Chapter 22: Deep Drilling
Kelvin sipped the steamroot tea again, its heat spreading through his chest like a low flame. Lyra leaned against his shoulder, her presence quiet but steady.
For once, the silence wasn’t awkward. It was... necessary. A reprieve.
That was when the door slammed open.
"By the Depths of the Abyss! You survived!"
Darius barged in, arms wide, his robes still streaked with dried monster blood and dust. "And I don’t just mean physically—you’re alive and smug about it. That’s my boy!"
Kelvin chuckled, nearly spilling his tea. "You have the subtlety of a wounded frost boar."
"And you have the bedside manners of a half-dead phoenix," Darius fired back, grinning as he dropped onto the floor with a dramatic flop.
"Seriously, though. That fusion back at the Rift... The entire Sanctum is whispering your name."
"Yeah," Lyra added with a smile. "Riftborn Flame."
Darius groaned. "That’s terrible. I was rooting for Kelvin the Cataclysm or maybe Xerion’s Chosen. But nooo—people always go for a crap."
Kelvin raised an eyebrow and said. "You are jealous."