The tension was heavy, a mixture of stale copper and the shimmering, static charge of defensive magic.Kael moved through the small space with a focused, predatory intensity. His black skin seemed to absorb the dim light, and his dreadlocks swayed like heavy silken ropes as he worked. He wasn't the snarky, Gen Z slang dropping companion right now; he was an ancient entity securing a perimeter.He started with the windows, his fingers tracing invisible sigils along the sashes before snapping the blinds shut.The plastic slats clattered into place, sealing out the prying eyes of the streetlights. As he moved from the living room to the kitchen, he muttered a low-frequency spell, a rhythmic, guttural chant in Zhilerian that made the floorboards vibrate.“Zhil vae shul, ora as…”At each corner of the house, he knelt, pressing his palm against the floor. A faint, violet pulse would ripple outward, sinking into the wood and iron, creating a localized anchor.Finally, he reached the front do
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