Kael didn't stay long.
Not because he felt threatened—but because the longer he remained, the more certain he became that staying without preparation would be a mistake. Places like this weren't dangerous in the way gates were. They were dangerous because they waited.
He stepped away from the central structure and moved toward the edge of the ruins, eyes tracking the broken paths and half-buried walls. The layout made more sense now. Every route funneled movement inward, not outward. Anyone who entered without discipline would drift toward the center without realizing it.
Toward pressure.
Kael adjusted his course deliberately, keeping distance between himself and the structure.
That was when he noticed it.
He wasn't alone.
Not movement. Not sound.
Presence.
It wasn't following him. It wasn't approaching. It was simply… there. Anchored somewhere within the ruins, as steady as the stone itself.
Kael stopped.
The presence didn't react.
He turned slowly, scanning the space between collapsed pillars and fractured walls. Nothing shifted. Nothing revealed itself.
This wasn't a hunter.
This wasn't a monster.
This was something that had learned restraint long before Kael ever had.
He took one careful step.
The presence remained unchanged.
Another step.
Still nothing.
Kael exhaled slowly.
So it wouldn't chase.
Good.
That meant it wasn't a threat yet.
He continued toward the outer boundary of the ruins, posture relaxed but senses open. The silence inside him stayed dormant, not coiling, not tightening. It didn't need to.
The moment Kael crossed the edge of the ruins, the pressure lifted.
Sound returned fully. Wind moved normally again. The weight in the air dissipated as if the place had never existed.
Kael paused and looked back.
From the outside, the ruins looked unremarkable. Just broken stone and time-worn foundations. No sign of containment. No hint of what lay beneath the surface.
That was intentional.
Whatever had been kept there hadn't been meant to escape.
And whatever remained wasn't interested in leaving.
Kael turned away and resumed his journey.
He didn't feel pursued.
He felt… acknowledged.
That was worse.
Because it meant the next time he returned, he wouldn't be a stranger