Ren didn't have to search long. He spotted Evie almost immediately among the crowd gathered at the edge of Illusion Forest. She stood out effortlessly — calm, graceful, and glowing in the light filtering through the canopy.
Even among hundreds of players, she was hard to miss.
Ren's eyes narrowed when he noticed how many others were staring at her — some openly, some pretending not to. For some reason, that bothered him.
He picked up his pace, but stopped dead when he saw who stood beside her.
Ragnar.
Ren froze. His brain short-circuited for a second.
Don't tell me… Ragnar is part of her group?
Ren shut his eyes tightly and took a long breath. Calm down. Ragnar probably wouldn't recognize him — not through a hood, not with a changed voice.
At least… he hoped so.
When Ren finally approached, Evie turned toward him. Her usual calm expression melted, replaced by a bright smile that reached her eyes.
It was subtle, but it made the whole place brighter.
