Ember looked at Jay quietly, waiting for him to continue. The dim light in the room cast faint shadows across his face, making his already pale expression look even more strained.
Jay swallowed and took a slow breath. "It wasn't exactly an antidote," he admitted. "It was something between poison and cure. More like… a test."
Ember's brows knit together.
"My body was being tested," Jay continued, his voice steady but low. "It was checking whether I was fit to resist the virus. The moment I touched it, my cells started multiplying... cells that could fight the infection."
He clenched his fingers unconsciously.
"At the same time, the virus tried to take over. For a while, it was a stalemate. Then… my cells adapted. They stabilized and multiplied faster than the virus."
Ember listened intently, her chest tightening.
