I slowed not because I meant to, but because something felt… wrong. The glow was stronger now. Not faint, not subtle—bright.
My hand shifted instinctively toward my collarbone, fingers brushing against the emerald resting there as heat pulsed beneath my skin, spreading outward in slow, steady waves. It was not painful at first. Just… warm. Too warm.
I frowned slightly but kept walking, adjusting Maribel's weight on my back as though nothing had changed. The corridor stretched ahead, quiet save for distant murmurs of servants. Everything looked normal. Everything felt normal. Except for the heat.
I exhaled slowly and let my magic stir beneath the surface, something automatic, something familiar.
A thin layer of coolness spread across my skin as I summoned a faint trace of ice magic, dulling the warmth just enough to make it tolerable.
There. Better.
[Host.]
Not now.
[Warning signs are ringing.]
You say that about everything.
[This time I am serious.]
So am I.
