The mana shift hit us before the walls even came into full view.
Not a dramatic boom. No sparkles. Just that awful, subtle wrongness. Like the air decided to lean closer and whisper, hey, don't blink.
My steed slowed on its own. Smart horse. Survival instincts intact.
"You feel that?" Kael asked, voice casual but shoulders already tense.
Zeref didn't even answer. His phoenix dipped lower, wings folding in tighter. "Mana density just jumped. No transition. It's… artificial."
I laughed, because that's what I do when reality starts acting funny. "Ah yes. My favorite kind. The 'someone messed with the sliders' kind."
Neither of them appreciated my humor. Tragic.
As Valryn's walls finally rose before us, the pressure didn't lift. If anything, it settled deeper, like the city had finally noticed us noticing it.
At the gates, the guards stepped forward.
They smiled.
Big smiles. Polite smiles. The kind you practice in front of a mirror until it stops reaching your eyes.
