In the cavern stronghold, Velin flipped through the field report Kael had presented. The pages, scrawled with charcoal, detailed the gains and losses from the previous night.
"No survivors, but we recovered their gear and their bodies." Kael's voice was tinged with frustration. "The self-destruct mechanism triggered too quickly. From mental collapse to organ failure, it took less than thirty breaths. The Church's methods are far more extreme than we imagined."
Velin set down the report, his gaze sweeping over Xiaolan, who was standing off to the side.
The girl's flaxen hair was neatly combed, no longer disheveled as it used to be.
She still kept her head down, but her eyes, which had always been so evasive, would now occasionally lift to quietly observe her surroundings.
The bloody battle last night had clearly stripped away some of her timidity, revealing the tough core beneath.
