Kael kept his eyes fixed on the figure before him.
The reddish flames continued to erupt around his fingers, small at first, but laden with a strange feeling. They didn't just radiate heat. There was something about them that seemed incompatible with the environment itself. The mana currents of the Central Kingdom instinctively moved away from that fire, as if primordial energy itself recognized a natural predator.
The woman observed this without averting her gaze.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Around them, the guardians remained motionless. None advanced. None attacked. It was as if the entire dimension was waiting to discover what the next move would be.
Then the woman breathed slowly.
"This fire doesn't belong here."
Kael let out a dry laugh.
"Neither do I."
Silence returned.
The answer didn't seem to please her.
But it didn't provoke any aggressive reaction either.
She simply continued watching.
