The silence that followed the revelation seemed heavier than any scream. The distant sound of the wind through the canopy wasn't enough to break the suffocating feeling of danger. The forest watched them—alive, conscious, a silent accomplice to something greater than them all.
Kael kept his gaze fixed on the small green spot on the ground, his fingers still coated with a residual glow. The hatred throbbing beneath his skin wasn't just anger: it was an old, familiar kind of helplessness. The kind born when you realize the enemy is one step ahead.
Irelia was the first to speak.
"So they weren't just hired mercenaries…" she said, her voice low, as if afraid to give voice to her suspicion. "They're hunters, but from different groups. Fighting to get her first."
Kael slowly raised his gaze, and the gold in his eyes seemed to darken.
