All Chapters of OUTCAST: FIRST BLOOD: Chapter 71

The world felt different after the cavern—quieter, softer, almost as if the air breathed with less weight. Emily didn’t know if it was her perception or if something about reality itself had shifted when the Light Source finally released its grip. All she knew was that morning sunlight felt warmer than she remembered.She stood on the small balcony of the cabin they’d taken refuge in—deep in the forest, far from cities, far from the cracks between realms—watching the sun climb slowly over the distant treeline. The breeze played with her hair, brushing the back of her neck with a gentleness that felt like a blessing she didn’t know she needed.Behind her, soft footsteps approached.Adrian leaned against the doorframe, still unsteady in the mornings, still wrapping a blanket around his shoulders like his body hadn’t fully caught up to the warmth of this world. His chest rose slowly, as if savoring every inch of air he inhaled. A faint gold shimmer lingered in the scar that now marked th