The hour had already crept past four in the morning when Al finally returned to his own quarters in the Virellano residence.
The weight of exhaustion pressed heavily on him the moment his body touched the mattress. Yet despite the fatigue gnawing at every muscle, he reminded himself that he could not afford to rest for long.
At dawn, before the first rays of sunlight pierced the city, he would need to meet the construction workers and guide them past the barriered zone—an area already cloaked by layers of illusion.
Before they stepped foot inside, he would have to provide them with magical neutralizers, otherwise the workers would be lost to the enchantment and unable to tell reality from falsehood.
His attire had already been changed into his usual casual clothes, simple and comfortable. In his palm, however, was something far from ordinary. A faint radiance seeped out between his fingers, shimmering softly as if the object itself was breathing.
