The first light of dawn seeped through the tall curtains of Avyukt’s room, spilling soft gold across the polished floors and rich furnishings. The silence was heavy, punctuated only by the occasional shuffle of movement from the two cubs that had somehow taken permanent residence here.

Avyukt stepped in quietly, closing the door behind him, and paused. His eyes immediately fell on her Sarika sitting at the corner of the bed, knees drawn close to her chest, clutching a pillow as if it were a shield. Her hair fell messily around her face, strands escaping from where she had tried to tame them in the night. Her eyes were wide, alert, unblinking, as though sleep had abandoned her hours ago.