~Laurent
The rain had thinned to a mist by the time I stepped outside the hospital. The city was still half-asleep, painted in gray light and the smell of wet asphalt. For once, it was quiet enough to hear my own breathing.
I leaned against the railing overlooking the courtyard. The drizzle traced cold lines down my sleeve, but I didn’t mind. The world felt… lighter. Ciela was resting inside. Maybe not healed, but alive. That was enough for now.
Then I remembered the vial.
The Elixir’s glass. I’d left it by her bedside.
I turned back. The corridor was dim, lined with sleepy nurses and the low hum of mana-powered lamps. When I opened the door to her room again, the air felt different. Warmer. Brighter somehow.
The vial still sat on the side table, faintly glowing from residual mana. I
