Zarius didn't move an inch. He stayed pressed into the deep shadow, his breath held low in his chest as he watched the silver-haired boy kneel before the grand statue. The chapel was quiet. All he could hear was the boy struggling to catch his breath.
Zarius closed his eyes briefly, letting out a silent, exhausted breath. He hadn't come to the grand temple tonight for this. He had come here strictly to locate the high priest, to find some sort of lead or cure for the terrifying, aggressive physical decline that had been tearing his body apart.
For now, his body was at peace. The night always spared him for a few precious hours, but morning would bring the agony rushing back. He needed answers, not a front-row seat to a stranger's midnight breakdown.
I should have just left the second I realized the high priest wasn't here, Zarius thought bitterly, his jaw tightening as he stared at the boy's head.
