"So? How long are you planning to stay?" Huo Yue asked, her voice carrying a hint of a tremor she tried to mask with casual curiosity.
She leaned against the cool stone of the balcony, the desert breeze tugging at her hair, her eyes searching his face for any sign of a lingering attachment to the present moment.
"I'll leave for the Central Region in three days," said Haoran.
He didn't look at her as he spoke, his gaze still fixed on the distant horizon where the stars were beginning to pierce through the veil of the sky.
"I wanted to stay for a bit more, the air in this wasteland has a certain... uncomplicated quality to it, but my mother has sent word that she wants me to return because there's an unfinished business that needs to be taken care of. A matter of lineage and legacy that cannot be deferred any longer."
"I see." Huo Yue looked a bit sad, her shoulders slumping almost imperceptibly.
