For several long seconds, nothing moved and she just kept her grip on her, wondering what was going on and how she could fix it, but she knew deep down that there was something else going on.
Not the systems, not the air, not even the wards that still glimmered weakly along the fractured walls. It was as if the entire containment wing was holding its breath, uncertain whether what had just occurred counted as a failure or a revelation.
Selene was the first to move.
She adjusted her grip, shifting the girl fully into her arms, one hand braced between her shoulders, the other firm at her waist, anchoring her weight with practiced ease. The girl was lighter than she should have been after what had happened, as though some part of her had not fully returned yet, and that alone sent a quiet spike of alarm through Selene's chest.
"Stay with me," Selene murmured, not as an order, but as a promise. "Do not drift into your thoughts, focus on remaining yourself."
The girl made a small sound in response, more breath than voice, her fingers tightening briefly before relaxing again. Her pulse fluttered under Selene's hand, erratic but present, stubbornly alive.
Around them, the systems within the headquarters began to recover from their shock.
Soft chimes echoed through the chamber as emergency protocols downgraded themselves, confusion rippling through the logic frameworks that governed the city's deeper infrastructure. Suppression fields disengaged in layers, cautiously, as if afraid of provoking another response. The shattered sigils did not reform.
They simply… refused to and Selene noticed that immediately.
She rose to her feet slowly, careful not to jar the girl, and turned in a slow circle, her eyes scanning the walls. The containment lattice was still there, but it no longer felt absolute. Something about the structure had changed, not damaged, but redefined, as if the room itself had learned a new rule and could not unlearn it.
Footsteps approached, measured and restrained.
Figures appeared at the far end of the corridor beyond the open door: knights, archivists, and at least two members of the inner council, their expressions carefully composed and thoroughly unsettled. None of them crossed the threshold.
They felt it too and as the door to the chamber opened, Selene met their gaze without flinching.
"She is under my authority, you all know this. The king promised this to me," Selene said calmly. "You will not touch her. You will not seal her. You will not classify what just happened until I say otherwise."
One of the councilors hesitated, then inclined his head, just barely. "The systems recorded a breach resonance that predates the city," he said. "That should not be possible, this is not a good sign for any of us, you know that better than most, Selene."
Selene's eyes flicked briefly to the girl's face, pale and damp with sweat, lashes resting against glowing-faded skin.
"I do know that, but I also see logic and yet," Selene replied, "it happened."
The councilor opened his mouth, then closed it again, the words clearly rearranging themselves behind his teeth. "If the nameless has stirred—"
"It has not been freed," Selene cut in sharply. "Do not confuse awareness with the idea of it being released. If you push that distinction, you will force a reaction you are not equipped to survive. You and I both know most of the royals are just talk."
They visibly flinched at her words and her eyes narrowed, the silence answered her.
Finally, the king's voice echoed faintly through the chamber, carried by a projection woven from light and authority. "Bring her to the upper sanctum," he said. "Not a cell. Not a warded vault. Somewhere neutral."
Selene's jaw tightened. when she realized he was listening to their conversation all along, yet she said nothing.
"Neutral does not exist anymore," she said. "Not where she is concerned."
A pause followed, longer this time.
"…Then bring her somewhere private," the king amended. "We will convene later, bring her into my home."
The projection dissolved.
Selene did not wait for further permission. She turned away from the chamber, carrying the girl with steady purpose as the watchers parted instinctively, none of them daring to interfere. The corridors shifted as she passed, rerouting subtly, offering a path that had not existed moments before.
The city was adapting, she could sense it, even though she was not saying anything and that frightened her more than the outburst had.
They reached Selene's quarters without incident, the door sealing behind them with a softness that felt almost gentle. Selene laid the girl down on the bed carefully, brushing damp hair away from her face, her fingers lingering just long enough to confirm that the light had truly faded from beneath her skin.
For a moment, Selene simply stood there, watching her breathe.
Then the girl's eyes fluttered open, they were normal now, dark and unfocused, but aware.
"Selene," she whispered hoarsely. "It wasn't… just one of them."
Selene stilled when she heard that, wondering what the girl meant.
"What do you mean?"
The girl swallowed, her throat working as she stared at the ceiling, as if afraid to look directly at Selene in case it made the memory sharper. "The eyes," she said slowly. "The cells. They weren't reacting to me."
Selene leaned closer. "They were waking up because of you."
"No," the girl corrected softly. "They were checking something."
A chill slid through Selene's spine.
"Checking what?"
The girl turned her head then, finally meeting Selene's gaze, and for just a heartbeat, Selene saw something ancient and steady looking back at her, not possession nor madness, but for some reason it felt like recognition.
"Whether I was early," the girl said, "or late and whether I am ready or not."
The words settled between them, heavy and final.
Outside the room, deep beneath the city and far beyond it, systems continued to recalibrate, seals whispered to one another, and attention gathered along fault lines no one had charted in centuries.