Jerome, the unlikely messenger

"Aaah..." Claire moaned a little as she stretched her arms out into the air. "That really felt good!"

With the barrier gone, there was absolutely no reason for either of us to remain in the training arena. In fact, after gathering herself off the ground, Leila was the first to chase us off, eager to make it as hard for the other members of the clan—potentially interested in what she was trying to hide within her barrier—to figure out the truth of what happened.

And so, for the very first time since we arrived at the clan's compound, we found ourselves following one of the many guides back to what was supposed to be our lodge.

"It really feels good to exercise a bit, doesn't it?" I tuned in to Claire's feelings, unable to hold back my smile when seeing her so chirpy, so happy.