"This… this is General Alaric's token."
The words, once spoken, sent a ripple through the room. The drawn swords hesitated, then one by one were sheathed.
Lara exhaled silently. But as she stepped forward, a guard moved to intercept.
"The letter was entrusted to me," she said firmly. "General Alaric's order was that I personally hand it to General Odin."
The guard looked to General Odin for confirmation. The general gave a slow nod. The soldier stepped aside.
Lara advanced, coming to a stop mere inches from him.
For the first time, she was close enough to see him in full—the man who was both a stranger and a ghost of her own reflection.
Wordlessly, she handed him the letter.
Then, she looked up.
And when their gazes met, she stilled.
A pair of eyes—sharp, piercing, identical to her own—stared back at her.
Odin's expression did not waver, but something in his gaze shifted.