The words hit Yssera like a lightning strike. Her head snapped up, her multifaceted eyes wide with a mixture of shock and desperate, burgeoning hope. For so long, her stagnation had been a source of shame and frustration, a seemingly unbreakable barrier.
When Xytrallia saw the raw, vulnerable hope on her daughter's face, she turned away, presenting her back to Yssera. For the briefest moment, a slight, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips, a rare crack in her regal composure.
But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, smoothed away into her usual mask of impassive authority.
"Tell me," Xytrallia's voice dropped, becoming more intent as she stared at a pulsating organic node on the far wall. "How much do you know about the Void Creatures?"
Once Yssera heard her mother's question, her playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a look of intense concentration.
