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Varek walked beside me, his silence as heavy as the storm clouds overhead. He moved stiffly, favoring his injured side, the proud warrior reduced to leaning on Lazrin for support during the worst stretches. Seeing him diminished, knowing his injuries were sustained protecting me and Claire, added another layer of weight to my already burdened thoughts.

The Nyxari settlement, when we finally reached it, felt like an impossible sanctuary. The living stone structures glowed with soft, internal light, untouched by the destruction that had consumed Hammond's compound. Nyxari emerged as we approached, their initial alarm shifting to relief, then concern as they took in our state.

Warriors helped Varek, guiding him immediately toward the healing chambers where Kavan and Selene would already be working on Claire. Lazrin spoke quietly with Mirelle, who had coordinated the settlement's defense during the attack, her face etched with worry until Lazrin confirmed our survival.

Someone draped a warm, dry cloak around my shoulders. Another offered water. The simple gestures of care felt overwhelming after the brutality we'd escaped. I found myself led to a quiet dwelling, offered food I couldn't eat and rest I couldn't accept. My mind wouldn't shut down.

Later, cleaned and dressed in borrowed Nyxari clothing that felt strangely comfortable against my skin, I sought out the healing chambers. The air inside hummed with low energy, warmer than the rest of the settlement. Kavan looked up as I entered, offering a tired but reassuring smile. Selene stood beside Claire's pallet, monitoring readings on a crystalline display.

"How is she?" I asked softly.

"Stable," Selene replied, turning toward me. Relief washed over her face, quickly followed by professional assessment as she took in my appearance. "You look exhausted. Are you injured?"

"Just scrapes and bruises." I moved closer to Claire's side. Her face looked pale, peaceful, but the silver markings usually visible at her wrists were completely gone. "Her markings?"

"Dormant," Kavan explained, joining us. "The energy overload forced them into a protective shutdown. They will return when her system recovers stability."

"Will she... be okay?"

"The energy trauma was severe," Selene admitted. "There may be residual neurological effects we can't yet predict. But her core vitals are strong. She's fighting."

I reached out, brushing a strand of hair from Claire's forehead. Seeing her like this, so vulnerable, brought the reality of Hammond's cruelty crashing down again. He hadn't just experimented; he'd tortured.

"We stopped him," I murmured.

"For now," Kavan corrected gently. "Lazrin's scouts found no definitive sign of Hammond among the wreckage accessible near the surface. His fate remains uncertain."

The thought sent a chill through me. Hammond, alive, still out there?

That evening, Lazrin convened a meeting in the Council Hall. Mirelle, Varek (bandaged but present), Kavan, Selene, and I gathered around the central table. The mood was somber.

"Claire is stable," Selene reported first. "Recovery will be slow, but Kavan and I are optimistic."

"Varek's injuries are healing well," Kavan added. "Though the energy burns will leave scars."

"The settlement sustained minimal damage," Lazrin said. "Hammond's attack was focused, targeted. He achieved his primary objective—Claire—before the explosion."

"And the artifacts he took from the ruins?" Mirelle asked.

"Lost in the collapse, as far as we can determine," Lazrin replied. "Along with Hammond himself, and any guards who were with him in the lab."

"We can't be sure he's dead," I countered. "Or that the artifacts are truly gone."

"No," Lazrin conceded. "We cannot. Which means we remain vigilant." He looked around the table. "We won a significant victory today. Claire is safe. Hammond's immediate threat is neutralized. But the cost..."

His gaze fell on Varek, then lingered on the empty space where Zara might have stood. The weight of her absence settled over the room. We had failed her. Left her behind in the chaos.

"Zara knew the risks," Mirelle said softly, voicing the thought none of us wanted to acknowledge. "She chose to help us, knowing Hammond's nature."

"It doesn't make it easier," I said, the guilt a physical ache in my chest. We should have searched longer, tried harder.

"We honor her sacrifice by building what she hoped for," Lazrin stated, his voice firm. "A future where humans and Nyxari coexist."

The victory felt hollow, tainted by loss and uncertainty. Hammond might be gone, but the damage he'd inflicted—on Claire, on the marked women he'd experimented on, on the trust between our peoples—remained. The ruins, the ancient technology, the markings themselves—they were still mysteries, holding potential for both healing and destruction.

Later, I found Varek standing alone near the settlement's edge, looking out toward the western mountains where Hammond's ruined compound lay hidden by distance and darkness. His injuries were evident in his stiff posture, but the warrior's spirit remained undimmed.

"Thinking about Zara?" I asked quietly, joining him.