[Riverbank - Evening]
Kael walked west along the riverbank. His boots pressed into damp earth and scattered gravel, and the current moved beside him, slow and heavy. Blood had dried on his clothes, stiff and dark.
Behind him, footsteps—light, unhurried.
"You know, your efficiency is remarkable." Baihe's voice carried through the evening air. "Fifty-four people. How long did that take? Twenty minutes? Twenty-five?"
Kael kept walking.
"And you remembered every single one. Every person who spoke, every word they uttered. That requires exceptional memory and control."
The path curved around a rocky outcrop. Kael followed it.
"How did you do it? Did you count them as they spoke? Or did you just... know?"
Silence.
"You're quiet." Baihe's tone held amusement. "Thinking? Regretting?"
The sun sank lower, painting the mountains orange and red.
"You're accepting what happened. I can tell by the way you walk—your shoulders are straight, your pace is steady." A pause. "You're calm."
