Gessia:
Horia had given me all the details and left nothing out. Every step, every warning, every possible outcome had been made clear. Yet even with that, I couldn't shake the lingering worry that something would still go terribly wrong.
Relief only came when I saw it.
The faint green sparks of life—visible, real—streaming steadily toward Rex.
That was enough to ground me.
Raven's screaming, however, was not.
It grated on my nerves, sharp and unending, and for a brief moment I reconsidered my decision not to give her anything for the pain. It would have made things quieter. Easier.
But then I remembered.
The way she had spoken to me. The way she had looked at me.
And just like that, any doubt disappeared.
I had made the right decision.
How dare she?
She was nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Just a vessel.
