The night fell differently the next day.
There was no cheerful song of the insects at the beginning, nor the usual constant rustling of the leaves. The forest seemed… restrained. As if it were watching back.
Damon realized this even before reaching the training spot.
The sky was clear, but moonless. The stars appeared timidly, distant, and the darkness between the trees was deep enough to swallow shapes and sounds. He felt everything—not as numbers yet, but as a diffuse presence, a gentle pressure against his perception.
Esther was already there.
Alone.
The spear remained stuck in the ground, but, unlike the mornings, she wasn't motionless. She walked slowly among the trees, touching trunks, pushing aside branches, like someone rearranging a space before a ceremony.
"Lily didn't come," Damon commented as he approached.
"I know," Ester replied, without looking at him. "I asked her not to come."
This made Damon frown.
"Why?"
Esther stopped. She turned to him.
