We pressed deeper into the Gate, encountering scattered resistance—more beetle clusters, some acid-spitting spiders, and what looked like mutated bats with too many eyes. Nothing we couldn't handle.
The deeper we went, the more I noticed Isabelle watching me—not just my back in combat, but my movements, my reactions, my abilities. She was studying me like a puzzle with missing pieces.
After we cleared a room of spider-like creatures, she paused to take a sip from her water canteen.
I gave a noncommittal shrug, acutely aware of how dangerously close she was circling to uncomfortable truths. The less I said, the better. "I picked things up here and there. You know how it goes."
