The words hit like divine revelation. The sisters gasped, some of them tearing up on the spot.
"He...He really means it?" One of them whispered.
"Thank the Goddess...Thank the merciful Goddess…"
"I thought I was ready to die...but I really didn't want to…"
They wept, they smiled, they trembled with hope renewed. Even in their sickness, their faces lit up like candles in the dark.
Fiona's eyes shimmered, her voice unsteady with emotion.
"Truly? There's a way? You...you can save us?"
Her composure cracked, desperation spilling from her like blood from a wound.
"Please...if there's any chance...even if I don't make it, please...save them. Save my sisters!"
"They deserve to live. They've done nothing wrong. Please, I'll accept any fate for myself, but—"
Mika held up a hand, interrupting gently.
"Calm down, calm down. We're not burying anyone today."
The room hushed once again.
Mika then walked toward the center and folded his arms, adopting a more serious tone.
