Chapter 39

The night was cold and endless.

They camped in the woods beyond Valemont, the ruined city just a smear of shadows on the horizon. Smoke still curled from its cracked spires, and every so often the ground murmured — faint tremors rolling through the earth.

Edgar sat by the fire, eyes fixed on Sebastian.

His friend lay wrapped in a blanket, pale, unmoving except for the slow rise and fall of his chest. His face was thinner, his skin almost translucent, and dark veins curled at his temples.

Professor knelt nearby, murmuring over strange instruments — runes floating in the air, flickering between languages Edgar couldn’t read.

Magnet Man paced at the edge of the camp, hands clenched behind his back, eyes flicking toward the trees.

No one spoke.

For a long time, there was only the crackle of flames and the soft sigh of the wind.

Finally, Sebastian stirred.

His eyes fluttered open.

Edgar was at his side in a heartbeat.

“Sebastian? Hey — stay with me.”