The guards stationed in the mine reacted immediately to the eruption of bright light. Without hesitation, several of them flew toward the source, swords drawn and senses heightened.
Other guards shouted orders, pushing the bewildered slaves back toward their cages. Chaos rippled through the mountain as the glow faded, but its impact lingered like a scar in the air.
Among the crowd of returning slaves, one man stood still for a moment longer than the rest, his gaze fixed on the distance. It was Kaiser.
"It's not him... right?" he muttered, furrowing his brows. He wasn't sure. But a strange sense told him—it might be Tyler. A gut feeling he couldn't ignore.
When the guards reached the location where the glow had erupted, they found nothing. The cave was as empty and silent as a dead tomb. The rock walls bore no sign of disturbance, and the concealment array had already reset itself, hiding all evidence.
