Elion stepped toward Lilian as the healers were still making their way over, and up close, it was even clearer that she was not in a good state.
Her breathing was very uneven, and her body was still trembling slightly from the impact, yet she remained standing out of sheer will as she looked up at him with a complicated gaze that was hard to read, a mix of frustration, disbelief, and something else she did not quite understand herself.
He extended a hand toward her and smiled gently.
"Good fight," he said simply with a calm and sincere tone, "and… sorry about the hard blow."
Lilian stared at his hand for a moment before taking it and letting him pull her up properly as she steadied herself. Her grip felt weaker than she would have liked, but it was still firm enough not to appear fragile.
"No, it's fine," she said, shaking her head slightly as she caught her breath, "I could see that you held back quite a bit there."
Elion gave a small shrug, as if it was nothing.
