He looked around. The air still shimmered faintly with residual mana, the last traces of the temple's collapse fading into the forest.
Beyond that, quiet — the kind of eerie quiet that only came after something catastrophic.
The knights, bruised and exhausted, began clearing debris and checking equipment. Ariana used what little mana she'd recovered to mend a few wounds. Elisha sat beside the campfire Ronald had hastily built, her expression distant — thoughtful.
Oliver watched her for a moment, then turned his gaze toward Seraphine. The construct stood motionless by the edge of the firelight, staring into the trees as if scanning something invisible.
"You don't eat, do you?" Oliver asked absently.
Her silver eyes flicked toward him.
"Negative. Sustenance not required. I draw ambient mana for maintenance."
"Figures." He sighed and plopped down beside the fire, too tired to think further.
