Allen watched the gold settle through Elise's channels until the frayed edge of the patch became visible to his trained sight.
It would hold for perhaps thirty minutes, which was long enough to matter and short enough to prove Hajin had not repaired her permanently.
'The patch will last thirty minutes at most, yet anchoring it requires staggering precision,' Allen thought while energy frayed along Elise's pathways.
His fingers tapped slowly against the railing as his attention shifted toward Hajin.
'Where was he hiding this whole time?' Allen wondered, 'a Great Family should have recruited him years ago, not left him wearing rags at a basic Ranker examination.'
Hajin crossed the floor toward Sable while the other applicants gave him room without being asked.
She stayed near the dragon core with her sword in hand, watching the red surface as though looking at it hard enough could teach her what to do.
