The days that followed were strange.
Not because anything exciting happened. Because nothing did. No Outer Gods. No Unwritten messengers. No traces of Evelyn. Just walking. Just talking. Just two people moving through a world that didn't care about either of them.
Lucian didn't use his power to skip distance anymore. He let Finn lead. Through alleys and over bridges, through market crowds and along canal paths. The kid knew this city like the lines on his own palm. Every shortcut, every hiding spot, every vendor who wouldn't ask questions.
"You're not in a hurry," Finn said on the third day.
"I'm always in a hurry. I just don't show it."
"That doesn't make sense."
"Welcome to my life."
They stopped at a food stall. Finn ordered something fried on a stick. Lucian watched him eat, then paid with a coin he'd created from nothing. The vendor didn't notice. No one ever noticed.
"You're going to get caught one day," Finn said, mouth full.
"By who?"
"I don't know. Magic police."
