Kael slept.
Not immediately, not willingly, and definitely not without complaining, but he slept.
Vaela offered him one of the old quarters reserved for surface navigators, in a higher part of Selvanor where the pressure walls were thick and the sound of the ocean reached them only as a constant, almost peaceful vibration.
Kael still tried to argue that four hours would be enough to assess the Core, organize communication with Amelia, and return to the First Archive before half the window disappeared, but Sylphie ended the discussion by pushing him into the room and informing him that if he tried to leave before sleeping, her roots would be used for purposes that certainly were not among Yggdrasil's original functions.
Umbra, as always, supported the threat.
Kael woke a little over five hours later.
This time, no one needed to tell him it had been worth it.
