Althea's POV
Back in the hall, a pin-drop silence permeated the whole space.
Althea stood with her sword drawn, the blade angled low, Order magic running through her entire being at the highest volume she could sustain without burning through her mana reserves entirely.
Her eyes moved between the three points in the hall that required watching — the God of Secrets standing near the center, composed and still in his dark tuxedo, Ailin against the far wall, whose stillness had stopped being Ailin's stillness some time ago, and Vara, armless, propped against the corner wall with her eyes barely open. Even she could feel the tension in the air and naturally kept silent.
The atmosphere in the hall had changed the moment Finn stepped into the first corridor. It had been tense before that. Now it was on a whole other level. Everyone looked ready for a fight without blatantly showing they did.
