Chapter 140 - THE SECOND SEED

The aftermath of the violent flare inside the apothecary wing left a heavy, suffocating silence in its wake. The dry, synthetic warmth of the northern stabilization wards could not fully mask the sharp scent of scorched ozone and raw solar friction that still hung in the air. On the stone floor plates, fine white limestone dust drifted like winter frost, disturbed only by the tense, shallow breaths of the sovereigns gathered within the iron-veined room. Little Kael remained anchored to his mother's knee, his small shoulders trembling beneath his tattered tunic, his bright amber eyes wide with a mixture of childish confusion and deep, primitive shame.