Several minutes later, Lian slowly withdrew his hand from Terry's forehead, the lingering silver light dissolving into the dim air like mist.
Almost immediately, both Rory and Yuel stepped forward, drawn by the same magnetic thread of parental anxiety.
"How is he?" Yuel asked first, his voice tight.
Rory looked at Lian just as anxiously, her breath catching in her throat as she waited for the verdict.
Lian glanced down at the peacefully sleeping child, a gentle smile softening his features.
"The inherited memories have been successfully erased," he reassured them, his tone calm and steady. "When he wakes up, everything will be fine."
A simultaneous, heavy sigh of relief escaped both Rory and Yuel, the invisible suffocating weight lifting from the room.
