Mercy That Cuts Deeper Than Steel
But now—
There was not single goblin left to kill.
Only women to save.
And anger—
Still burning quietly inside her chest.
The cave had fallen into a suffocating silence.
Not peaceful.
Never that.
After the worst had passed, a quiet settled in - the sort that follows wreckage, heavy with what can't be undone. Echoes of harm hung there, soaked into cold stone, unwilling to let go. The air stayed thick, like it remembered every blow. Walls held their breath, slick with memory. Nothing moved, yet everything trembled beneath stillness.
For a second, Clara did not shift. Still as stone, she stayed rooted where she was.
Each breath lifted her ribs a little. Then let them settle again.
Once.
Twice.
She closed her eyes.
"…Calm down."
A quiet breath slipped past her lips.
Again.
