Her gaze tightened slightly, as though the sound had struck something just beyond reach.
"…again…"
The word came broken.
Barely formed.
But unmistakable.
The physician inhaled sharply.
Marcus looked up.
Even Nyla stilled.
Thessian did not hesitate.
"Liora."
Again.
The same.
No change in tone.
No urgency.
Just—
There.
Her eyes closed briefly.
Not retreating.
Focusing.
As though trying to hold onto something fragile.
Then opened again.
"…Thes…"
It failed.
Fell apart before completion.
But it had been there.
The beginning.
Something in the room shifted again.
Not hope.
Not relief.
Something more grounded.
More real.
Return.
Liora's hand pressed again against her abdomen.
Stronger now.
More certain.
Then—
Slowly—
Her other hand moved.
Away from Nyla.
Not rejecting.
Reaching.
Unsteady.
Toward Thessian.
She did not fully extend it.
Not yet.
But it was there.
The intention.
The direction.
The beginning of a choice.
