Aurelia did not realize how quiet the clearing had become until she noticed the absence of Malion's presence beside her.
It wasn't that the forest had fallen silent ....birds still sang overhead, the stream continued its gentle murmur, leaves whispered softly as the breeze wound through the trees. And yet, something had shifted.
The air felt subtly different, as though a weight she hadn't been aware of had lifted… or moved.
She turned.
The space where Malion had been standing moments earlier was empty.
For a heartbeat, she simply stared, blinking once as if expecting him to reappear.....stepping out from behind a tree, voice calm, expression unreadable.
He did not.
Her brows knit together.
"Malion?" she called, her voice carrying easily through the clearing.
Nothing answered.
A flicker of irritation stirred in her chest, quickly followed by something she refused to name.
Fear.
