The entire layer was quickly settling into evening by the time Ren decided to return home.
The light orbs above the streets had dimmed into a pale silver sheen, mimicking the dusk that came with the setting sun, rather than the brightness of day.
Their glow cast long, uneven shadows over the stone paths, turning alleyways into yawning mouths and window shutters into staring eyes.
Ren walked with confident steps, his hood raised, and the hem of his cloak fluttering lightly behind him with each stride.
His body was relaxed, posture loose, but his senses were alert.
Every scrape of a boot, every gust of wind that didn't quite match the rhythm of the street, it all filtered through his awareness like the slow turning of a blade against a whetstone.
He was being watched.
He didn't need confirmation. The feeling had been with him ever since he left the merchant district.
And now, they were drawing closer.
