Mira was gripping his arm, her face pale, her eyes wide with something dangerously close to fear. "Jude?" Her voice was sharp, desperate. "Can you hear me?"
His mind struggled to focus. His limbs felt sluggish, his pulse erratic. The fire inside him was still burning, but it was… **different.** More controlled. More aware.
Behind Mira, Eldara and Vaelin stood at the ready, their weapons drawn. And beyond them,
The figures. The ones who had **knelt.**
Only now, they were standing.
And **watching.**
Jude exhaled, forcing his body to stay steady. "I'm here."
Mira's grip didn't loosen. "You were **gone.** You stopped breathing. Your pulse"
"I'm fine." He wasn't sure if that was true, but he said it anyway.
Vaelin's gaze was sharp, assessing. "What happened?"
Jude met his eyes, then Eldara's, then Mira's. He could still hear the voice from the void, still feel the weight of what he had remembered.
But saying it out loud…
Would make it **real.**
