The square stayed quiet long after the figure shattered.
No distortions. No movement. No pressure hanging in the air.
Just an empty space that felt… normal again.
Jovian didn't like that.
Normal didn't fit what they had just gone through.
Vital Mirage lingered behind him, faint but present, like it didn't fully trust the silence either.
"He's gone," Iggy said, glancing around as if expecting something to jump out anyway.
Lucien shook his head slightly. "Not gone. Just not here anymore."
Alaric stepped forward, examining the ground where the pattern had been. "…There's nothing left. No trace."
Jovian finally moved, stepping into the center where the figure had stood.
"…That's the problem," he said.
They looked at him.
"He didn't leave anything behind," Jovian continued. "No residue. No fragments. Nothing we can follow."
Iggy frowned. "So we're back to nothing?"
"No," Jovian said. "We're worse than nothing."
That got their attention.
"We know he's close," Jovian said. "We know he's watching. But now he's stopped showing us how."
Lucien understood first. "…He doesn't need to test anymore."
Alaric's expression hardened slightly. "Which means he's ready."
Jovian nodded once.
And for the first time, there was no uncertainty in his voice.
"Next time, it's him."
The silence returned after that.
But it wasn't empty anymore.
It was waiting.