Thesmeris Royal Castle,
After Zane vanished, the corridor fell quiet.
Maera, Selene, and Drevin didn't waste a second. They began moving forward, slow and controlled, keeping their steps light as they advanced deeper into the palace.
Selene knelt slightly and traced a small rune onto each of their shoes. The glow was faint—barely visible—and then it disappeared completely.
Maera felt it instantly.
No sound.
Even their footsteps vanished.
She leaned slightly toward Selene and whispered, "Nice."
Selene replied in a low voice, unable to hide a bit of pride. "There are many things I improved during training. Small-purpose runes like this are just one of them."
She continued softly as they moved, "The mana sensitivity here is high. If I use large or complex runes, they'll notice. But these are small enough to blend in with the natural mana a person emits."
A brief pause.
"They only last around fifteen minutes. After that, I'll have to reapply them."
Maera gave her a side look.
