Kaelen pushed herself up slightly against the cushions, her expression weak but intensely focused. The near-death experience hadn't dulled the edge of her strategic mind.

"Ray,"

she rasped, her eyes locking onto his,

"what time is it?"

Ray glanced towards the ornate clock on the study mantelpiece, its hands barely visible in the dim lamplight.

"Just past the eighth bell,"

Kaelen's eyes widened, a new urgency entering her voice.

"The Amulet... Its binding lasts for exactly eight hours. It's already been seven since I activated it near the observatory ruins."

She looked at him, her gaze sharp despite her pallor.

"That means K is trapped, completely immobile, but only for another hour at most!"

She gripped his hand, her fingers surprisingly strong.

"He has to be captured, Ray! Now! While he's vulnerable. But not you,"

she insisted, her voice gaining a desperate edge.

"You saw how he moved. You're no match for him alone. Send someone strong, someone capable. Svane, maybe? Or... whoever else you can trust."

She gave him the location, her words quick and precise,

"The abandoned observatory ruins, just north of the Valor training grounds. He's trapped within the main dome."

Ray stared at her, the information hitting him with the force of a physical blow. K. The boogeyman. Trapped. Vulnerable. It was an opportunity beyond anything he could have imagined, a chance to capture the Argent Hand's most elusive agent, to gain invaluable intelligence, perhaps even end the immediate threat.

But then his gaze fell on Kaelen's pale face, the lingering blue tint around her lips, the shallow rise and fall of her chest. Svane hadn't returned yet. The master healer and alchemist weren't here. The poison was still in her system. Leaving her now, even for Rina to watch over, felt like a betrayal. Pursuing K was the strategically vital move, the one that could secure their future. Prioritizing Kaelen was the immediate, human necessity, the duty he owed to someone who had risked her life and trusted him.

He was caught, frozen between the golden, tactical opportunity and the immediate, undeniable demands of his conscience. In the heavy silence of the study, the ticking of the mantelpiece clock seemed to grow louder, each second a hammer blow counting down the final hour, forcing a choice he wasn't ready to make.

Ray felt the cold, pragmatic logic screaming in his mind:

Veteran: "Enemy incapacitated. One hour window. Objective is clear: neutralize the primary threat NOW! The girl is secondary collateral. Move!"

Courtier: "Unprecedented opportunity! Capture yields intelligence, leverage, potentially dismantles the entire 'Collector' operation. The strategic value is incalculable. Seize this moment before it vanishes!"

Their voices were a collection of ruthless efficiency, urging him to take the strategically vital path. He felt another presence assert itself, quiet but unyielding, its core principle cutting through the strategic noise like a surgeon's scalpel.

Healer: "The patient is critical. Neurotoxin active. Delaying definitive care risks permanent damage or death. Primum non nocere. First, do no harm. She is the immediate priority. The rest can wait."

He made his decision. He gently squeezed Kaelen's hand, his voice firm but laced with a quiet, reassuring warmth.

“Capturing K is vital, Kaelen,”

he said softly but with conviction.

“But your life comes first. Always.”

He saw the flicker of protest in her eyes, the strategist warring with the patient, but he continued, outlining his plan with calm authority.

“Sergeant Svane will return soon with the healer and alchemist. We need to ensure you are fully stabilized and the poison neutralized. Once you are safe under their care, I will dispatch Svane to the observatory ruins. He is capable. If the trap still holds when he arrives, he will secure K. If not…”

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He let the unspoken possibility hang in the air – the risk they had to take.

“…then we deal with that reality when it comes. Your survival is the priority right now.”

Kaelen listened to Ray’s plan, her expression thoughtful despite her weakened state. The strategist within her was already analyzing the situation, piecing together the events leading to her collapse.

“The poison…”

she murmured, her voice still raspy but gaining clarity.

“That explains it. I should have been faster. He shouldn’t have been able to keep up with me for so long. The only reason I had to use the Amulet was because I was already weakening.”

She looked at Ray, her gaze sharp and analytical.

“Did you… the poison… were you able to identify it?”

Ray nodded, meeting her intense gaze. The World-Weary Healer provided the name with clinical certainty.

“Based on the symptoms, the rapid onset, the cyanosis, the specific neurological effects I observed – my best diagnosis is Veridian Nightshade Toxin.”

A flicker of recognition, quickly followed by profound relief, washed over Kaelen’s face as Ray spoke the name of the poison.

"Veridian Nightshade,"

she repeated, the words a confirmation rather than a question.

"Yes… that fits."

Despite her weakness, she lifted her left hand, her fingers fumbling slightly with the plain silver bracelet on her wrist. Ray watched, his eyes widening slightly as he recognized the faint magical shimmer around the unassuming piece of jewelry. It was a spatial storage item, a rare and incredibly expensive piece of enchantment.

