The silence that followed Cora's sudden appearance was heavy and thick.
It pressed down on the room like a physical weight. Lady Ayara stood frozen in place. Her entire body had gone rigid the moment Cora materialized.
Her breath came in short, shallow gasps that she tried to control but couldn't quite manage.
She stared at Cora with an intensity that bordered on desperation. Her eyes, visible even through the thin veil she wore, were wide with shock.
Her hands trembled at her sides. Small, involuntary shakes that she couldn't suppress no matter how hard she tried.
Something about this woman felt familiar. Deeply, fundamentally familiar in a way that didn't make sense.
Lady Ayara's instincts screamed at her that she knew this person, but that was impossible. She had never seen this woman before in her life.
Yet the energy signature, the presence, the very aura that surrounded her... it all felt like home. Like something she'd been searching for without even realizing it.
