Aerin noticed it after they left the clearing.
At first, he thought he was imagining it.
Lyren walked beside him as usual—calm steps, eyes scanning the forest ahead, posture relaxed but alert. Nothing outwardly different.
And yet…
"You're staring," Aerin said without looking over.
Lyren stopped.
"…Am I?"
Aerin glanced at him then. "Yeah. You keep looking at me like you're trying to figure something out."
Lyren hesitated.
That alone was unusual.
"I didn't mean to," he said finally. "I was just… thinking."
"About what?" Aerin asked.
Lyren didn't answer right away. He resumed walking, slower this time, as if choosing his words carefully.
"The forest," he said. "The way it reacted."
Aerin's grip tightened on the strap of his pack. "I told you. I didn't do anything."
"I know," Lyren replied.
That was the problem.
They walked in silence for a few moments. The trees creaked softly overhead, branches swaying even though there was little wind.
Aerin broke first. "You don't believe me."
Lyren stopped again.
"I do," he said quietly. "That's why I'm concerned."
Aerin frowned. "That doesn't make sense."
"It does," Lyren replied. "If you'd used magic, I could explain it. If you'd panicked, I could explain that too."
Aerin turned to face him fully. "Then what are you saying?"
Lyren met his eyes.
"I'm saying the forest reacted before you were even aware of it."
Aerin felt a chill run through him. "So?"
"So whatever's happening," Lyren continued, voice low, "isn't something you're controlling."
Aerin looked away.
He stared at his hands again, flexing his fingers slowly. They felt the same as always. Weak. Ordinary.
"I've tried for years," he said quietly. "If there was something special about me, I'd know."
Lyren watched him closely now—not with fear, not with suspicion.
With concern.
"Not necessarily," he said. "Some things don't announce themselves."
Aerin let out a short laugh. "That's comforting."
"It's not meant to be," Lyren replied.
That made Aerin look back at him.
"What are you really thinking?" Aerin asked.
Lyren took a breath. "I'm thinking that monsters didn't hesitate because they were afraid."
Aerin's heart skipped. "Then why did they hesitate?"
"Because they didn't understand you," Lyren said. "And creatures that survive a long time learn one rule early."
Aerin waited.
"If something doesn't make sense," Lyren continued, "you don't rush it."
The forest seemed to quiet around them.
Aerin swallowed. "You're saying I'm dangerous."
Lyren shook his head. "No. I'm saying you're **unknown**."
That word settled heavily between them.
Aerin looked down at the path ahead. "So what now?"
Lyren stepped forward, placing himself half a pace closer than usual—not shielding, not leading.
Staying.
"Now," he said, "I watch you more carefully."
Aerin glanced at him. "That's supposed to help?"
Lyren's expression softened, just slightly. "It's the only way I know how."
They continued walking.
And though nothing else happened, Aerin couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted—not in the forest…
…but in the way Lyren now saw him.