The aftermath of the battle weighed heavily on Amara. The shattered temple ruins seemed to mirror the fractured oaths she had broken, their echoes still lingering in the air. As the council's forces worked to secure the area and tend to the wounded, Amara felt an unsettling silence settle over her, one that even the victory could not dispel.
"Are you alright?" Kirin's voice broke through her thoughts, gentle yet concerned. He had not left her side since the ritual's collapse, his eyes never straying far from her.
Amara looked at him, her face a mask of calm, but she could not hide the exhaustion in her eyes. "I'm fine, Kirin," she replied, though even she knew the words felt hollow. "Just… thinking."
"About the oaths," Kirin guessed, his brow furrowing as he studied her. "You seemed connected to them in a way none of us could understand."
