The wind didn't just blow.
It screamed.
Trees bent as if bowing to an unseen force. Leaves ripped from branches, spinning through the air like frightened birds. The purple crack in the sky widened, bleeding light that pulsed like a second heartbeat.
Calix's grip on Amaya tightened until she could feel the tremor in his fingers.
"Calix—" she tried, voice shaking.
"No time," he growled, low and sharp. "We have to move. Now."
He yanked her forward, half dragging, half carrying her as he sprinted through the forest with inhuman speed. Roots and stones flew beneath his feet, branches whipping past—but he didn't slow, not even for a heartbeat.
"Calix!" she gasped, stumbling. "You're hurting me!"
Instantly he stopped.
Cold fear flickered across his face as he looked at her wrist in his grip—red where he'd held too tight.
He released her as if burned.
"I'm—" His voice cracked. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"
A roar thundered overhead, swallowing the rest of his words.
