Chapter 131: Backstabber
They all felt it.
There was something in the air... impossible to hide from their newly awakened senses. A dense vibration, almost tangible, like an invisible gaze pressed against their skin.
Dylan didn’t know if it was because of recent events — or simply the fact that the three of them had awakened their stigmas — but one thing was certain: they were now far more sensitive to the ambient spiritual essence.
It wasn’t that they could control it, far from it. It was more like it no longer bothered to hide. It pressed down on them, it asserted itself, it existed more insolently than before.
As if the world, which until now had been whispering, had suddenly decided to speak louder.
Not long ago, Dylan wouldn’t have even known if he felt anything. Spiritual essence had seemed vague to him, diffuse, like a mist one senses without ever truly reaching it.
But now... he felt it brushing his skin, sometimes sliding along his neck, slipping into his bones like a cold breeze.
He didn’t know if Maggie and Élisa were feeling the same. He didn’t dare ask. He only knew that he would have to get used to this new reality, sudden and unsettling.
Slowly, he moved in front of the group. His hand hesitated for a moment, then he drew the Jian. The motion still lacked fluidity — he wasn’t used to the weight, to the presence of this living weapon.
He aligned himself with Maggie. Élisa, without a word, took a slight step back, adopting a defensive stance. She lowered her center of gravity, planted her feet firmly, and pointed her spear in front of her.
The noise grew louder as whatever it was came closer, but they kept calm, knowing that panic would solve nothing.