Arron followed Hydra. They walked in silence through the quiet corridors, the air thick with tension. Hydra’s footsteps were measured, but her presence felt heavier than usual, as though she carried more than just her robes.
She led Aaron into a small chamber lit by soft, floating orbs of light. It was simpler than the grand halls, private, still, insulated from judgment.
She gestured for him to sit. He obeyed.
Hydra remained standing for a long moment, arms crossed. Her gaze was steady, unflinching.
“You need to understand something,” she said, her tone sharp, stripped of the warmth he had come to expect. “The least we can say is that your presence here, your choices, have brought serious consequences. Consequences we no longer have the luxury of revisiting. They’re done, real and Irr
