Fedlimid held the dark beastcore in between them, his fingers steady, the gesture quiet but unmistakable. It wasn't an offering, just a presence set there with care, foreshadowing the importance of a demonstration neither of them had spoken of, but both understood was coming.
He placed it gently between them on the desk.
Then, with a precise touch, he pressed his fingers to its side. The core pulsed once, slow, like a heart, then its arrays split open along seams too fine to see. Light poured outward in layers, not radiant but calm, cool. Pale lines of magic twisted in fluid spirals, forming a hovering array that rotated in steady rhythm. A wide, shimmering dome of blue light extended around them both, a suspended globe made of minuscule droplets suspended midair, too many to count, like rain frozen in motion.
Rynna stepped back, instinctively wary, though her eyes sharpened with professional interest.
