Expectation settled into the air like a weight that did not belong there.
It was not loud, not forceful, not even urgent, yet it changed everything about the space around the boundary. The valley felt narrower, the distance between us and the unseen field compressed by something intangible, as if the world itself had leaned in to listen.
Umbra hovered closer to me than before, its form steadier now, but the bond carried a quiet tension that had not existed moments ago. It was not being pulled anymore. That much was clear. It was choosing to remain.
And that distinction mattered.
Nyx shifted beside me, her stance angled slightly forward, ready without overcommitting, though I could feel the restraint in her posture. She wanted distance from the boundary. From whatever lay beyond it. From the entire situation.
She just was not willing to leave me in it alone.
"You are thinking too long," she said quietly.
"I am thinking just enough."
"That is what worries me."
