They didn't speak for a while.
Not because there was nothing to say—
But because some things needed to settle first.
Edrin walked slower than usual.
Not by choice.
His legs just… didn't feel right.
"…Okay," he muttered. "…I'm definitely not fine."
Lyra glanced at him immediately.
"You shouldn't be walking yet."
Edrin waved a hand weakly.
"…If I stop, I might not start again."
"That's not reassuring."
Ronan smirked.
"You look like you got erased halfway."
"That's exactly what it felt like!"
Kael, ahead of them, spoke without turning.
"…Your presence is unstable."
Edrin groaned.
"…Can we not phrase it like that?"
Lyra moved closer, studying him more carefully.
"…He's right."
Edrin blinked.
"…You too?"
She placed a hand lightly against his arm.
Her magic flared—
Soft—
Careful—
Testing.
Then her expression changed.
"…Edrin."
"…Yeah?"
"…You're still… fading."
Silence.
Ronan frowned.
"…What?"
Edrin looked at his hands.
They were there.
Solid.
Real.
"…I don't feel like I am."
Lyra shook her head.
"…It's not physical."
Kael added,
"…Residual effect."
Edrin sighed.
"…Of course there is."
A pause.
"…So what does that mean?"
Lyra hesitated.
Then answered.
"…It means part of you didn't fully come back."
Silence.
Ronan's expression hardened.
"…Fix it."
Lyra shook her head.
"…I don't know how."
Edrin blinked.
"…That's not good."
He flexed his fingers again.
They still moved.
Still responded.
But now—
He noticed it.
A slight delay.
A faint disconnect.
Like he was just slightly out of sync with himself.
"…Okay," he said slowly.
"…I don't like that."
Kael turned slightly.
"…You held your existence together through will."
Edrin nodded.
"…Yeah."
"…Then that is what remains."
Edrin frowned.
"…And the rest?"
Kael's voice didn't change.
"…Uncertain."
Edrin stared at him.
"…You really don't soften things, do you?"
"No."
"…Fair."
Lyra stepped in front of him.
"…Edrin, listen."
He did.
"…You forced yourself to stay."
He nodded.
"…Yeah."
"…But that place—"
A pause.
"…It doesn't just erase things."
Edrin's stomach dropped slightly.
"…It removes what isn't anchored."
Silence.
Ronan crossed his arms.
"…So what, he left something behind?"
Lyra didn't answer immediately.
Which was answer enough.
Edrin swallowed.
"…What did I lose?"
No one spoke.
Because no one knew.
Edrin laughed weakly.
"…That's comforting."
He pressed a hand against his chest.
"…I still feel like me."
Lyra nodded.
"…Because you held onto that."
Edrin looked at her.
"…But?"
She didn't look away.
"…But something else might be missing."
Silence.
Edrin exhaled slowly.
"…Okay."
A pause.
"…We'll figure it out later."
Ronan frowned.
"…You're taking that too well."
Edrin shrugged.
"…If I panic, does it come back?"
"…No."
"Then I'll panic later."
Ronan smirked slightly.
"…Fair."
Kael resumed walking.
"…We continue."
Edrin sighed.
"…Of course we do."
They moved forward again.
The path shifting slightly—
But not violently.
Not aggressively.
Just… adjusting.
As if the world itself was aware—
Something had changed.
Edrin noticed.
"…It feels different."
Lyra nodded.
"…Yes."
Ronan glanced around.
"…Not in a good way."
Kael spoke quietly.
"…You altered the interaction."
Edrin blinked.
"…With the nothing?"
"Yes."
"…That sounds important."
"It is."
Edrin sighed.
"…Great."
He looked back briefly.
At the blank space.
Still there.
Still impossible.
"…I didn't beat it," he said quietly.
Lyra shook her head.
"No."
Edrin nodded.
"…But it didn't beat me either."
Ronan grinned.
"That's what matters."
Edrin smiled faintly.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"…I think."
They continued forward.
The echoes followed again.
Keeping their distance from the nothing—
But moving once more.
Edrin glanced at them.
"…They're okay."
Lyra nodded.
"Yes."
Edrin exhaled.
"…Good."
A faint breeze passed through the fractured world.
For the first time in a while.
Subtle.
But real.
Edrin blinked.
"…Did the air just move?"
Ronan frowned.
"…I think so."
Kael stopped again.
"…Something is changing."
Edrin groaned.
"…Can it not?"
Lyra's expression grew serious.
"…Edrin."
"…Yeah?"
"…I don't think that place was just an obstacle."
Edrin blinked.
"…What do you mean?"
She looked ahead.
Then back at him.
"…I think it was a boundary."
Silence.
Edrin frowned.
"…Between what?"
Lyra didn't answer.
Because they were about to find out.
The path ahead—
Shifted again.
More clearly this time.
More deliberately.
And something—
Was waiting.