The central chamber of the Spire was silent now. Elara's screams had faded into nothing. Kael lay on the cold floor, his body broken, his breath shallow and uneven. Blood from his nose had pooled beneath his head, staining the white tiles a deep, dark red. đ
"Kael!" Nyra rushed to his side, falling to her knees. Her trembling hands gently lifted his head and placed it on her lap. "Kael, talk to me! Open your eyes!"
Slowly, painfully, Kael forced his eyes open. The world was blurry, but he could see her face; her real face, not Elara's illusion. "Is she... is she gone?" he whispered, each word costing him immense effort.
Nyra tore a strip from her sleeve and gently wiped the blood from his face. "Yes, Kael. She's gone. But your Neural Link... it's severely damaged. You took a huge risk." Her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She carefully cleaned his wounds, trying to offer him comfort, her touch gentle despite the urgency of the situation.
"I can't hear AETHER anymore," Kael murmured, a faint, weak smile crossing his lips. "That's... that's such a relief."
Nyra held him closer, her warmth seeping into his broken body. "You're an idiot," she whispered, but her voice was full of love. "A brave, stupid idiot."
Kael closed his eyes, but this time it wasn't from pain. It was from exhaustion. The war inside his head was over. For the first time in his life, his mind was truly his own. đ