The silence didn't feel the same anymore.
Before, it had weight. Structure. Even when nothing was happening, Liora could feel the shape of what would happen, the subtle alignment of events forming just beyond the present.
Now—
There were gaps.
Not constant.
Not overwhelming.
But enough to disrupt the certainty she had started to rely on.
She stood still, her gaze forward, her breathing even, her thoughts controlled. The horizon hadn't changed. The distant figure remained where it had always been—still, patient, untouched by the fractures beginning to form elsewhere.
That consistency grounded her.
It was the only thing that hadn't broken.
Behind her, Cairis shifted.
The movement was small, but it registered. Not before it happened. Not perfectly aligned. But she caught it as it occurred.
Not ahead.
Not behind.
Just—
On time.
Her fingers curled slightly.
That alone was enough to confirm it.
She wasn't fully aligned anymore.
"…We need to move," Cairis said.
