The Rosegold Tidal Benediction

At sunrise, Coralith and Liora return to the same low-tide cove where the reef meets the open sea. They stand together in the clear shallows, one sea-glass silhouette beside one sun-warmed silhouette, and turn back whenever the morning light reaches the water. Their friendship is quiet rather than ceremonial: a shared walk across the rocks, a smile over the shoulder, and the unspoken promise to meet again when the tide retreats. The distant ruins catch the same rose-gold light that rests on their hair and the bright tide pools around their feet.