Knowledge did not arrive gently.
It pressed into Lila's chest, heavy and unwelcome. She now understood why distance had been his shield, why the wind seemed to follow him like a loyal, dangerous companion.
"You should stay away," Kieran said as they stood beneath the old stairwell. "From me. From all of this."
"And if I don't?"
He hesitated. Just once.
"Then things will move," he said. "And once they do, I won't be able to protect you from what listens."
The bell rang. Life resumed its rhythm.
But Lila already knew—
some sounds, once heard, never truly fade.