The forest around us seemed heavier than before, or maybe it was just me. Every step I took felt like wading through thick air, my thoughts sticky, tangled with questions that refused to be untangled.
I broke the silence first, though it wasn't really meant as an attempt at conversation.
"How… how did that thing from the Order get into Darge?" I muttered aloud, mostly to myself, but loud enough for Nora to hear.
Her pace faltered. I didn't look back. I had too many other things to consider.
"And more importantly," I continued, voice low, "how the hell did it escape the Academy's security?"
Nora's footsteps beside me slowed even further, and I could feel the shift in her posture. Her body language stiffened, subtle, taut, defensive. She didn't speak. She rarely did when I was in one of these spiraling thought loops.
