I remained seated for a moment longer, staring at Lirael's still form as silence settled once again.
It was unsettling how quickly everything returned to quiet. One moment, she had been speaking—weak, fading, but still present and the next, it was as if nothing had happened at all. As if her words had not just carved themselves into my mind, leaving behind something heavy and unresolved.
"You have to do more."
My fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the bed before I exhaled and leaned forward. Carefully, I adjusted the blankets around her, pulling them up just enough to keep her warm without restricting her breathing. The small act felt… strange. Intimate, almost. Not something I would have imagined myself doing for someone like this. And yet, here I was, smoothing the fabric near her shoulder, my movements slower than necessary, more deliberate, as though the action itself carried weight.
