Afternoons at Zero Castle were usually a time when the world seemed to stop turning.
Dola sat at the center of The Heart of Logic. Her majestic white cape now appeared slightly frayed, wrapping around her still-fragile body. She leaned back into the large chair, trying to find a comfortable position. The black stain on her left arm hadn't completely vanished; the smudge was still there, pulsing faintly beneath her skin. Gulp. Dola swallowed hard; her throat felt dry and bitter.
Since the day she performed the massive data transfer to Dayat, followed by the death-match against Orchid and the tragedy that claimed Morbis's life—Dola hadn't truly returned to her old self. The Seal of the Six Goddesses entwined around her core felt colder and heavier. Yet today, that pain was suddenly sidelined by something far more dominant.
