The door behind him clicked. Not a creak. Not a knock. Just a sound too smooth for this apartment.
Merlin didn't turn.
He didn't need to.
The steps were too soft to belong to Dion or Mae. Too slow to be Elara, who moved like a fuse with a short burn. The air shifted just slightly, as if something precise had entered the room and didn't plan on leaving anything behind.
Then the voice came.
"You're awake."
Plain. Crisp. Like the air before snow.
Merlin turned halfway, hand resting on the rusted railing.
The man stood in the doorway to the balcony, white-haired, pale-skinned, posture relaxed like someone who didn't need to posture at all.
Same plain coat. No badges. No gear. Just a clean white shirt under a heavy collar and shoes that didn't scuff when he walked.
'I've seen you before.'
