Elias paused, his gaze distant as he recounted the moment. "After I took down that first demon, something shifted in the air around us. Tanner and Mara—they both saw it. They saw me move, saw what I did, and for the first time since the chaos started, I think they felt a flicker of hope."
Marie leaned forward, her brow furrowed. "Hope? After all that? I'm not sure I'd have been so quick to feel hopeful."
Elias glanced at her with a faint smile. "It wasn't exactly hope in its purest form. It was more like... determination, maybe. I realized that if I could fight back, then maybe they could, too. But they still hesitated. I could see it in their eyes—the doubt, the fear. They weren't sure if drinking the vial would help or if it would just... make things worse."
Celia crossed her arms, her voice quiet but firm. "I don't blame them. After watching soldiers drop like flies, trusting something that seems too good to be true isn't easy."
