The silence after the sphere vanished did not feel empty.
It felt occupied.
Liora stood where she was, her hand still slightly raised from where the object had existed moments ago. The connection remained intact—steady, responsive, present—but it no longer felt singular.
That was the problem.
Before, the world had reacted to her. Even when it resisted, even when it destabilized, there had always been a clear source.
Her.
Now—
That clarity was gone.
The absence of the sphere did not erase what had happened. It lingered in the space like an imprint, something unseen but undeniable. The faint tension in the air hadn't faded. If anything, it had settled deeper, threading itself into the structure of the world in a way that made it feel… embedded.
Liora lowered her hand slowly.
"…It's still here."
Her voice was quiet, but certain.
Cairis didn't ask what she meant.
He already knew.
