Ferra pulled the loft ladder shut beneath them, leaving the sleeping boy within sight of the banked forge hearth.
Downstairs, the quiet crackle of cooling furnace bricks filled the workshop with steady, comforting warmth.
Toddler Ash lay nestled beneath thick wool blankets upon a cushioned bench, breathing softly in peaceful slumber.
Ferra sat cross-legged across from Hajin on a low cedar stool, her single copper-tinted wing tucked close against her back.
Between them, Aria projected a floating azure holographic window displaying the high-speed recording of the clinic interception.
"Slow the playback to one-tenth standard temporal speed," Ferra commanded in a hushed whisper, leaning forward with intense curiosity.
"Focus the visual magnification directly on the boy's chest at zero point eight seconds!"
The digital fairy waved her translucent hands, and her private encrypted diagnostic recording slowed into a sequence of detailed light frames.
