Selindra's lips curved faintly. Not quite a smile. Not mockery either. Just acknowledgment of the truth. Hunters like Varik built walls around themselves, secrecy, isolation, the illusion of control. But walls always had cracks. She had spent years learning where to look.
The path wound away from the main roads, through derelict blocks where half the buildings still bore scars of old breaches. Shadows draped the shattered walls, windows like hollow eyes. Most hunters avoided these places. Too much bad memory in the concrete.
Selindra didn't flinch. Her eyes scanned corners, doorframes, rooftops. The wind shifted, carrying with it the faint metallic tang of mana residue. Strong. Recently disturbed.
She slowed, one hand brushing the hilt at her back.
