They didn't head back right away.
Something kept them moving through the city, like stopping would mean losing whatever thin connection they still had to Voss.
The streets felt different now.
Not distorted. Not controlled.
Just… watched.
Jovian noticed it first.
Small things.
Reflections that didn't match movement. Shadows that lingered half a second too long.
Not enough to confirm anything.
But enough to feel wrong.
"You see it too?" Lucien asked quietly, walking beside him.
Jovian nodded. "He's not gone. He's just not interfering."
Iggy glanced around, annoyed more than afraid. "So now he's just stalking us?"
"Observing," Alaric corrected. "There's a difference."
"Not a helpful one," Iggy muttered.
They turned into a narrower street, the noise of the city fading slightly behind them.
That's when it happened.
A flicker.
Not a distortion. Not a figure.
Just a moment where everything seemed to pause.
Jovian stopped immediately.
"…Did you feel that?"
Lucien didn't answer right away. His eyes narrowed as he focused.
"…Yeah."
Alaric shifted his stance slightly. "It wasn't an attack."
"No," Jovian said. "It wasn't."
It was something else.
A signal.
Or a warning.
Or both.
The air settled again, like nothing had happened.
But Jovian didn't move.
Because for that one moment—
It felt like something had been right in front of him.
Close enough to reach.
And then gone.
"…He's playing with distance now," Jovian said quietly.
Lucien's expression darkened. "So he can appear whenever he wants."
"And leave whenever he wants," Alaric added.
Iggy let out a sharp breath. "That's getting real annoying."
Jovian finally started walking again.
But slower this time.
More careful.
Because now they knew something new.
Voss didn't need to send anything anymore.
He could step in—
Whenever he decided to.