Noah tried the handle.
Locked.
He clicked his tongue, back against the cold wall of the bathroom. His fingers flexed, half-ready to reach for something—Veilpiercer, perhaps, though he doubted it would help now.
The air was thick.
He had felt them closing in before the strike—three silhouettes in the dark corridor, silent and deliberate. He hadn't seen their faces at first, but as they stepped into the light, it was impossible to mistake them.
Aqua. Gaia. Fire.
The legendary spirits of Lys.
Their forms pulsed with primal energy—fluid blue light, shifting emerald vines, and that ever-present burn of smoldering crimson.
Noah's eyes narrowed. "You tried to kill me just now."
Aqua and Gaia shook their heads slowly, almost apologetically.
Fire, the fire spirit, gave a single downward nod. Unapologetic.
Noah let out a sharp breath. "Of course. Of all of you, he'd be the one to admit it."
He stepped back again—only to find he was out of room.
