The moment he was gone—The air changed. Not immediately. Not dramatically. No thunder. No bells. No screaming mana. Just… wrong. The sounds of the merchant district dulled, as if someone had wrapped the world in cloth. The laughter nearby felt distant. The clatter of coins lost its rhythm. Even the sunlight seemed to shift, casting shadows just a little too long, a little too sharp.
I stopped walking. Coffi noticed first. His hand drifted closer to his blade.
Latte frowned. "Do you feel that?"
Henry scanned the rooftops. "Yeah."
Raya's two heads tilted in unison, eyes narrowing. "Something's watching."
Chubby yawned—but his shadow stretched, thin and alert, licking the stone at our feet. I exhaled slowly. "…Great," I muttered. "The prince leaves for five minutes." The merchant district continued on around us—rich, bustling, oblivious. And somewhere above, unseen—Something had decided we were interesting.
