[Elias's POV]
I had meant it as an observation.
That was the problem.
When Seraphina stopped walking, it caught me off guard. She rarely did anything abruptly. Everything about her was measured, precise, as if every movement had already been considered three steps ahead.
She turned toward me slowly.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked.
Her voice was even. Calm. Too calm.
I answered honestly, without hesitation, because that had always been my way.
"You look scary," I said. "It's natural people would run."
The words sounded different the moment they left my mouth.
Not wrong. Not cruel.
Just… heavy.
She blinked. Once.
"I'm scary?" she asked.
"Yes."
I nodded, confirming it like a simple fact. The sky was blue. Stone was hard. Seraphina was frightening when she wished to be.
Silence followed.
It stretched longer than I expected.
Behind her composure, something shifted. It wasn't dramatic. Her posture remained straight. Her expression barely changed.
