Let's rewind time, just a little—right before Nero veered off course after detecting the orc at the very edge of his Divine Sense.
At first glance, it had seemed that Khione hadn't noticed anything unusual. She had flown ahead, focused and silent, her crystal wings slicing cleanly through the air. Nero assumed she was simply fixated on her goal.
But in truth, Khione had seen it too.
She had sensed the lone orc just as she passed—felt its faint signature brushing against the edge of her awareness. Yet she chose not to pursue.
It wasn't carelessness.
It was calculation.
Khione had deliberately left the orc for Nero. With him distracted, she would have more freedom to move undisturbed, giving her the chance to focus on something larger—a cluster of signatures further ahead. At least three, maybe more. They pulsed faintly through the flow of the surrounding magic and elemental energy, like embers glowing under the surface of ash.
