Takeru shivered violently as an invisible weight pressed down on him. It wasn't physical—at least, not in a way he could understand—but every part of him screamed danger. His breath hitched as his vision blurred, knees locking beneath the sheer force of the pressure. He didn't know where it came from, only that something powerful—something ancient—had just turned its gaze toward him.
It lasted only a few seconds before fading. Still, his heartbeat refused to slow. He hugged his arms to his chest, trembling as if the cold had bitten through his bones. That pressure… it wasn't like any beast he'd ever felt before. Due to the huge difference in level, he couldn't even tell how strong it was. Just that it was vast—impossibly vast.
Kain and Serena, however, were calm.
Serena's eyes flicked upward, her expression unreadable. Kain merely tilted his head slightly, as if listening to a faint echo only he could hear. Then he shrugged and kept walking.
