Adam overslept.
It was a warm, diffuse light that greeted him in the privacy of the rooms. The worst of combat exhaustion had passed with the bulk of the creation process he'd engaged in. His muscles still retained the deep ache of prolonged high-level creation as well as the lingering aftereffects of Vorthax's claws, but the vital damage was gone. Aurora was there, reports from Joshua in hand, poring over the pages. She looked up as he sat up.
"You're back with us," she said.
Adam sat up carefully. "How long?"
"Long enough. The outer seals are quiet. Joshua and Jordan held the fort. Eon and the others continued in the inner grounds as you requested."
He nodded, the last lingering tension in his body erased by the completion of his final cleansing routine and full power restoration. The creation mechanisms of his body worked smoothly now that he was home and well-rested. When he was done, Aurora set the reports down beside her and regarded him carefully.
"Thank you."
