Silence did not return when the presence disappeared. It lingered. Thick. Heavy. Unfinished.
Selara stood perfectly still, her breathing controlled, but her awareness sharpened to an unnatural edge, as though her body had memorized the exact imprint of what had just occurred. The forest around them had gone still again, yet this stillness was different from before it wasn't watching anymore.
It was waiting.
Draven was the first to move.
His hand tightened briefly on her arm, grounding her without force, before he slowly withdrew it, his eyes scanning the space where the presence had been. His entire posture remained alert, his instincts refusing to relax even though the immediate pressure was gone.
"It didn't leave," he said quietly.
Selara didn't respond immediately. Her gaze remained fixed ahead, as though she could still trace the fading echo of that presence in the air.
"No," she said finally. "It retreated."
