I felt her before I saw her, and that was enough to tell me she was not like the others.
The air shifted in a way that was different from everything I had sensed before, not heavier, not sharper, but precise in a way that made everything else feel incomplete. My breath slowed as that presence moved closer, not rushing, not hiding, but advancing with a certainty that made resistance feel almost pointless.
The voice inside me reacted instantly. “Do not engage.” But I ignored it. This was what they had warned me about. “You said you would replace me,” I said, my eyes fixed ahead. The person did not answer immediately. It did not need to because I could already feel it.
Kael stepped slightly behind me this time, not leading, not intervening, but watching with a focus that told me he underst
