I woke up much earlier than usual the following morning, although calling it morning inside the Null Realm was mostly a matter of habit. The artificial sky above the Ironhart Settlement had only just begun brightening, and the streets outside my window remained unusually quiet.
Most of the settlement was still asleep, but my mind had already returned to the conversation on the Soul Sea.
Don't fall for its trap.
The words had followed me all the way back home.
I sat on the edge of my bed, elbows resting on my knees, slowly replaying every sentence Augustus had spoken. Unlike Gerald or Evelyn, Augustus never wasted words. If he chose to warn me about something instead of simply telling me not to go, then the warning itself had meaning.
"A trap..."
I muttered the word under my breath before shaking my head.
"No. That's not the important part."
I closed my eyes and forced myself to think about it logically instead of emotionally.
How did Augustus know there was a trap?
