Before anyone else could ascend the stairs, an oppressive aura, sharp and unbridled as a blade drawn across steel, spilled into the Hourglass Restaurant's third floor like a wave crashing upon the shore.
Max, seated calmly beside Gayle and Rose, felt that surge of pressure sweep over him, rattling the tea cups on the table and making the very air seem taut and thin. His eyes narrowed, a flicker of recognition dancing through his mind as he tasted that familiar, icy edge of power.
'Mountain Gods Valley,' he thought to himself, his senses bristling in silent alert.
Within just a few breaths, the owner of that ferocious presence emerged into sight. A figure stepped onto the landing, his stride measured yet brimming with ferocious confidence.
