“Yes.”
She tilts her head. “Too fast.”
I do not answer immediately.
Her gaze sharpens. “You noticed.”
“I notice many things.”
“Rhazek.”
“Yes.”
She shifts slightly, restless. “And just now… I felt something.”
“In the bond?”
“No.” She frowns. “Not exactly. Just… when he was downstairs earlier. There was this faint… echo. Not like ours. Not connected. Just… similar.”
The word lands harder than it should.
Similar.
I keep my expression neutral. “Define similar.”
She presses her lips together, thinking. “Like… the same kind of energy. But quieter. Not structured. Not stable like ours. Just… there.”
I watch her carefully.
“You are certain?” I ask.
“No.” She shakes her head. “It could’ve been nothing. The house. The wards. Lighting. I don’t know.”
“Your perception has been reliable.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s infallible.”
“No.”
She studies my face. “You think something’s off.”
“I think something has changed.”
“In him?”
“Possibly.”
She exhales slowly. “I saw something too.”
“What?”
“In the mirror earlier.” She hesitates. “His eyes. Just for a second.”
My focus sharpens.
“Describe it.”
“Gold,” she says quietly. “Faint. Gone almost immediately.”
