Silence clung to the forge like steam that wouldn't lift.
Mara stood motionless near the glowing glyphs, leaning on the wall with her arms crossed tight. Her brows had furrowed so deeply they looked carved from stone. Beside her, Sarissa sat up in the cot with her back straight and her hands clenching the linens.
Her pale face was a mix of exhaustion and disbelief as she watched Miles with tired resignation in her eyes.
"You… What?" Mara finally said, staring blatantly from Sarissa to Miles, and then back to Sarissa, her brows so furrowed that they looked almost like one entangled line.
Miles remained seated near the foot of Sarissa's bed, elbows on knees, his expression a mask of calculated anger and quiet surprise.
"The master of Luna Sea is a god." He repeated, calmly. "He's not just a powerful entity from some forsaken place. He's the god of war and progress. A lesser god, like Kurt once told me, sure, but divine all the same. You went toe to toe with that, Sarissa."
