Aurdis's thoughts darkened as she stared at the broken wall and the scorched remains of their once-pristine courtyard.
"Right. We can't afford another disaster ," she thought bitterly.
Whatever Laston had created and unleashed, it had nearly torn their entire kingdom apart. If they were to survive whatever might came next, they would need to turn what used to be his weapons and knowledge against their enemies.
"We'll study everything," she murmured. "If all of this things can break us, then we'll use them to become unbreakable ourselves."
Turning back to King Fairon, she asked, "What of your forces, Your Majesty? How much have you lost?"
Fairon's face tightened. He sighed heavily. "Your father… he ordered us not to intervene until the very end. We obeyed. It allowed us to wipe out the remnants of Laston's army that meant to ambush them, yes, but it also meant we couldn't offer help when it was most needed."
Aurdis caught the disappointment in his tone—the frustration beneath his calm demeanor. He clearly wished he had done more, that he had defied orders, that maybe then the outcome would've been less tragic.
"How's your father condition?" Fairon asked softly. "And your brother?"
"Father will recover, I think," Aurdis said. Her voice faltered. "But Aerchon... he's not well. The healers... they don't know what's going to happen to him."
Tears welled in her eyes once again, unbidden, and slipped down her cheeks. She wiped them away quickly and harshly as though punishing herself for letting them fall.
King Fairon reached out and gently gripped her shoulder. A steadying presence. No words were spoken but it helped.
Aurdis gave him a small, grateful smile.
The sound of carts, wounded groaning, and orders being shouted filled the silence that followed.
Fairon glanced toward the entrance of the palace, then asked, "What of the Dragonborn? They were also helping deal with Laston's subordinate and fought beside us… I haven't seen them since the battle ended."
Aurdis's eyes widened. She had been so consumed with her father and brother that she had forgotten.
"You're right... I haven't either," she said quickly.
Without another word, she turned and started walking. Her pace grew faster, then faster still.
"I'll go check on them," she called over her shoulder.
King Fairon nodded firmly. "Go."
Aurdis didn't stop again until she reached the steps of the palace, her path aimed straight toward Saeldir's chamber.
Aurdis raised her hand and knocked gently on the dark wooden door of Saeldir's chamber. For a moment, there was only silence, but then came a familiar voice from inside.
"Come in," Erend called.
She pushed the door open.
The room was lit by sunlight from the windows. At the center stood a box-like structure, lined with sleek panels that shimmered faintly with alternating red and blue lights. Its surface hummed softly.
Erend and Eccar were crouched beside it, examining what looked like a panel filled with shifting images texts. Not Magic, but something else. Something from another world.
Aurdis took a step inside, her brows drawn in a puzzled expression. "What… is that?" she asked, her voice a quiet mix of curiosity and caution.
Erend glanced over his shoulder, then stood up as he replied.
"It's from Laston's world," he said simply. "We took it after the battle. It have information to the weapons he used and create. It holds more data and information that he gathered and records of his plans. Now we're extracting it."
Aurdis's eyes lit up with a mixture of surprise and awe. She hadn't expected them to be moving so swiftly, let alone already working to dissect Laston's discoveries.
"You already got this far?" she asked, stepping closer. "You managed to take his knowledge?"
Eccar gave a brief nod without looking away from the glowing console. "Not all of it. But enough to start seeing how he thinks and… well, something else."
Erend, meanwhile, turned fully toward her. His sharp eyes studied her face for a moment, and his expression shifted. "Aurdis… are you alright?"
She hesitated, offering him a tight nod. "I'm fine."
But the words rang hollow even in her own ears.
She crossed the distance between them and without another word, threw her arms around him, pressing her face to his chest.
She held him tightly, as though needing something solid to keep herself from breaking apart.
The burden of her father's injuries, of Aerchon's uncertain fate, the destruction of the palace—it all poured from her in the silence of that embrace.
Erend froze for a second. But then his arms wrapped around her just as firmly, holding her steady as her body trembled faintly against his. He didn't say anything.
In that moment, Aurdis allowed herself to breathe again as if only now remembering that she could. With Erend's warmth around her, the weight she'd been carrying began to lift, if only slightly.
"I don't know how much more of this I can take…" Her voice finally came, quiet and hoarse.
Erend's hand moved gently to the back of her head. "You're not alone, Aurdis," he said softly. "You don't have to carry it all by yourself."
And for the first time in what felt like days, she allowed herself to believe him.
Aurdis then released their embrace and walked toward the advanced laptop on the table. On its screen were lines of text and images—none of which she understood.
No, more accurately, it was something she didn't understand yet. She would learn it later.
Erend and Eccar exchanged a glance. The two of them had already agreed to keep the existence of the Praetoris—and the threat they posed—a secret. At a time , it wasn't something Aurdis needed to know.
"This looks like something incredible," Aurdis said, her eyes reflecting the images on the panel. "With this, we could strengthen our kingdom. So next time anyone dares to mess with us… we could obliterate them with ease!"
Erend thought the same. This could be the beginning of an advanced civilization—not just for the Elves, but for this entire world.
However, he also knew it could lead to problems. This might open another door to another conflict… whether in this world, or with another one.