When Nathan finally returned from Amaterasu's world, the last rays of sunlight were beginning to slip behind the horizon. The early evening air held a faint chill, the kind that whispered the coming of night.
Nathan had hoped—perhaps foolishly—to see Medea waiting for him. Yet she was nowhere in sight. No familiar presence. No trace of her delicate fragrance or her usual sharp, calculating gaze. It seemed she had not returned yet.
Suppressing a sigh, Nathan chose not to head back to his quarters. Instead, he took to wandering aimlessly through the wide stone paths of the campus, moving in deliberate circles.
His steps, however casual they appeared, served a greater purpose. He knew eyes were watching—Caesar's men were always close. Spies in the shadows, informants in the walls, even classmates who smiled too easily. If he stayed hidden too long after returning, it would raise suspicion. Better to be seen as someone who had nothing to hide.
