The creatures had barely disappeared into the darkness when Lyrate and I continued our journey toward the ruins. Their sudden appearance had left me with more questions than answers, especially after I discovered the strange Origin of Time woven through this dead zone.
It was unlike the Origin I had comprehended myself, and the fact that it had been strong enough to conceal the arrival of those creatures made me unwilling to lower my guard.
I kept my perception fully expanded as we moved forward, continuously examining everything around us. Every fluctuation in space, every disturbance in the flow of time, even the faintest change in the surrounding energy was immediately captured by my senses.
Lyrate remained beside me, occasionally glancing toward the darkness around us, but neither of us spoke much. There was an uncomfortable stillness in the dead zone, as though the entire region was waiting for something.
Almost an hour passed without incident.
Then I suddenly stopped.
