Liora did not ask another question.
Not because she didn't have any left, but because she no longer trusted the answers she would receive—whether they came from Cairis, from Kael, or from herself. The silence that followed her last words did not feel empty. It felt occupied, filled with something patient, something waiting for her to reach the wrong conclusion on her own.
Her gaze remained fixed on her hands, but even that no longer felt like a reliable anchor. Moments ago, she had used them as proof, something real, something immediate, something that existed outside the shifting uncertainty of her thoughts. Now, even that felt questionable. She could see them, yes. She could feel them. But the connection between seeing, feeling, and knowing was no longer stable.
She inhaled slowly, measuring the breath, grounding herself in something physical.
Air in.
Air out.
That should have been enough.
It wasn't.
