Luviyah walked down from the terrace, her steps quiet but steady. Her attendants followed behind her, silent and wide-eyed. She looked at me, her silver eyes filled with concern, but also… something else. Something deeper.
"You didn't have to go that far," she said softly.
I looked at her and smiled a little. "I had to know what I'm capable of now. And they needed to know too."
She paused, then nodded slowly.
"You've become something more, Craig," she said. "Even when they tried to kill you… they couldn't."
The others stood now, slowly gathering around.
Fafnir crossed his arms. "So this is the strength you'll be using against Pyrion."
I nodded. "Yeah. And it still might not be enough."
There was a moment of silence before I spoke again.
"But this test—it showed us one thing. I can stand at the front. I can take what's coming. And I'll protect all of you… just like I promised."
Everyone nodded.
