Gabriel walked.
Night had settled over Eldenreach by the time he reached the market.
Torchlight washed the ground in a dull amber glow, shadows stretching long and broken between the wooden buildings. The town had already begun to forget the panic at the gate.
The images the woman in the fog showed him replayed on a loop in his mind. Each cycle adding to his list of questions.
How did she know about Mera and the Order?
What about the soldiers marching through the town?
How did the Order know I was here?
The questions kept piling up.
His jaw tightened.
You were never alone. The last thought echoed in his mind.
The thought lingered longer than the others, not because it frightened him, but because something in his body refused to dismiss it.
Gabriel slowed his pace, letting the rhythm of the market carry on around him.
The noise didn't fade; it separated. Individual footsteps broke from the crowd, wood scraped against stone, breath moved too close to matter.
