[Silthara Palace — Malika's Private Chamber — The Breath Between Life and Loss]
Time did not move. It held itself still as if even it feared the answer, and within the chamber, no one dared speak; no one dared shift because at the center of it Levin lay unmoving, too still and too quiet.
And beside him Zeramet stood unrecognizable, not as a ruler, not as a tyrant but as something far more dangerous—a man who had already begun to lose.
Then the fast and unrestrained footsteps came. The doors were forced open, and Varesh entered first, breathing unevenly, followed by Raevahn and, between them, dragged into urgency—the High Priest.
His robes were disordered, his sacred mantle slipping from his shoulders, and his crown carried rather than worn.
"Malik—" Varesh spoke, still catching his breath. "...we have brought the high priest."
