The moment the door closed behind Kael, the silence felt like a weight pressing against my chest, suffocating me. I stood there, my thoughts still swirling around his words, his silence, the tension that seemed to have settled into my very bones. Just when I thought I might be left to drown in that
silence, a soft rustle of fabric reached my ears, followed by the faintest tap of shoes on the cold stone floor.
I turned, startled, as an elderly woman entered the room. She was tall, her silver hair neatly pinned back, her face lined with age and wisdom. She wore a soft, pale gown that swayed with each movement, and she held another gown in her hand, its rich fabric draped over her arm. Her gaze was kind, but there was a firmness to her posture, a quiet authority that made me instinctively
