RAGNA POV...
I finally stopped asking questions—not because my curiosity had been satisfied, but because I could already feel the invisible wall in front of me, the kind that tells you anything further will be ignored. Still, before that silence could fully settle, I forced out two questions, carefully chosen, deliberately restrained.
"Then my first question is this," I said, my voice steady despite the storm of unease brewing in my chest. "What exactly awaits us at our destination?"
"And second…" I hesitated for half a heartbeat, then continued, "…what is the name of that place?"
That was it. I stopped there. No pointless probing, no wasted breath. I knew better than to expect generosity from a Black Steel Knight.
The man beside me was quiet for a moment, as if tasting my questions, rolling them around on his tongue. Then he spoke, his voice low and heavy, like ancient iron dragged across stone.
