He held Rory close, his arms firm yet careful, as though afraid she might slip away if he loosened his grip even slightly. Their foreheads touched, breaths mingling in the quiet space between them.
"I heard about everything you did today," Yuel said softly. His voice carried a mixture of awe and restrained emotion. "The way you stepped forward without hesitation. The way you shielded others even when the danger was overwhelming. I won't lie—it shocked me."
He paused, then let a faint, sincere smile surface.
"But more than anything… it made me proud."
Rory blinked, caught off guard.
"Rory," he continued gently, "you handled the situation as well as anyone possibly could have. Better than most. Don't shoulder guilt that was never meant to be yours. What happened today was the internal rot of the Violet Obsidian Clan finally surfacing. Jasper was simply unlucky—born into a Dragon Kind family where affection is rare and survival is cruel."
