Cyrus stared at Elias's outstretched hand without answering.
The Royal Command Seal still pressed against his spirit core, keeping him on his knees.
His attention drifted past Elias to Kane's motionless body lying on the black sand.
The synthetic ravens stood around him, motionless sentinels with their glyph-eyes glowing.
The obsidian egg case rested beside Kane. Its protective runes pulsed irregularly, as though the hatchling could sense his fathers' distress.
Cyrus felt the faintest tug from his bond with Kane. Not a heartbeat or conscious response, but a lingering spiritual thread. He clung to it.
Elias waited patiently, knowing that silence was more effective than threats.
Cyrus asked one question.
"Can you actually bring him back?"
Cyrus demanded proof rather than accepting Elias's word.
"You've lied to me for centuries. Give me one reason to believe you now."
Elias glanced at Kane.
