Chapter 48: Lines Drawn in Ash, III
The clinic held its shape again.
The walls stopped bending. The light softened. The smell of lavender and ash drifted slowly back into the edges of the room. It could've been mistaken for peace, if not for the weight that settled on all of us.
Erich hadn't moved.
He sat cross-legged near the center of the room, back straight, hands resting lightly on his knees. His breathing was quiet. Focused. Intentional.
The chaos was gone, but it left something behind.
Clara sat on the floor a few paces from him, watching—not studying, not waiting. Just... there. Her posture said more than her silence. It said, we're still here.
Konrad leaned against the wall near the door. One sleeve was torn. Blood at his collar. He hadn't spoken since the dimension collapsed. His hands were steady, but his eyes fixed on Erich like he was watching a fire that might still catch again.
I stood.
The thread behind my ribs had gone still again. Not silent. Just listening.
"You alright?" I asked.
Erich opened his eyes. He looked at me like someone waking up—not from sleep, but from a life he hadn't realized he'd been living.