[ It takes some concentrated effort to keep doing the same calm actions he has been, to keep his face from flinching now that Sylvain can see even part of it from where he rests as the other man describes something where awful doesn't begin to scratch the surface. Claude sends a glance to where he'd noticed vines growing nearby when he'd taken a seat - ones he doesn't think were there before, but with everything changing so much it's impossible to tell.

He has more questions than that answer provides, but at least half of them are things neither of them have any way to find out without asking others not here. And that, Claude thinks, is only going to force Sylvain to relive what happened again. There's even more unknowns than before, but the most horrifying of all is that there's finally an answer of why they're here.

It's for this. ]

Alright. [ A placeholder to give himself time to think, time to scramble for something more concrete to say that could possibly offer Sylvain comfort. It already feels flimsy before he even starts. ] We'll...

[ They'll what, exactly? His grip on Sylvain tightens when nothing but the chilling reality of everything sets in for the umpteenth time. That he'd been asleep of all things while this was happening feels like a failure on his part, and Claude sighs. ]

First things first. I'm gonna see about finding something to bandage up your hands, alright? Magic still doesn't seem to be working too well.