The chamber was silent once again.
Saphielle stood near the center, hands folded tightly in front of her, her gaze fixed on the Hollow Echo resting in Noah's hands. The artifact looked unremarkable now.
And yet, something about it still pulsed. Something deep.
Noah knelt beside it, fingers brushing along its surface. His touch was deliberate—controlled.
"This won't take long," he said quietly. "And it won't hurt."
Saphielle didn't respond. She was holding her breath.
Noah glanced at her, then back to the Echo.
"It doesn't need blood," he added, almost as if reassuring himself. "It never did."
He paused.
"…But if used wrong—if it's combined with necromancy or twisted by desire—it can pull something else in."
His voice dropped slightly.
"That's how things go wrong."
Saphielle swallowed hard, but she nodded.
Noah didn't elaborate.
'Because I saw it happen. In the game. In more than one route, and that ending wasn't good..'
