Chapter 243.2 - Threat

A beat passed.

Then another.

And slowly—subtly, like the shift in wind before a summer storm—something changed.

The weight in the air didn't vanish, but it tilted. Lightened.

Raine exhaled, her lips parting slightly as her grip on her crystal case loosened. She blinked once, then again, like something had just clicked behind her eyes. The quiet murmuring stopped.

Kaela didn't move at first, but her bowstring—once caught between fidgeting fingers—was finally let go. She rolled her shoulders once, just barely, and her stance corrected into something straighter. Sharper. Less burdened.

Marin let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and finally—finally—his feet moved again. Not the nervous bounce from before, but a firm step forward. Grounded. Present.

He looked at Ethan for a long second, eyes unreadable behind the scarf. Then, without warning—

Smack.