Alix's gaze sweeps the walls, his expression unreadable. His eyes linger on Velira for only a heartbeat—yet in that fleeting moment, her world tilts. It is the same gaze she remembered, calm, unshaken, piercing.
----
Velkain's silence weighs heavy over the battlements. The warriors of the Ashedge Clan stand stiff, their eyes darting between the colossal flying vessel above and the lone figure below who radiates an aura no mortal should possess.
The air itself seems tighter, harder to breathe. The younger warriors shift restlessly, gripping weapons that suddenly feel too small in their hands.
Finally, Velkain exhales, slow and deliberate. His voice cuts through the tense air.
"I have a plan."
Every eye snaps to him.
