Liora didn't stop walking immediately.
Not because she was trying to escape them, and not because she didn't hear Cairis behind her, but because stopping no longer felt necessary. Movement came naturally now, without hesitation or second-guessing, each step aligning perfectly with the next as if her body no longer needed to wait for her mind to catch up.
The ground beneath her feet felt the same.
The air hadn't changed.
And yet—
Everything felt different.
Not distorted.
Not unstable.
Clear.
That was the only word that fit.
Clear in a way that made everything else feel slightly dulled by comparison.
Behind her, she could feel them.
Cairis first—his presence sharper, more immediate, like something holding itself back from action through sheer will. Kael was quieter, but no less present, his attention focused, observant, calculating.
Neither of them spoke at first.
The silence stretched between them, not empty, but filled with everything they hadn't said yet.
