The air finally settled.
Not peaceful—just quieter than before.
The ground no longer cracked. The strange energy had faded back into something unseen… but not gone.
Riven stretched his arms as they moved away from the place.
"…Well," he said lightly, "that was fun. Almost died, reality broke a little, mysterious voices—solid day overall."
Kael didn't respond.
He walked ahead, calm as ever.
Elara glanced at Riven briefly.
"…You talk too much after surviving something like that."
Riven smirked.
"I talk because I survived. If I didn't, I'd be quiet forever. Seems like a bad deal."
Kael stopped.
Not suddenly.
Just enough.
Riven noticed.
"…That's the stop where something happens, isn't it?"
Silence.
Then—
Riven's voice cut off.
Mid-sentence.
His lips kept moving.
No sound came out.
His body lifted slightly off the ground—just a few inches—held by an invisible force.
Elara raised an eyebrow.
"…Effective."
Riven glared at Kael, still suspended.
Kael didn't even look at him.
"You speak without purpose."
Riven's expression shifted from annoyance… to acceptance.
Like he had expected it.
A moment passed.
Then Kael released him.
Riven dropped back down, rubbing his neck.
"…I was adding emotional balance to the situation."
Kael resumed walking.
"You were adding noise."
Elara let out a faint breath that almost sounded like a laugh—but stopped halfway.
Riven noticed instantly.
"…Did you just almost laugh?"
Elara's expression went cold again.
"You imagined it."
Riven grinned.
"No, that was real. I'm counting that as a victory."
He walked beside Kael again.
"…You're getting softer, by the way."
Kael didn't stop walking.
But the air tightened again.
Riven froze.
"…Okay—nope. That one was a mistake."
For a brief second—
his movement locked completely.
Not lifted this time.
Just… held.
Kael's voice was calm.
"Say it again."
Riven blinked.
"…I value my existence."
The hold released.
Elara shook her head slightly.
"…You learn fast."
Riven shrugged.
"I learn to survive. There's a difference."
They continued moving.
The path ahead stretched into darker terrain—uneven ground, broken stone, and a sky that seemed slightly dimmer than before.
For a few moments—
no one spoke.
Then Riven said, quieter this time,
"…Something's off."
Kael's eyes shifted slightly.
"Explain."
Riven looked around.
Not joking now.
Not smiling.
"…It's too quiet."
Elara slowed her steps.
"…You noticed it too."
Riven nodded.
"Yeah. No wind. No movement. Even earlier, things reacted."
Kael stopped again.
But this time—
not because of Riven.
Because he already knew.
"…We are not alone."
Silence deepened.
Elara's hand moved slightly toward her weapon.
"…Since when?"
Kael's answer was immediate.
"Since we left."
Riven exhaled slowly.
"…And you didn't think that was worth mentioning?"
Kael replied without turning,
"It was unnecessary."
Riven blinked.
"…Right. Being followed by something unknown is 'unnecessary.' Noted."
A faint sound echoed behind them.
Soft.
Almost nothing.
All three turned.
Nothing was there.
But the feeling remained.
Stronger now.
Closer.
Elara's voice dropped.
"…It's watching."
Kael's gaze hardened.
"Yes."
Riven cracked his neck slightly.
"…Alright then. Less talking, more fighting?"
Kael's answer came cold.
"No."
A pause.
"More waiting."
The shadows around them shifted—just slightly.
Too controlled to be natural.
And somewhere, unseen—
something observed them not as prey…
but as targets already chosen.