Ryn didn't wait long.
"You know something," he said, eyes forward as they walked. "Spill it out."
Kato hummed softly, hands tucked into his sleeves.
"I wouldn't say that," he replied. "It's just a guess."
Ryn shot him a look.
"That's a convenient word."
Kato smiled faintly. "It's an honest one."
He stepped over a collapsed section of stone and continued, unhurried.
"Creatures behaving erratically. Predators roaming places they usually avoid." He gestured lightly to the surrounding ruins. "And cities built like this."
"You don't build like this unless what you're afraid of isn't people."
Ryn slowed a step.
"That's still a leap."
"Maybe," Kato agreed easily. "But when different signs point in the same direction, it stops feeling like a guess."
"And also…" the kid paused. "This isn't the only one."
Ryn watched him for a long moment, not sure whether he should believe the kid's words or not.
They emerged into a wider chamber a few minutes later.
Ryn slowed instinctively.
