It was there.
Heavy.
Unsettling.
Caleb’s eyes remained closed, but his brows pulled together slightly as his chest tightened for no clear reason, his instincts sharpening in a way that had nothing to do with the battlefield ahead.
This was different.
Not strategy.
Not anticipation of combat.
Not even anger.
It felt… wrong.
Like something was shifting beyond his sight.
Like a thread had been pulled somewhere far away, and he could feel the tension of it tightening, ready to snap.
His breath slowed.
But his heartbeat didn’t.
It picked up instead, steady but heavy, echoing in his chest with an uncomfortable weight that refused to ease.
Chaos stirred again.
This time—
Not just restless.
But alert.
Something is coming.
The voice was lower now.
Not aggressive.
Not demanding.
