It moved before anyone realized it was already there.
The forest had gone too quiet, and I felt it before I saw it, that same shift in the air, that same presence pressing into my awareness like something that did not belong yet refused to stay hidden.
I did not turn immediately because I knew that whatever had been watching me, it had finally decided to step forward.
A figure stood between the trees. My breath slowed as I faced it fully, my senses sharpening with every second, taking in the details without needing to rush.
It looked human at first, but something about it felt wrong in a way I could not ignore. Its posture was too precise. Its stillness is too deliberate. Its presence is too heavy.
Kael stepped forward slightly behind me. “Aria,” he said, I raised a hand just enough t
