Darius POV
I saw it before anyone said a word. The shift.
It was subtle but still there. They weren’t looking at her the same way anymore.
Not like before, when it was quiet dismissal, polite indifference, the kind reserved for something already deemed irrelevant.
Now they watched carefully and warily.
I stood at the edge of the hall, saying nothing, letting the silence stretch as the council gathered. Voices stayed low, but not low enough.
“…did you feel it yesterday?”
“I heard she…”
“That wasn’t normal.”
My jaw tightened.
Of course it wasn’t.
Nothing about Kaelira has been normal lately.
And I was only just starting to understand how blind I had been.
She stepped in.
No announcement.
No hesitation.
Just…Presence.
The room reacted instantly.
Not loudly.
Not openly.
But
