Nothing moved.
Not immediately.
After her words settled—after the quiet, irreversible distance between them solidified—the world seemed to pause, as if it were waiting to see what would come next. Liora stood still, her gaze drifting slightly, not unfocused, but no longer fixed on a single point. It was as if her awareness had expanded beyond what her eyes could capture.
Cairis didn't speak.
Kael didn't interrupt.
For a moment, everything held.
Then—
Liora turned her head.
Slightly.
Just enough to the left.
"…Someone's coming."
Cairis frowned instantly. "What?"
"There," she said quietly, her gaze settling on an empty stretch of space behind him. "From that direction."
Kael followed her line of sight.
There was nothing.
Just open ground. Still. Undisturbed.
Cairis's expression tightened. "There's no one there."
Liora didn't argue.
Didn't insist.
She simply watched.
Three seconds passed.
Then—
Footsteps.
Faint at first.
Then clearer.
