All nine of them were huddled together again, all shared exhaustion and anxiety from the battle they've fought with earlier. They formed a semicircle, and to the side, listening were Tyler and Kaoru, the two who had pushed their mana limits the hardest.
Kaoru was pale, her usually vibrant pink eyes dulled with fatigue. She leaned heavily against the trunk of the tree, her breaths coming in shallow, and Tyler was slumped beside her, his chest rising and falling deeply. He looked less physically drained but wore a deep frown, the weight of the attack settling heavily on his shoulders.
"They're going to be resting for a while," Athena murmured, her voice obvious with concern, as she gently ran a hand over Kaoru's forehead. Her own energy seemed boundless, the glow of her aura was undimmed.
