Gray stayed buried in Elárien's arms for a long time.
He didn't speak or exactly move much.
He just pressed his face into the soft warmth of her chest, breathing slowly, as if trying to hide from everything.
His body felt heavy, like it was made of stone.
The tears had stopped, but the pain in his chest hadn't gone away. It sat there, heavy and sharp, refusing to leave.
Elárien held him the whole time with her arms carefully wrapped around his back.
She didn't ask questions right away.
She just let him stay there, her fingers slowly running through his black hair in slow, comforting strokes.
Her heartbeat was calm and steady under his ear, the only sound in the quiet room.
After a while, she finally spoke, her voice soft and kind.
"What… happened?"
Gray stayed still for a few seconds.
Then he slowly lifted his head.
His eyes were red and tired, like he hadn't slept in days. He looked at her, really looked at her, and for the first time in hours, he spoke.
