The air changed the moment they passed through the gate.
Even the sea breeze that had been running wild outside seemed to slow down, trapped beneath an invisible boundary.
The sound of waves dulled, replaced by the faint tinkling of wind chimes somewhere deep within the property.
Alexei glanced around, blinking at the sudden stillness.
The villa was nothing like what he expected from an old hermit.
Nestled near the dandy edge of the beach, it sprawled across the land like a hidden ancient castle.
Wooden pavilions stood on raised platforms, their curved roofs tiled with dark slate that gleamed under the sunlight.
A narrow stream snaked through the courtyard, fed by a bamboo pipe that dripped rhythmically into a stone basin.
The faint scent of salt mingled with sandalwood.
Everywhere Alexei looked, there was balance — water and fire, wood and stone. Yet beneath that harmony, he sensed something that prickled at his senses.
