The guild's recovery ward was a quiet room near the back of the observatory, its walls lined with soft blue wards that pulsed with restorative magic. Designed for both Climbers and summons—a place where bonds could heal, shattered forms coaxed back into shape.
The party gathered in a loose circle. Garrett held his Heal Crystal, turning it over in his fingers. Dillon did the same, his usual humor still absent but his eyes sharper, more focused. Nathan held the third crystal, its pale blue light reflecting in his palm.
Garrett went first. He pressed the crystal to his summon mark—the faint red glow that had been pulsing weakly since Floor 7—and crushed it. The crystal dissolved into streams of pale blue light that sank into the mark. The red glow brightened immediately. Pulsed once. Twice. Steadied into something warm and strong.
