As Arden drew closer to the ruin, something tugged at his senses again.
It had started faint, barely a flicker in the distance, but now the feeling pressed clearer with every step. Auras. Multiple ones. Quiet, yet not hidden. All waiting ahead.
He slowed just a little, eyes narrowing as he scanned the trail beyond the rise. "We have visitors."
Rael moved beside him, tone low. "Same people from before?"
"More than a few," Arden said, his gaze steady. "And they're not random travelers."
The energy was familiar. Refined and heavy with restraint. It was the kind that came with age and authority.
He remembered this exact feeling after clearing the ruin, when the clan elders had shown up.
The Same controlled power, and same clash of egos hidden behind polite silence.
Nyra raised a brow. "You think they've been waiting for us?"
"Probably," Arden replied. "But not all of them. Some were watching from farther off. Scouts maybe, or people they sent ahead to report."
