That night, Elaria made her way to the back courtyard, crossing the stable area until she reached the metallic minibus that had now become something of a permanent fixture of the palace. She knocked gently, but there was no response. Slowly pushing the door open, her eyes widened in shock.
Ren was slumped over in his work chair, face pale and breath shallow. The holograms around him still glowed dimly, displaying complex diagrams and constantly shifting lines of code.
"Nico!?" she cried out, setting down the tray in her hands and rushing to his side.
Ren weakly raised a hand, looking like a zombie drained of energy. "I'm alive… I'm alive… just… exhausted…"
"You look like you just lost a war," Elaria muttered, half annoyed, half worried. "What did you do to end up like this?"
