Darian remained where he was, still standing in the middle of the room.
The silence that followed Caelum's disappearance carried weight. The kind that settled into the air and refused to move. He could still feel it at the back of his neck, like cold fingers resting against his spine.
Trafalgar did not linger near the door. He turned and walked back toward his chair beside Aubrelle as though nothing irreversible had just been set into motion. When he sat, the tension that had held his posture seemed to loosen. His shoulders dropped, and a moment later he closed his eyes.
Aubrelle remained beside him. Her hand rose almost absentmindedly, fingers brushing slowly through his hair, the way one might calm something restless that had finally gone still.
Darian watched them.
