Before nightfall, Silas and a few guards had gone into the forest. And when he got close to where nyra had describe for him, He remained at the edge of the trees where shadow and light met in uneven lines, his presence deliberate in its restraint.
A few paces behind him, his guards held position exactly as ordered—still, alert, but distant enough to ensure this moment belonged only to him.
Not because it was safe.
Because it needed to be controlled.
He didn't wait for long before Selena showed up into the clearing like this had become a routine of hers.
His gaze stayed fixed on Selena.
For a long moment, he did not move.
Did not speak.
Only observed.
The air around her was wrong in a way that could not be dismissed anymore. It bent slightly where she stood, as though the forest itself was uncertain how to behave in her presence. Frost threaded through the ground in faint, spreading patterns, subtle but alive, reacting to her like an extension of thought rather than effort.
