The silence didn’t leave.
It settled.
Denise felt it like a weight that didn’t press down on her body, but on time itself.
“You said a cycle,” she whispered. “What cycle?”
Liam didn’t answer immediately.
His attention stayed on the forest, where nothing was moving now—but everything felt prepared to.
Then he said quietly, “Their alignment window.”
Denise frowned. “You’ve said that before.”
“Yes.”
She swallowed. “How long is it?”
A pause.
Liam’s jaw tightened slightly.
“Not long enough,” he said.
Denise stared at him. “That’s not an answer.”
“It is the only honest one.”
That landed heavily.
Below, the courtyard lights flickered again—soft, uneven pulses, like something distant was testing whether the mansion still belonged to its original reality.
Denise hugged her arms clo
