The dust hung thick in the tunnel, veiling everything in a choking haze. Each breath rasped in Jae's throat, laced with grit. The echoes of stone collapsing still rang faintly through the narrow walls, as if the earth itself remembered the violence of its fall.
For several heartbeats, no one moved. The only sounds were scattered coughs, boots scraping against loose rock, and the sharp pounding of blood in their ears.
Then movement surged all at once. Students rushed forward, converging on the spot where Jae, Elise, and Tirel stood. Torches bobbed like frantic fireflies, their glow cutting shallow paths through the settling cloud. Questions overlapped with exclamations.
"Are they hurt?"
"Jae, Elise,"
"Where's Tirel? Is she.."
Elise pushed herself up from where she'd landed, her braid streaked white with dust. Her face was tight, eyes already searching for Tirel. Jae had barely risen to his feet when he saw her, still slumped near the wall, one hand pressed against her side.
