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Caden clears his throat, his voice calm but low with warning.
“Come in.”
The door opens slowly, and a couple steps in, their grief instantly palpable. Sonia and Eric. I recognize them immediately, even through the tears staining their faces. I gesture gently to the seats across from us.
“Please, sit.”
They do. Sonia clasps Eric’s hand tightly as she lowers herself into the chair, eyes already red and swollen. Her voice trembles as she speaks.
“Our sons… Aaron and Patrick… were two of the children hung on the tree.”
The air in the room stills, and my heart aches so violently it almost folds in on itself.
“I’m so sorry,” I say softly, voice thick. “We saw them too. But—there is something. We’ve found a possible way forward. Caron and Vincent are working on a magical device… somet
