The Lady of the Seven Seals came to a halt when she was only ten feet away from Riley.
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them spoke.
For a long moment, the world itself seemed to fall silent, as though even time dared not intrude upon the space between them.
The desert winds howled across the endless sands, hot and relentless, carrying grains of dust that stung like needles.
The air between them shimmered with heat, yet neither immortal appeared affected in the slightest.
They simply stood there—two figures carved from eternity—facing one another across a small but immeasurable distance.
A full minute passed.
Then, finally, someone broke the silence.
"Do you have his body?" the Lady of the Seven Seals asked.
Her voice was gentle.
Not cold.
Not sharp.
Not filled with rage.
Gentle.
The softness of her tone caught Riley off guard. He had expected a brutal confrontation—an explosion of grief, hatred, or accusations. Instead, he heard restraint.
