[Silthara Palace — Two Days Later — Malika's Office Chamber]
Morning had long passed. Yet within the chamber time bent itself around silence and parchment.
Levin sat upon the low diwan, scrolls layered around him like quiet witnesses. His posture remained composed, but the weight of what he searched…had begun to settle deeper.
At his side, Lyresaph stirred. The small silver dragon shifted closer, his nose brushing—lightly, deliberately—against Levin's abdomen.
Once and then again.
A slow intent. Across from them, Asha blinked and tilted her head. Then narrowed her eyes at Lyresaph as if silently asking—
'What exactly do you think you are doing?'
Lyresaph ignored her entirely. His blue eyes remained fixed, not on Levin but on what lay within him. He could feel it, the life, the eggs, and the bond.
Levin exhaled softly, his fingers moving to the dragon's head, brushing gently through the silver scales. "…Let me work, Lyresaph."
