Keal did not move for a long time after the man vanished into mist. The scent of ozone and brine lingered in the air, and the waves continued to crash softly along the shore like the heartbeat of a world indifferent to his fate.
He stared at the place where the figure had stood.
That voice—it slid under his skin like oil and heat. There was no malice in it, not overtly. Just a knowing. A careful tuning of every word to strike his weakest notes. Like it had studied him. Like it had waited.
And the price is still the same.
But what did that mean, truly? What would he lose this time?
He ran a hand through his hair and turned away, heart pounding. The island was too small to contain this kind of question. The silence that had once been peaceful now felt like a trap. His feet carried him t
