Chapter 109
The shift didn't stop this time. It held and deepened until the stillness in front of them began to change in a way Kael could finally see, subtle at first, then impossible to ignore once it settled into place.
At first it looked like heat rising off stone, bending the air just enough to distort what lay behind it. But it didn't move the way heat should, and it didn't disappear either. It stayed where it was, tightening slowly into a shape that seemed to resist fully existing.
Kael felt the change before he understood it. His grip on Ariana tightened without thought, his fingers locking around hers as something in his chest went hard and cold.
"That's not right," he said, his voice low and rougher than before.
Ariana didn't answer immediately. Her eyes stayed fixed ahead, and Kael could see the focus in her face sharpen as whatever stood in front of them pulled the air around it inward, making the silence feel heavier instead of empty.
