Water dripped steadily from the cavern ceiling, each drop echoing through the silent tunnel like the ticking of a slow, ancient clock.
Amaya walked between two towering white tiger guards, wrapped in a cloak Leo had thrown over her after the attack. The fabric still carried the faintest warmth of his body, a reminder of the moment they almost completed the bond… and of the horror that followed.
The Beastlord's death.
Leo hadn't spoken a single word since.
Not one.
He walked ahead of the group, his posture straight but wrong—too stiff, too still, too quiet. His wings were half-formed, flickering like broken shards of moonlight. His aura was volatile, pushing and pulling, pulsing against the stone walls.
Any normal person would've stayed away.
Amaya walked faster.
She reached him just as he paused at a narrow split in the tunnel. Bioluminescent vines crawled across the rock, glowing pale blue.
"Leo," she whispered.
He didn't look at her.
