Dry leaves broke beneath the demon girl's boots while she walked through dark woods several hours after the Gate vanished.
Both hands rested behind her head, though the easy posture failed to hide the tension holding her tail straight.
"Have you ever watched a domain collapse like that," she asked as moonlight crossed the borrowed human face.
The demon boy followed with both hands inside his coat pockets, stepping over a root without slowing.
"No stable Gate should disappear after releasing the raid," he replied while his attention remained on the trail behind them.
"That answer avoids my question," she said as one ear turned toward him. "Have you personally seen any stable Gate collapse through a similar pattern?"
"Never," he said while the forest path curved toward a lower ridge. "The structure folded around its own core before every anchor vanished."
She replayed the blue surface crushing itself into one bright point after the Beast King died.
