Strax resumed walking for a few steps, but then stopped abruptly.
It wasn't abrupt—it was deliberate, like someone who reaches an internal conclusion and decides to accept it.
He turned to Xenovia and Kryssia.
"Go back," he said simply.
Xenovia raised an eyebrow. "Go back… how far?"
"To the rendezvous point," Strax replied. "Tell Monica, Kali, and Agnes not to worry too much about it." A brief pause. "Too much doesn't mean ignore. Just don't turn it into panic."
Kryssia narrowed her eyes. "And you?"
Strax looked through the trees, toward the clearing that was no longer visible, but whose presence still seemed… to echo.
"I'll stay."
The silence that followed was short, but heavy.
Xenovia crossed her arms. "Stay… for what, exactly?"
Strax answered without looking away: "To prevent this from turning into something else while no one is paying attention."
Kryssia took a deep breath. "You're talking about the nest."
