Unknown forest Solvanyr kingdom,
The battlefield shook , tremors rippling through the fractured ground like the heartbeat of something foul beneath. Dust rose in choking clouds, the echoes of Caelum's earlier battle still lingering in the air.
Zayne and Caelum stood side by side, their gazes fixed on the quivering soil. Caelum's expression darkened, a rare sharpness in his pale blue eyes.
"Oh no…" his voice was low, grave, "They are coming…!!"
Zayne widened his eyes, adopting the perfect mask of false worry. "But your hand, Mr. Caelum…!" His gaze flicked deliberately to where Caelum's left arm should have been.
Caelum gave a faint, almost weary smile. "Don't worry about me, kid. Go!" His tone softened, even as urgency burned beneath it. "But… I have to ask you another favor. If I make it out alive—can you heal me again?"
Zayne hesitated, letting the silence drag just long enough to sell his innocence, then nodded earnestly. "Sure thing… I'll be waiting."
