It was about Bruce. It had always been about Bruce, right from childhood.
Just as she was lost in thought, a voice suddenly echoed within her mind, deep, ancient, and resonant.
[Bruce is okay. Do not worry about him. He will return soon, with Ash.]
Sophie froze, eyes widening. Her instincts screamed that the voice was not mortal. Its weight carried the echo of something vast, something beyond her comprehension.
She slowly rose from her seat, scanning the room. "Who is there?"
But there was no one. Only silence.
Her heartbeat slowed, and after a moment, she exhaled softly. "Bruce," she whispered, a small, relieved smile forming on her lips.
She did not know what that presence was, or how it had bypassed the labyrinthine barrier of the Reign family's mansion without triggering its defenses, but she understood one thing:
Whatever it was, it was not a threat.
And for the first time in hours, her heart felt a little lighter.
---
