Albedo stood at the edge of the clearing for a long time after the laughter faded.
The sound had felt wrong in his throat, too sharp in a space that punished excess. He let it die naturally and returned to stillness, hands loose at his sides, shoulders relaxed.
The distortion at the center of the clearing did not react, and that confirmed to him that the gate wasn't keyed to any emotion or intent. It responded to his force, such as mana pressure.
Which meant subtlety wasn't just encouraged, it was required for him to succeed in his goal of escaping this place.
Albedo stepped back from the clearing and sat down on the bare earth, crossing one leg over the other. He closed his eyes again to catalog all he had learned.
The mana drain was omnipresent now, no longer fluctuating wildly. It had settled into a steady, irritating bleed, like water seeping through cracked stone.
