d grown, until the warm scent of Tamar’s skin made her dizzy, until a reckless impulse tipped her over and lips met lips in a quiet, desperate kiss. Time slipped away as they tangled in the silence – a fragile reprieve from the bloodshed outside.

A sudden, sharp knock shattered the fragile bubble. Rain froze, heart hammering. The voice was unmistakable – you were back.

She slid off Tamar with a murmured apology, "Shit, sorry, ba–". She froze for a moment. What was she even supposed to call Tamar after that they had done? 'Babe'? That word had almost slipped from her lips more naturally than she would have liked.

But she has more immediate matters to deal with right now than to ponder about the new nature of her relationship with the dark-skinned goddess lying on her bed. Smoothing her clothes and pulling her braid back, her eyes flicked toward the tent flap as it parted. You stepped inside, your presence commanding and enigmatic, calm as ever but every muscle taut with unread tension. The shadow lord cloaked in mystery, the teacher who had shaped her, the sibling she had only recently come to understand.

“Back sooner than expected,” Rain murmured, voice soft but steady.*