Thalina stepped past Zorath, his barrier humming in the air like a thin veil of crackling energy. It brushed against her skin, cool yet charged, a sensation like static dancing over her arms.
She knew why he put it up—to protect her—but the sheer effort it took to maintain such a thing wasn't lost on her.
Her chest tightened.
Even when it cost him, he still thought of her first.
She pushed the thought aside, refocusing on the bodies before her.
Twelve motionless figures.
The room, dimly lit by glowing crystal sconces, felt too still. The faint scent of medicinal herbs clashed with something… off. Something bitter. Metallic.
She crouched beside one of the students, his blank eyes staring at the ceiling, unblinking. His lips were slightly parted, chest barely rising and falling.
Her hand hovered over his wrist—not touching, just close enough to feel the unnatural cold radiating from his skin.
"They don't react to anything?" she asked.
