The Sect Master dismissed the two disciples first.
They obeyed at once, bowing low before retreating from the mountain path.
Only when they were gone did Eirene let the pressure around her ease.
The moonlike radiance dimmed. The silver brilliance receded. Her Lunarian form dissolved, and the Flower Fairy returned.
She exhaled softly.
"I cannot remain in that form for long," she said.
Then she lifted her gaze toward the unseen horizon, toward distances far beyond the mountain, and her voice turned quieter.
"They might notice my return otherwise."
The Sect Master's expression changed at once.
The reverence remained, but something else entered it now.
Understanding.
And beneath that—
A flicker of old fear.
She knew exactly what Eirene meant.
