The sanctuary did not announce his arrival.
No thunder cracked.
No wards screamed.
No beast roared a warning.
That was the first sign something was wrong.
Amaya felt it before she saw it—a pressure, subtle and intimate, like a memory pressing against the inside of her ribs. Not violent. Not hostile.
Familiar.
She froze mid-step.
Calix, walking beside her, noticed instantly. "What is it?"
She swallowed. "I don't know. But it's… close."
The forest ahead parted.
Not torn.
Not forced.
The trees simply leaned aside, branches bowing as though greeting a favored guest.
A man stood in the clearing.
Human at first glance—tall, dark-haired, dressed in travel-worn robes the color of ash and dusk. No crown. No visible weapon. His hands were empty, relaxed at his sides.
He smiled when he saw them.
Warm. Relieved.
"Amaya," he said gently. "I was afraid I'd missed you."
