The village streets stretched out before them, shrouded in a hushed stillness now that the night had fully settled.
The gentle flicker of lanterns cast long shadows along the cobbled pathways, their glow reflecting off damp stones, making them glisten as though stars had fallen to earth.
The air carried the faintest scent of rain, though the sky remained clear, its endless darkness punctuated only by the moon's pale luminescence.
Elysia walked beside Malvoria, her arms crossed, cautious yet intrigued. The Demon Queen had barely spoken since taking her hand, and though she had expected silence, there was something… different about this quiet.
It wasn't the strained, simmering tension they so often shared, where barbed words were poised on the tip of their tongues, ready to cut. No, this was something else entirely—an anticipation that made Elysia's skin prickle.
