Chapter 110
The shift didn't hold this time. It deepened, then broke into something clearer, as if whatever had been forming no longer needed to stay hidden, and the distortion ahead of them tightened into something that carried direction instead of uncertainty.
Kael felt it before anything else moved, the reaction hitting him sharply in his chest as something locked onto him with unmistakable intent. His body shifted slightly in front of Ariana without him thinking, his grip tightening around her hand as he anchored her behind him.
"Stay close," he said, his voice low and controlled, though the tension beneath it was impossible to hide.
Ariana didn't move behind him, but she didn't pull away either, her presence steady at his side in a way that felt deliberate rather than instinctive. "It's not coming for me," she said quietly, her calm tone only making the moment feel heavier.
