Caerwyn noticed the moment Perdition stopped trying to hold them.
It wasn't dramatic. There were no alarms, no collapsing walls, no last-ditch enforcement protocols snapping shut behind their heels. The wild west town simply… let go, as if it had finally understood that whatever authority it thought it had was no longer relevant.
They walked out of the sheriff's office and onto the main street, ignoring all the eyes on them.
Sera moved at the center of them, her stride steady despite the injury she refused to acknowledge. Ashkar stayed close at her right shoulder, his presence a constant heat, controlled and deliberate, as if the fire inside him had decided that restraint was now a choice rather than a necessity.
