The silence lingered long after the conversation had ended, settling over the room like a thin, invisible veil.
Outside the window, the sounds of reconstruction continued hammers striking, stones being shifted, voices calling to one another but inside, everything felt muted and distant, as if the world beyond those walls belonged to another realm entirely.
Sage lay still for several minutes, his eyes half-lidded as he watched sunlight slowly crawl across the floorboards, dust floating lazily in its path. The air was thick with the smell of medicine and dried herbs, sharp and grounding; a reminder that survival here had not come without its share of pain.
At first, neither Sage nor Boren nor Lyana spoke. They existed in a quiet space where words felt unnecessary; everything important had already been said. But eventually, Sage shifted slightly.
It was a small movement, barely noticeable, yet it carried weight.
