[Meghnad's POV]
"It's a lot to take in for me as well," I said, my tone softening. "Power isn't something I think of as my own yet. I am still learning, and still growing. The path to mastering oneself is longer and harder than any battle."
Anjali nodded, her grip on my waist easing slightly as she seemed to relax into the rhythm of the Griffin's flight. The morning sun bathed the land below in a warm, golden light, and for a moment, there was a stillness between us—a shared understanding of the unknown future we were flying toward.
"You know," she said after a while, her voice quieter now, "I thought I would never feel hope again. Kaal had taken everything from us, from me. And then... You appeared, like in some tale the elders would tell children to give them courage."
I glanced over my shoulder, meeting her eyes briefly. There was no hint of jest or flattery in her words—only honesty, raw and unfiltered.