Conman: "Well, well, lookie here. A Tier 4 Dimensional Pouch, woven into jewelry. Top-shelf stuff. Worth more than this entire suite, furniture included. The merchant's daughter travels in style, gotta give her that."

Kaelen murmured a soft command word, and with a faint shimmer of displaced air, a small, ornate wooden box materialized in her hand. It looked ancient, carved with intricate patterns.

"My family's... business... attracts unwanted attention,"

Kaelen explained, her voice still weak but steady.

"Preparedness against poisons is a necessity. We have antidotes for most common, and uncommon, threats."

She looked at Ray, a hint of genuine gratitude in her eyes.

"Thank you. Your diagnosis… it confirms I have the correct counteragent right here."

With slightly trembling fingers, Kaelen opened the ornate wooden box. Inside, nestled on dark velvet, was a single, small vial containing a pearl-like liquid. She uncorked it without hesitation and swallowed the contents in one quick gulp.

Ray immediately focused his senses, activating the Serene Cultivator’s Aetheric Perception and Aetheric Purity Assessment skills. The world shifted, the mundane details of the room fading as he perceived the flow of energies within Kaelen's body. He saw the dark, sluggish signature of the Veridian Nightshade, its thin, spiderweb-like tendrils wrapped around her body’s core systems.

Then, he saw the antidote go to work. The pearl-like liquid wasn't just a chemical; it carried its own potent, vibrant Aetheric signature, a bright, cleansing light. As it spread rapidly through her system, Ray watched in fascination as this light targeted the dark tendrils of the poison. It didn't just push them back; it actively broke them down, dissolving the poison's structure, neutralizing its discordant energy signature. The process was remarkably fast and efficient.

Within moments, the pervasive darkness of the poison began to recede entirely. As it did, Ray noticed a faint, darkish mist beginning to rise from Kaelen's skin, coalescing slightly where Rina was dabbing sweat from her brow. It was the physical manifestation of the neutralized toxins being expelled from her body.

Ray watched, clinically impressed by the antidote's potency and the speed of Kaelen's recovery. This wasn't just a simple remedy; it was high-level alchemy, a testament to the resources and hidden knowledge House Thorne possessed.

The change was remarkable. Within minutes of taking the antidote, color began to return to Kaelen's face, replacing the deathly pallor with a healthier, albeit still pale, hue. Her breathing evened out, losing its shallow, ragged quality. With a visible effort, she pushed herself into a sitting position on the couch, leaning back against the cushions, looking significantly improved though clearly still weak.

She looked at Ray, her gaze clear and direct now, free from the haze of pain and poison. A profound, sincere gratitude softened her usually guarded features.

"Ray,"

she said, her voice still a little weak but steady.

"You saved my life. If you hadn't found me... if you hadn't known what to do..."

She didn't finish the sentence, the implication hanging heavy in the air.

Ray simply nodded, accepting her thanks without comment.

"He's still trapped, Ray,"

she reiterated, her voice regaining some of its intensity.

"We have less than an hour now. Whatever K had planned, it involved removing me first. Now K has failed, and K knows we know. We're both targets now. We're in this together."

Ray met her gaze, the shared danger forging a new, unspoken understanding between them.

"I know,"

Ray agreed, his voice quiet but firm.

"And we will deal with K. But first, we ensure you are completely out of danger."

The tentative alliance, once just a possibility hinted at in cryptic warnings, was now solidified in the crucible of K's attack.

Ray stood near the tall window of the suite's living area, seemingly lost in thought, his expression serious as he gazed out at the darkening academy grounds. The weight of Kaelen's words about the ticking clock and the immense danger K represented seemed to press down on him. He turned slightly, pacing a small, tight circle on the new woolen rug, his brow furrowed in concentration, before stopping abruptly.

He looked towards the main door, then back at Kaelen who was resting, pale but alert, on the couch, and Rina who hovered nearby.

"Svane isn't back yet,"

Ray murmured with a sense of urgency, just it was low but due to the quiet in the suite it was still enough for Rina and Kaelen to hear it.

"The time limit Kaelen mentioned is critical. We need a faster, more specialized response than just the Sergeant."

Without waiting for a response, Ray walked decisively towards the main door of the suite. He opened it and stepped out into the quiet, empty corridor, pulling the door open and stepped outside. He looked left, then right down the deserted hallway, confirming their solitude. He took a single, deep breath, centering himself in the stillness.

Then, speaking clearly into the quiet air, his voice unnaturally loud in the silence, he uttered the phrase:

"Sanctuary Protocol."