A thin fog rolled in and instantly cleared, placing Cedric into a moment slightly later in time.
For some reason, the entire prison block had grown incredibly noisy, and the atmosphere was thick with a tense, chaotic air as if something massive was about to happen.
In this particular cell, however, Thalia was cradling Maya, gently smoothing her sister's tangled hair. By now, Maya was awake, but she still looked completely dazed and hollowed out from the horrific extraction.
In front of them, their mother was pacing back and forth impatiently, her eyes darting toward the corridor as if counting down the seconds.
Thalia slowly looked up from her sister. After a bit of hesitation, she asked in a slightly trembling tone, "Where is Father? He… h-he promised he would come back for us."
At first, her mother didn't respond. She just kept pacing, until the distant scream of a man echoed from somewhere down the cell block.
