Chapter 96 — The Weight of Balance
The Obsidian Throne felt heavier without him.
Cairis had been confined to the royal healing chamber for nine days following the Battle of Threefold Convergence. The wounds from Korthrax's dying tentacle were deep, laced with both abyssal venom and lingering celestial corruption. The healers worked around the clock, but the soul bond told Liora the truth: he was fighting hard, but his body was exhausted.
She sat beside his bed now, holding his hand. His breathing was steady but shallow. The Veilheart Keystone rested on a nearby pedestal, its twilight glow noticeably dimmer than before, the deep fractures in the crystal pulsing like open wounds.
"You should rest," one of the senior healers said gently. "You've barely slept since the battle."
Liora didn't look up. "I'll rest when he wakes."
Through the soul bond, she felt faint echoes of his pain and determination. He was fighting to return to her. But the kingdom could not wait.
