The silence that enveloped the room after Sage's quiet realization lingered heavily, pressing down on everyone present. It was a stillness filled not with peace, but with unspoken tension.
Above Mina, the healing formation pulsed gently, its soft glow casting faint reflections against the walls and floor, illuminating the faces gathered around her bed.
The air was thick with the lingering scent of alchemical medicine and burning herbs. No one dared to speak; even the subtle sounds of breathing and shifting fabric felt restrained, as if the very room understood that the next words spoken would carry great weight.
Cassian stood beside Mina's bed, his posture rigid yet his expression weighed down by thought.
He hadn't left her side since beginning treatment, though his hands were now still, his mind raced through calculations and reconsiderations of options most healers would hesitate to suggest.
