"Lucy... Gena."
Ezra quietly called their names.
His voice remained as calm and plain as ever, but the seriousness hidden beneath it immediately caught their attention.
Neither girl replied.
They simply looked toward him.
"Conceal your Cognis."
He spoke without turning around.
His pitch-black eyes remained fixed on the corridor ahead.
The words were short.
There was no explanation.
There didn't need to be.
Without asking a single question...
Lucy and Gena immediately closed their eyes.
The Cognis flowing around their bodies gradually settled.
The faint pressure surrounding them slowly disappeared until it became almost impossible for another Alchemist to sense their exact cultivation level.
Only after completely concealing her Cognis did Lucy carefully spread her perception outward again.
Her senses stretched through the surrounding corridors.
A second later...
Her expression stiffened.
"...Half-Star Alchemists."
She muttered under her breath.
