The silence after that answer didn't feel empty. It felt loaded. Like something had just tilted, quietly but irreversibly, and they were only now realizing the ground beneath them wasn't as stable as they thought. Aiden didn't move, but every part of him was alert, his gaze locked on the man in front of them, trying to read him, to understand what kind of threat they were actually dealing with. He didn't look rushed, didn't look cornered, didn't even look tense. If anything, he looked like he had been waiting for this exact moment.
Noah stepped slightly forward, placing himself just a fraction ahead of Aiden without making it obvious. It wasn't protective in a dramatic way, just instinct, positioning. Aiden noticed anyway and didn't comment. Not now. "You said you're here to change the outcome," Noah said, his voice calm but sharper now. "That implies you already know what it is."
The man's eyes flicked briefly to the side, then back to Noah. "I know enough."
