Silence settled over the ruins of the Golden Colosseum.
For the first time since the attack began, the terrible sounds from the battlefield seemed distant.
The clashes in the sky continued. Dust still drifted from broken pillars. Somewhere beyond the collapsed stands, healers called for supplies and guards searched for survivors.
But around the boy lying on the fractured arena floor, no one spoke.
Sylvia knelt beside Arthur.
Her arms were wrapped around him, one hand trembling against his bloodstained coat as though she could hold him together through sheer determination.
"Arthur..."
His name came out broken.
She brushed a strand of dark hair away from his face.
"Please."
There was no response.
Only that dreadful stillness.
Sylvia clutched him tightly , her shoulders shaking.
She had finally admitted what she had done.
And now she was holding him without knowing whether he had believed a single word.
She kept looking at Arthur's face, waiting for his eyes to open.
