He looked at her more carefully this time.
"But what do you think?"
She met his eyes without any hesitation.
"I think it was someone."
She didn't rush it. Let the words settle a second longer.
"Someone who was locked away, too, someone is tied to the first contact, someone whose existence alone broke the cycle."
He didn't answer.
But his body did.
His pulse changed. Shoulders are slightly tenser now. Breathing more measured.
She noticed it all.
No smirk. No smile.
But her voice lowered a little.
"I don't think the curse faded," she said. "I think it was cut."
Then she walked back to her seat and sat down like nothing had changed.
"But even now… not everyone's happy about it."
Ethan frowned, voice quiet.
"…Why wouldn't they be?"
She didn't pause.
"Because some of them liked the leash."
The words weren't loud.
But the energy in the room shifted.
The air changed—not colder or heavier. Just more still. Like something was listening.
