The door sealed behind them with a soft, final sound.
The wards followed—one after another—adjusting to the presence of two bodies that had been kept apart too long. The air thickened. The room dimmed slightly as the magic recalibrated, drawing inward instead of pushing out.
Elias barely registered it.
The bond surged again, unchecked now, crashing through him hard enough that his knees buckled. Cassian caught him automatically, arms wrapping around his waist to keep him upright.
Elias made a sound he didn't mean to.
It wasn't pain.
It wasn't relief either.
It was the noise of something breaking under pressure.
Cassian stiffened, breath hitching as the surge hit him too. The Ivy flared beneath his skin, burning gold lines across his arms and throat, brighter than they had been all day. He clenched his jaw, trying to hold it back, trying not to let it flood the room.
"Easy," he said, voice rough. "We need to—"
Elias shook his head.
