River reached for her.
The instinct was sharp and immediate, born not of thought but of bond that pulled him toward Seraphina's still form as Arwan caught her before she could hit the ground. Her name tore from his chest in a breathless whisper as he took a step forward...
... and stopped.
His foot refused to move.
No.
Not refused.
It couldn't.
River frowned and looked down, confusion rippling through him. The stone beneath his bare feet was visible... through his feet.
His toes shimmered like heat over sand, its edges blurring and light passing straight through skin that was no longer fully there.
"What-?" His voice came out steady, but only because centuries of control held it so.
Lucian was the first one to notice it.
He had just ensured Arwan had Seraphina secured - her limp body cradled carefully against his chest, her head tucked beneath Arwan's chin - when something about River made him still.
"River," Lucian said slowly.
River looked up.
Lucian's breath caught.
