The chamber emptied slowly, but I did not move immediately.
Even after the councilors dispersed and their voices faded beyond the whale-bone arches, the echo of their words stayed behind like sediment in still water. They had spoken about me as a factor. A variable.
A return that might destabilize the very foundation of Oceania.
Yet none of them had looked at me the way Azarus did.
Not with calculation or fear but with restraint.
As if he was holding back everything he could not safely say.
I stood there beside him, staring at the fading currents on the floor of the chamber. The glowing map of Oceania dimmed, but I could still see the deepest point pulsing faintly beneath the projection.
The Abyss.
It felt closer now.
Not physically but like it had leaned forward in response to being spoken about.
Azarus finally spoke, his voice lower now that we were alone.
"They will need time to adjust."
I let out a quiet breath.
