Raphael Earhart
I descended to the second floor, where the remaining civilians were gathered, and slowly scanned the room. Their eyes met mine at once—no one tried to hide, to run, or even pretend to be dead. They simply stood there, silently waiting—not because they still hoped for a miracle, but because they hadn't yet accepted that none would come.
Just as I had ordered earlier, they stayed in place. Even when the explosion rocked the building, when the air turned thick with soot and heat, they hadn't moved. I reached out with mana and sharpened perception—no one had left. The number remained the same. Everything matched what it should have been.
