I didn't go looking for him immediately.
That was the first thing I noticed.
Before, there had always been a reason, something to confirm, something to test, something that needed to be understood. This time, there was none of that. I was already walking when I realized where I was going.
The corridor leading to his study was quiet, as it usually was at this hour. The guards were present, positioned the same way they always were, but they didn't stop me when I approached.
They never did. That, too, was part of it.
I stopped just outside the door, not because I was unsure, but because I wanted to be certain of one thing before I stepped inside.
I wasn't guessing anymore, that made a difference.
I knocked once, then pushed the door open without waiting for a response.
Darius was where I expected him to be.
Seated behind the desk, a document in front of him, his attention on it in a way that suggested nothing else mattered.
It wasn't real, i knew that now.
