Aria's gaze flicked toward him. "Reading?"
He nodded. "It's not hiding—it's watching. When we fought the tortoise, the mana shifted just before it fell. That same pulse is here, following the pattern of our movements."
Sophia exhaled. "Then it's already learning."
Moonbounce, resting beside Rhys, emitted a low hum, his runes faintly dimming and brightening in a rhythmic pulse—as if echoing the strange cadence of the air.
Aria suddenly burst into laughter, shaking her head. "You're good—really good," she said, and on the other side, Caria and Sophia were both smiling.
"It's the second phase of the tortoise," Aria explained, gesturing toward the swamp. "Once it fuses with the terrain, it transforms into a swamp-type variant. We call it the Swamp Sentinel."
Rhys nodded. "I see. You were checking if I could sense it or not."
