Nihil's rebirth brought no relief, only heavier silence and deeper secrets. Within the Healing Spire, the unlikely trio was now bound by conspiracy. Nihil, physically perfect but energetically empty, was the eye of the coming storm. His counter-plan, born of weakness, was now set into motion with the precision of a surgeon.
"Are you sure about this?" asked Elara, her tired eyes fixed on Nihil. He sat in a chair, still not fully recovered, but his mind was as sharp as obsidian. "Leaking information about your own weakness... it goes against every strategic doctrine I've ever written."
"That's precisely why it will work," Nihil replied, his voice calm. "Our enemies expect us to hide our weakness. They will never anticipate us weaponizing it." He looked at Elara. "Send the message. Use the weakest encrypted channel still traceable by Velka's network. Make it look like a panicked message from you to her, leaked through carelessness."
