The images Thorne showed us stayed with me even after he had left Arian's room. The moment Adrian and I shared had been ruined by the horror of the videos and images.
So, I went back to my wing, and I was tormented by them, having restless hours before dawn where sleep refused to come.
Because every time I closed my eyes, I saw glass chambers like upright coffins. Pale hands pressed against transparent walls.
Children staring through cameras as if begging the future to notice them.
The Veil had not just crossed a line, then they erased it.
By morning, the house was awake in the way only places at war ever are, quiet, purposeful, ready. The guards moved faster and spoke less; I could guess everyone's night had been ruined.
The air felt charged, vibrating with the knowledge that something irreversible had begun; Adrian had summoned the core team for a council meeting before sunrise.
