The light blinked red.
A ripple ran through the table, quiet, disbelieving.
Kael's gaze darkened, but his voice stayed smooth. "Then the vote stands. Six to one. Motion passes."
The holographic projection dissolved. The meeting was over.
But as the others gathered their things, whispering low, Merlin didn't move. He stayed seated, golden eyes dimly lit by the dying light of the Core's hologram.
Regina paused by the door, glancing back at him. "…You shouldn't have done that," she murmured.
"Maybe," Merlin said softly. "Or maybe I was the only one who did."
And as the doors hissed shut behind her, the silence that followed was heavy, not with defeat, but with something colder.
Forewarning.
The elevator doors slid shut behind Merlin with a whisper.
