The red lightning fades from the terrace, and the nursery wards hold their steady gold. Huarti stands in the hush, the stone beneath him warm with old power and newer law.
Earlise approaches with careful steps, their gaze lifting to the soft glow in the vault walls. They stop near enough to speak, but not so near as to crowd him.
Earlise
The ledger still hums, even now. Not loudly, just enough to be felt. I think it remembers what was taken, and what was spared.
The light along the terrace seams steadies as if listening. Far below, the archive rests quiet, its hidden channels no longer restless.
Earlise
You did not strike like a raider. You set a place to endure. That changes how the old words behave around it.
Huarti
The ledger is calmer than before.
Earlise
If you wish, I can read the resonance again, or simply stand here with you a while. Either way, the terrace feels less like a vault now.
✓ Quest Accepted
Maintain dominion over the nursery