The morning after the report, Luka was already awake before the city stirred.
He stood atop the old stone wall that overlooked the eastern forest.
From this high up, the ruined grove wasn't visible, but he could feel it. The way a hunter senses when a predator is still watching.
The pulse of the leyline hadn't vanished. It had just… quieted. Gone still like a venomous snake under leaves, waiting.
Snow perched quietly on his shoulder, his small claws gently gripping Luka's cloak, watching too.
Behind him, boots scraped against stone.
"I figured I'd find you here," Serene said, walking up with a steaming mug in hand. "You didn't sleep."
"I did. A little," Luka lied.
She handed him the mug. He took it. The tea was bitter but warm.
Serene leaned on the parapet. "Field scouts confirmed the site. Obelisk's gone, like you said. But the decay's spreading underground. Roots going deeper."
"So, we didn't stop it. We slowed it."
Serene nodded.
