Chapter 25: The Longest Night
The waiting room of the trauma ward was a stark, sterile contrast to the gilded cage Elara had just escaped. Julian sat with his head in his hands, the faint ticking of the wall clock the only sound marking the agonizing passage of time. Hours bled into one another. Surgeons came and went, their expressions neutral, speaking in hushed medical jargon about orbital fractures, intracranial pressure, and spinal stabilization.
He refused coffee. He refused to sleep. He was the guardian of the threshold, waiting for the girl who had been pushed to the edge of death to decide if she would step back into the light. He replayed her final words on the stairs over and over in his mind. Don't let them leave. He had kept his promise. Now, he needed her to keep hers and survive.
