Chapter 178 A Chance
The growl that escaped him was deep and involuntary, a sound born of jealousy and confusion along with possessiveness.
"No... I don’t know," Shura said again, almost as if speaking to himself. "But I have this feeling... I have to be here."
Zion exhaled sharply, clenching his fists. He was frustrated. Anxious. And worse, he could feel it too. A strange restlessness gnawing at his chest, rising in sync with Shura’s unease. Whatever this was, it wasn’t just about Addison anymore. Something else was calling them here, and neither of them knew what it was.
Zion wanted to press on, to move past the forest and follow wherever his feet might lead, but something stopped him. It was as if an invisible force held him back, allowing him to retreat but not advance.
"There’s... a barrier?"
He glanced around, seeing nothing unusual at first. But when he tried to take another step forward, he hit something, something solid yet unseen. The air shimmered. A ripple spread out before him, like a mirror reflecting the forest surroundings, only now, distorted. It wavered like water disturbed by a stone.
"What the hell...?"
Zion stared as the ripple expanded outward in concentric circles, distorting the space like a pond reacting to a falling droplet. His heart began to pound.
This wasn’t normal. It felt wrong. Someone, or something, was hidden inside.
’Could it be Addison?’ No... something told him it wasn’t her. Yet, something was in there. He could feel it. The same pull that once only affected Shura, guided by pure instinct, now gripped Zion too.