Captain's voice cut through the shock like a whip. "Get him up! Blankets! Quiet down! The fight isn't over!"
His commands jolted the survivors from their stunned silence. Fear and suspicion warred on their faces, but years of living under the constant threat of The Void had ingrained obedience to authority, especially in a crisis.
Gus continued to protest, his voice hoarse with fear and anger. "Captain, you can't! He's a curse! He brought them here!" He pointed a trembling finger at the broken doorway, where the sounds of fighting, though slightly more distant, could still be heard.
Captain ignored him, his gaze fixed on Kael. He saw the child's trembling body, the glazed, unfocused eyes, the unnatural cold radiating from him. He saw Elara, fiercely protective, tears and dust streaking her face as she knelt beside him.
Two other survivors, a man and a woman, both grim-faced but loyal, cautiously approached Elara and Captain. They looked at Kael with a mixture of pity and profound fear.
"Careful," the woman murmured, her eyes flicking towards the broken door and back to Kael.
"Just... help lift him," Captain said, his voice lower now, addressing his people as much as the two who approached. "Gus, secure this entrance! Get others!"
Gus hesitated for a moment, torn between his fear of Kael and the Captain's clear order. Fear of The Void won. He grumbled curses under his breath but moved towards the broken doorway, shouting for others to help barricade it.
With Elara's steady help, and the two wary survivors aiding Captain, Kael was carefully lifted from the cold floor. He was only vaguely aware of being moved, his small body a vessel of pain and the chilling void where his joy and love had been. Faces swam in his blurred vision – some contorted by fear, some blank with shock, some like Elara's, etched with fierce concern.
As they carried him back towards the main chamber, the survivors they passed recoiled, their eyes wide, whispers following in their wake. "Did you see?", "The light...", "He's... strange...", "A child of The Void?" Fear of the unknown, fear of him, was palpable.
He was laid down gently near the central fire pit, the warmth a faint comfort against the internal cold. Blankets were piled around him. He was the epicenter of a storm of fear and speculation.
Elara stayed by his side, a small, determined figure facing the wary glances of the group. She adjusted his blankets, wiped some of the dust from his face, her touch gentle and unwavering. She was his anchor in this new, terrifying reality.
Captain stood watching them, his expression unreadable. He had to manage the fear in his people, the potential return of The Void creatures, and the terrifying secret he now housed within his sanctuary – a child with dangerous power and a devastating cost, a child who had just drawn the enemy to their doorstep. His decision to keep Kael was a gamble. What would be the price?
The sounds of barricading the broken doorway echoed from the corridor. The low thrumming of The Void outside was a constant reminder that the night's trials were far from over. Kael lay in the heart of the sanctuary, vulnerable, burdened by the Bedel, surrounded by fearful eyes, his future utterly uncertain.