The silence after the fracture sealed did not feel like relief. It felt like the world was holding its breath.
I remained standing only because Nyx had not let go of my arm, her grip firm enough to keep me upright while the aftershock of what I had just done rippled through my body in slow, painful waves. The Veilbind Chain had dimmed again, but the burn beneath my skin lingered, deep and persistent, like something had been stretched just short of breaking.
Umbra hovered close, closer than ever, its form unsteady for a moment before gradually stabilizing again. Through the bond, I could feel the strain mirrored within it, though not in the same way. Where my pain was sharp and physical, Umbra's was… structural. A tension in its very existence, like something that had been forced into shape and was still adjusting to the pressure of holding that form.
I exhaled slowly, steadying myself, and only then did I realize that the thing beyond the fracture was gone.
Not destroyed.
