Silence filled the underground chamber.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Every gaze was fixed upon the silver‑haired woman who had just opened her eyes.
And upon the words that had only just left her lips.
"Aurelia… you truly came."
Aurelia's heart hammered hard in her chest.
For there was no longer any simple explanation for all of this.
Seraphine knew her name.
Seraphine had waited for her.
And most incomprehensible of all…
This woman was supposed to belong to a time five hundred years in the past.
A thin wisp of mist still drifted from the open stasis capsule.
Seraphine tried slowly to sit up, yet her body swayed unsteadily.
Five centuries spent in a state of suspended animation was not something one could recover from in mere seconds.
Before she could lose her balance…
Aurelia reacted instinctively.
She reached out and steadied her by the shoulders.
For a fleeting moment, their eyes met.
Seraphine's silver gaze softened.
There was relief there.
