Everyone froze.
Slowly—very slowly—they turned around.
There he was.
Kyle.
Sitting cross-legged, casually munching on the melon seeds Cassian had left nearby—the very same Kyle who had dived into the lake and swum to its center without a care.
Ares pointed a finger at him, then at the sky where they had all just watched him vanish.
His lips parted and closed repeatedly, but in the end, he could only stammer two words.
"Two bodies?"
The silence that followed was deafening.
Even the wind seemed to pause.
Cassian broke the silence with a low chuckle as he studied Kyle intently.
"So that's what felt off... Talkative, unpredictable—so unlike you. I guess managing two bodies is harder than it looks, especially for a first-timer."
Kyle blinked, then rubbed his nose—lying with the straightest face he could muster.
"No, I'm not him. He's not me. Only a bit similar faces—total coincidence. Really."
Ares suddenly grabbed his arm, his eyes scanning his body with solemn intensity.
