The heavy silence of the hall seemed to press in on all sides, even from their hidden nook near the back. Marin had gone rigid beside her, his face pale, eyes staring at the ground as if the stone floor might somehow offer answers. Ada felt her heart ache at the sight of him—so different from his usual, light-hearted self, so tense and closed off.

The words exchanged during the meeting—about the sickness, about the secrecy—hung between them like a spectre, lingering in the air, twisting through Marin’s mind in ways Ada could only guess at. She reached out tentatively, her fingers brushing against his hand, offering a small, delicate touch. He didn’t pull away. He didn’t move. But she could feel the tremor running through him, a fine, brittle tension beneath his skin.

“Hey,” she whispered softly, leaning closer, her voice barely more than a breath. “It’s going to be okay.”

Marin let out a shaky laugh, a sound that was more a sob than anything else. “Is it?” he murmured bitterly. “Father’s… Father’s sick, and Mother knew. She knew all along, and she didn’t tell me. She didn’t tell anyone.”

Ada bit her lip, glancing around the shadowed hall before shifting a little closer, blocking them both further from view. “She’s scared, Marin,” she murmured gently. “She didn’t want to worry you.”

“She lied, Ada,” Marin hissed, his voice low but sharp, “She—she hid it from me, from everyone. All this time, and—” His voice caught, breaking off in a choked sound. “And now he might… he might…”

He trailed off, his eyes squeezing shut, his shoulders hunching inward as if trying to curl away from the reality of it. Ada’s chest tightened painfully, and she moved without thinking, wrapping her arms around him, pulling him close.

“It’s okay,” she whispered again, her fingers stroking through his dark hair, her own eyes stinging with unshed tears. “It’s okay. We’re going to figure this out. We’re going to help him. I promise.”

Marin shook his head weakly, his breath hitching. “How?” he whispered, his voice a broken plea. “How can we help him? The council isn’t going to do anything—they’re just going to talk and talk and…” He clenched his fists, his whole body trembling. “What if he doesn’t wake up, Ada? What if… what if it’s too late?”

The raw fear in his voice tore at her, and for a moment, she had no answer. What could she say? That everything would be fine? That they’d find a cure, a solution, some way to reverse what was happening? She didn’t know. She didn’t even understand what was wrong, and that terrified her more than anything.

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But she couldn’t let him see that. She couldn’t let him see her fear, her uncertainty. He needed her to be strong right now, to be his anchor.

“We’ll find a way,” she murmured, her voice soft but fierce. “Whatever it takes, Marin. We’ll find a way. We’re not going to lose him. I won’t let that happen.”

Slowly, Marin pulled back, lifting his head to look at her. His eyes were wet, red-rimmed, filled with a pain so deep it made her heart twist. “You can’t promise that” he whispered brokenly. “No one can.”

Ada’s throat tightened, and for a moment, she couldn’t speak. But then she lifted her hand, gently cupping his cheek, her thumb brushing away a stray tear. “I know,” she whispered. “But I can promise you this—I’m not going to let you go through this alone. Whatever happens, we’re in this together.”

Marin stared at her, his breath coming in ragged, uneven gasps. And then, slowly, he nodded, a small, desperate movement. “Together,” he echoed softly, his voice wavering.

“Yes,” Ada murmured, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to his forehead. “Always.”

For a moment, the world seemed to narrow to just the two of them—two figures huddled together in the dark, clinging to each other amid uncertainty and fear. But then the murmur of voices reached them again, low and urgent, and reality came crashing back in.

Ada hesitated, glancing back toward the council. “They… they’re not going to act, are they?” she murmured, a thread of bitterness creeping into her voice. “They’re just going to talk and… and wait. Wait for more people to get sick. Wait for—”

“—nothing,” Marin finished softly, his voice tight with anger. “They’re going to do nothing.”

Ada clenched her jaw, her gaze darkening as she turned back to the council members seated in the distance. There was something else at play here. Something dark. And if they didn’t do something soon…

Her fingers tightened on Marin’s sleeve, and she took a slow, steadying breath. “We’ll figure it out,” she whispered fiercely. “You and me. We’ll—”

But Marin’s gaze had drifted, his expression distant, hollow. He shook his head slowly, his eyes shadowed. “No,” he murmured softly. “We… we can’t do anything, Ada. What could we do? We’re just… just kids. They’re not going to listen to us.”

The hopelessness in his voice made Ada’s heart twist painfully. For a moment, she could only stare at him, her own determination wavering under the weight of his despair.

But then she straightened, her chin lifting stubbornly. “Maybe we’re just kids,” she said quietly. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t try.”

Marin glanced at her, something flickering in his eyes—something fragile, like the faintest spark of hope. “Try?” he whispered uncertainly.

“Yes,” Ada murmured, nodding fiercely. “Try. We can talk to people, ask questions. We can… we can figure out what’s really going on.” Her gaze drifted back to the council, to Thorn, his face shadowed and serious as he watched the proceedings unfold. “If no one else is going to do anything… then maybe it’s up to us.”

For a long moment, Marin just stared at her, his expression torn, conflicted. And then, slowly—hesitantly—he nodded.

“Okay,” he whispered softly. “Okay. We’ll try.”

Ada’s heart lifted, a faint, fragile smile tugging at her lips. “We’ll try,” she echoed softly, squeezing his hand gently. “Together.”

And in that moment, huddled in the shadows at the edge of the hall, the two of them made a silent vow—a promise that no matter what lay ahead, no matter how dark things became, they would face it together.