He pulled out his comms device and flicked through the interface.
His finger hesitated for a second before tapping on Celia's contact. The call rang several times before finally connecting.
"H… hic… hello?" Her voice was shaky, and barely above a whisper.
"…Celia?" Isaac blinked. "Are you crying?"
"N-no."
He frowned.
That wasn't a convincing 'no' by any measure.
He wanted to say something comforting, ask her what happened, but time wasn't on his side.
Too many people were dying, and the N'theris Serpent was still out there.
Every second wasted could mean another life lost.
"Celia, can I trust you?"
"What… hic… are you talking about, Isaac?"
"I know of a way to take down the N'theris Serpent. But I can't do it alone. I need your help."
There was silence on the other end.
The soft sound of her quiet sobs filled the gap, but she didn't speak for a few long moments.
Then, finally, her voice returned, steadier this time.
"Where are you?"
