"I just realized..."
Verena frantically patted down her clothes, tugged at her sleeves, checked her boots. There was nothing. No soft flutter, no glowing warmth. Saphira was gone.
"She's always tucked under my sleeve!" she hissed under her breath. Her stomach dropped.
No Saphira. No Zodiacal Mimicry.
"Looking for your little snake?" Norvan's voice curled like smoke. "She won't be slithering to your rescue this time."
Verena cursed under her breath.
"You can't access your Natal Affinity either," he added with a cruel smile. "This dungeon is laced with Null Tethering. I've been preparing this place for quite a while, actually. After all… one doesn't just underestimate the Conduitor of Ophiuchus."
She glared at him. "How did you even know? And what the hell is Null Tethering?"
Norvan shrugged with mock innocence. "Let's just say… snakes recognize their own," he tapped the bars between them, golden eyes gleaming. "And so, I followed the scales and the silence."
