I held my breath, watching the hand make contact with the swirling, heavy energy of the Core.
Swish.
There was no explosion of aura. No shockwave. No scream of binding magic.
The hand simply passed through the Core as if it were made of smoke.
"Tsk."
The figure clicked its tongue.
"No traps triggered? How boring."
The voice sounded distorted this time, losing its human cadence.
Then, the figure wavered like a reflection in a disturbed pond before dissolving into wisps of violet smoke that drifted back into the cat's fur.
The cat yawned, stretching its back.
'Safe.'
I exhaled slowly, my lungs burning from the held breath. My gamble had paid off.
But the relief was short-lived.
"It seems the big bad wolf is too busy fighting outside to leave any traps inside."
A new voice spoke.
This time, the sound didn't come from the cat, nor from the dissolving smoke.
It came from everywhere.
