Alex leaned against the jagged rock, eyes half-closed as he scanned the horizon for movement.
For a while, he had been sitting in silence, the sound of waves crashing below him steadily.
The sun had begun its descent, draping the world in a warm glow.
It would've been peaceful if not for the crawling sensation of tension prickling in the air like static.
The sea was at the edge since the empress and the emperor went back, as if it knew something would happen.
Even the fish in the area were gone, their senses warning them about impending disaster.
'Hey Sophia, what do you think? How long will it take for them to come back?' Alex asked inwardly, but Sophia's reply came a bit late.
[... I wonder.]
She sounded hesitant and nervous, and Alex could feel it. But he could also sense she wouldn't tell him what bothered her if he asked.
Before he could confront her about it, something changed.
The mana around him pulsed unnaturally as something stirred.
