Silence.
It wasn’t empty, it was heavy, pressing down like gravity shifted in the room. No one moved. No one dared speak. Kaine was still on the floor, his hands limp in his lap, shoulders sagging like someone had cut the strings that once kept him dangerous. Mae stood between him and the others, her back turned, shoulders squared, chest rising and falling in steady breaths. She looked calm.But nothing felt calm. Riven blinked slowly, stepping forward with careful hesitation, like a man approaching a god who hadn't yet decided if she was merciful. “Mae?” She turned. Her eyes were still glowing faintly blue, but it was fading,settling back into her human skin.
Her voice came soft, but layered in something powerful. "He had to be rewired. I didn’t choose to, I was chosen to.” Lucien stood
