The grey gloom of the shelf felt colder than before.
My well was full to the brim, five thousand units of pure spirit essence humming behind my ribs, but my chest still throbbed with a low heat that turned my stomach. The black lines woven through my skin stood out dark and distinct, like cracks in porcelain filled with dried ink.
Kassie stood up, her lustrous black armor clanking in the heavy quiet. She looked down at me in a way that made it clear something wasn't up for discussion.
"I am going back inside."
I looked up from my hands, leaning back against the stone.
"You don't have to go back in, Kassie. My well is completely restored. I can hold you out here."
She didn't offer a gentle smile or a soft word. Instead, she crossed to where Devant still sat on his boulder and stood over him like a storm cloud, one gauntleted hand resting on the pommel of her bloody greatsword.
"If you touch him while I am inside, I will tear your limbs off one by one, boy."
