King Elijah's private chamber felt smaller tonight.
Tension had narrowed the air, compressed it, and made every breath feel heavier.
King Elijah stood near the council table with Torak's report spread open before him. The parchment looked harmless beneath candlelight despite the horror written across it.
The king had read the report four times already.
It still felt unreal.
The chamber doors opened heavily behind him.
Nate entered first.
Xander followed immediately after, still visibly furious from earlier. Alaric came last, quieter than both of them. Almost no one had seen him around for days now.
The doors shut behind them.
No one spoke immediately.
Elijah looked at his sons carefully. Three future disasters if he handled this wrong.
"Sit," he ordered.
None of them obeyed immediately.
