Lana
The footsteps echoed again.
Heavy. Slow. But certain. Vibrating through the entire house like a hammer striking bone.
Ezric stood still, one hand still gripping the Cleanshard. I could see his jaw tighten, his lips pressed together. The goofy grin was gone. What remained was a pair of sharp, focused blue eyes—almost cold.
"I think... they're awake," he muttered.
I turned. From the corridor leading to the main hall, the first shadow emerged. A tall creature. Its body was slender, but not human. Its frame looked forged from twisted old metal entwined with roots. A red glow pulsed from its hollow chest cavity. And its face—
There was no face. Only a smooth, black helmet. Perfectly round, with a single horizontal red line across the middle. It pulsed gently. Like a heartbeat.
Then two more creatures appeared behind it. Just as silent. Just as lifeless. But their aura… unmistakable. These weren't just machines.
"What are those?" I whispered.
Ezric didn't answer.
