Gabriel didn't move, his gaze fixed on Mera's lifeless body.
The pressure in his chest began to ease.
The humming thinned, stretching distant. Out of rhythm, until it slipped away completely.
The crimson haze emerged from the shadows, circling him once before sinking back into his skin.
Gabriel blinked.
A sharp pain flared behind his eyes, sudden enough to make him grit his teeth. He lifted his hand instinctively.
It was empty. No blood. No blade.
He glanced down toward the floor.
The body at his feet was gone.
The wood beneath him rippled.
The apothecary faded. Not vanishing, but draining of weight and depth, colours dulling as if the world itself were stepping backwards.
He blinked again
Cold air brushed his face.
Gabriel was standing in the fog.
The ground beneath his boots was uneven grass. Frost crunched softly when he shifted his weight.
He straightened slowly.
