Time resumed.
Cassian landed in the shallow water, his knees buckling slightly as his boots hit the wet surface with a sharp splash. He immediately looked down at the creature — both halves of the butterfly lay severed. Then he glanced at his blade. Not a single drop of blood on it.
He turned around. Everyone was asleep — some leaning against stone pillars, others face-down in the water, and a few collapsed near Aria's bed. Lucian lay on his side, completely unconscious.
"Huh... Weaklings."
Though Lucian heard him. He was just acting — making sure Cassian didn't suspect a thing.
This fucker…
The butterfly's mist effect lasted almost an hour. At that time, even Lucian genuinely fell asleep. The drowsiness from his sleeping disease was strong enough that he couldn't resist it any longer.
A few more minutes passed. Then, the first to wake was Elira. Her eyes fluttered open. She glanced around. Cassian was sitting beside Aria's bed. And Aria was awake too — sitting up.
