Kael remained standing, unmoving, his gaze fixed on the heads as they slowly vanished, dissolving into nothingness. Thoughts raced through his mind like lightning, sharp and unrelenting.
He didn't blink.
Moments passed before he finally turned, slowly, almost reluctantly. His eyes drifted toward the side of the room—toward Nerissa. She was still there, chained by the neck, unconscious, lying motionless on the blood-soaked stone.
And then… something shifted.
Kael's breath caught in his throat. His chest began to rise and fall rapidly, heart pounding like war drums. A wave of something crashed over him—grief, rage, horror. He clutched his chest, gasping, trying to draw breath that refused to come.
His legs carried him forward in unsteady, broken strides. Every step felt heavy, twisted. He stumbled out of the room like a man drowning in air, bouncing off the walls as he moved down the narrow corridor.
He was suffocating.
