The stone felt warm in Liam's palm. Almost alive. He didn't look at it immediately. Instead, he stared ahead for a long, quiet moment, his hand closed tight, refusing to acknowledge what he already knew.
The silence around him was deafening, and then—he opened his fingers.
Black.
For a second, there was nothing. No breath. No noise. Just stillness.
Then it came—gasps, cries, a guttural cheer from the natives, and a sinking weight that dropped into the stomachs of every single one of his companions.
"No," Sera murmured, clutching onto Marcus's arm.
Mariel looked like she'd been struck, her whole body trembling. "No, no, no…"
Sophia stared blankly, her lips slightly parted in disbelief.
Jason shook his head in helpless frustration. "Damn it… no…"
