A fresh warmth breezed through Beon as he slowly opened his eyelids.
"…Ugh…"
His consciousness settled little by little, grounding itself like it was returning from a long, heavy dream.
The first thing he noticed was the dull pressure behind his eyes, then the ache that clung to every inch of his body — deep, raw, and annoyingly familiar.
It was the kind of exhaustion he hadn't felt since he was just a kid, still learning how to hold a blade properly.
It was clearly nighttime now. The sky outside was dark, and the air around him felt still.
"You're awake."
A soft voice pulled him from his thoughts.
He turned his head to the side, sluggishly.
Sitting there, casually like it was just another normal evening, was his eldest granddaughter — Bom.
She had that usual relaxed look on her face, lips curled slightly as she took a slow drag from a smoke pipe.
The red glow of mana flickered faintly in her eyes, casting a faint light against her pale skin.
