The world stopped moving.
The trembling earth. The whispering trees. Even the Tiger's breath.
All of it stilled.
Because the voice wasn't just a voice.
It was a presence.
A weight.
A pull inside Amaya's chest that felt like invisible fingers reaching straight into her soul.
"Sister…"
The word lingered in her ears long after the echo faded. Her lungs tightened as if someone had wrapped a chain around her ribs.
Leo felt her flinch. He immediately pressed her closer, one hand supporting her back, the other gripping her thigh as he held her in his arms.
"Stay with me. Don't listen to him."
His voice was low, urgent.
But Amaya wasn't sure she could stop listening.
Because the voice wasn't cruel.
It wasn't violent or hateful.
It sounded—
Lost.
Cold.
Lonely.
Like someone standing in the dark, reaching toward the first light he had ever seen.
"Leo…" she whispered. "He sounded like a child."
