[: 3rd POV :]
The silence was unsettling.
Their boots pressed against mossy stones and tangled roots, yet not a single sound betrayed them.
The stealth skills were flawless, the detection sweeps thorough, and still… nothing.
No alarms.
No traps.
No signs of an ambush.
It was too smooth.
Daniel's gaze swept the ruined path ahead, his expression calm on the surface, but his chest felt weighed down with unease.
The overgrown ruins of Tetaria stretched before them, breathtaking and haunting, yet he could not enjoy the sight.
It wasn't because that he was afraid, but rather, his feelings of suspicion.
His eyes flicked toward the scouts moving like shadows among the trees.
These were no amateurs.
Each one was a seasoned hunter, hardened by countless raids.
Their techniques were precise, their senses sharp.
Even the smallest ripple of mana, the faintest shift in the wind, should have been noticed.
And yet every report that came back was the same.
"Clear."
