Soren sagged down into the chair the moment the words left Kasteil's mouth. His legs felt weak, like they could no longer support him now that the tension holding him upright was gone.
He made it.
Holland survived.
The realization hit him all at once, heavy and overwhelming. His chest tightened, breath hitching, and before he could stop it, tears spilled from his eyes. He hadn't realized how tightly he had been holding everything inside—how much fear he had swallowed, how close he had been to breaking.
"It's okay," Nicholas said softly, pulling Soren into his arms.
The moment Nicholas touched him, Soren completely lost it.
He cried harder than he ever remembered crying before. His body shook violently as everything he had been suppressing finally came out. The fear. The panic. The helplessness. The terrifying thought of what he would have done if Holland hadn't survived.
He didn't even know how to imagine that reality.
