Chapter 71
The space did not change right away, and that was what made it unsettling. After the surge and the near collapse, Ariana expected something to move, something to react, but instead everything held in place. The cracked ground beneath her feet glowed faintly, and the air around them felt thick, as if the space itself was watching and waiting for what they would do next.
Ariana stayed where she was, her breathing controlled but not steady. Her chest still felt tight from the last surge, and the deeper current inside her had not fully settled. It stayed quiet, but not calm, like something inside her had learned to wait instead of react. That made her uneasy, because she could feel it responding not just to the space, but to Kael.
Across from her, he had not moved.
That was the first thing that felt wrong.
