Chapter 257: Ink-Stained Silence, Dangerous Conclusions, and Questions That Should Have Stayed Unasked
The office had finally settled again, though "settled" was a generous word for the chaos of documents still piled across every available surface.
Parchments lay in uneven stacks, some half-slid off the desk edges, others marked with hurried notes and ink stains that suggested neither sleep nor patience had been part of anyone's recent routine.
Ignivar appeared in a pool of fire.
Naviel was seated in a chair, his body slightly reclined as if it had simply given up arguing with exhaustion. His eyes were closed, lashes resting against pale skin that had finally begun to regain a natural warmth. The earlier strain was gone, or at least hidden again beneath his usual composed stillness.
For a moment, he didn't move at all.
Only the faint rise and fall of his chest suggested he was even awake.
Ignivar exhaled through his nose, then walked over to his own desk.
