All around Xaren, the recruits who had been walking barely two metres away from him had vanished.
No one followed behind, and when he turned, he couldn't find the fog wall he had entered through; the dense vapour had consumed everything behind him.
No footsteps or voices reached his ears, and despite using his gravity detection, he couldn't sense any presences.
What's more, he hadn't noticed any of this until he'd turned and saw that Ilya had vanished.
The fog around him thickened, swirling more aggressively now, preventing him from seeing more than a few feet in any direction.
Xaren activated his Unique Skill, and simultaneously, his aura burst outward and wrapped around his body like a second skin.
The moment he did that, an unfamiliar voice echoed in the fog around him.
[I like your response; it only took you two seconds to get on guard.]
Xaren's head turned as he tried to pinpoint the source of the voice.
