Ning remained standing in the ruined room for a long while, staring at the empty space where the vision had shown Alya and her child lying dead, while the memories he had inherited from Valen continued moving through his mind with an intensity that made them feel less like information and more like something he had personally experienced.
Ning closed his eyes and took a slow breath, forcing the memories away before they could continue repeating themselves.
Larissa stood a few steps away from him, watching him carefully without knowing whether she should speak.
Ning opened his eyes and turned toward her.
"Please don't tell anyone that I'm not Valen."
Larissa looked back at him, her expression still affected by what they had just witnessed.
For a moment, Ning expected her to argue, perhaps asking what he really was or what he had done with the actual Valen, but she seemed too mentally exhausted to begin another confrontation after everything she had seen.
"I won't," she said.
