The moment Sage stepped into view beneath the staircase, the lounge fell silent.
Gregor was in the middle of a sentence when his words caught in his throat. Mina, who had been lounging back against the armrest with one leg draped over the other, froze as if she had been painted into place.
Pax's easy smile faded, and even the old man seated quietly to the side, who had seemed detached from everything, finally lifted his gaze.
For a brief moment, no one spoke.
Sage stood calmly with one hand resting lightly on the wooden railing. His loose blue robes hung from his thin frame, and his face appeared paler than any of them remembered. Although he wore a faint smile, it didn't quite reach his eyes; they lacked their usual sharpness, as if a veil had been drawn across his spirit.
"Petty Uncle Sage, you're back!" Mina exclaimed as she sprang to her feet, her voice shattering the silence like glass.
