The road to the capital took four days. The System, true to its word, found ways to keep them busy.
The bond between Dominic and Florence settled into its new shape somewhere past the first waystation. She tested it the way she tested everything, thoroughly, without asking permission. Her combat sense pushed through with focused intent now rather than the passive bleed she'd been feeding him since the team phase, and Dominic felt the world sharpen in ways he hadn't known he'd been missing.
"That's new," he said, tracking the carriage driver's heartbeat without meaning to.
"The bond leveled up." Florence was watching him with open curiosity. "I can push more through without forcing it."
"It doesn't feel forced on my end either." He flexed his fingers, mapping the weight distribution of the horses, the wind speed, the pressure differentials. "It used to feel like borrowing. Now it just feels like mine."
