The road was quiet save for the scuff of boots and the sighing of wind across brittle grass.
Rin's cloak clung to his damp shoulders as he adjusted the satchel slung over his back, fingers absently brushing the worn edge of the enchanted communication stone inside.
"Still nothing?" Syl asked quietly, his voice muffled beneath the curve of his hood.
Rin didn't answer at first. Just shook his head. "No spark. No echo. It's like they're not even on the same plane."
Syl's jaw tensed, long black hair sticking to his neck with sweat. "Distance?"
"Maybe," Rin said, eyes scanning the overcast horizon. "But we've reached them across oceans before."
"Then magical interference."
"Or worse."
They both fell into silence again.
The dirt path veered toward a cluster of wind-beaten trees, their skeletal branches casting long shadows across the ruined farmlands.
