The stillness after the breaking of the chain wasn't peace—it was suspension.
As if the world itself held its breath.
They remained like that for a moment longer—Daniela cradled in Eloise's arms, Val silently watching her fingers tremble, Anton kneeling to brace himself, Kael still tense as if waiting for the illusion to break. Even Isla, with her eerie calm, felt it.
And then—
The ground hummed.
Not trembled—hummed. A low, vibrating frequency that tickled their teeth and echoed from the soles of their feet to their spines. Trees leaned unnaturally toward the epicenter. The shadows that had once crawled across the battlefield recoiled—but not in fear.
In submission.
Kael's hand flared instinctively, his flames rising. "That's not good."
"No," Isla whispered, eyes narrowing. "It isn't."
Because breaking the chain hadn't been just a rescue.
It had been a signal.
