Nagisa's eyes widened at Nikolai's comment, her fingertips skimming the soft wooden table in a slow, deliberate motion.
Her voice trembled, low and edged with something unspoken. "Nikolai, are you completely sure that's what you saw?" Her teeth sank into her lower lip as a dark mist seeped from her body, unfurling like storm clouds across the room.
Nikolai shivered as the mist touched his skin, the air thickening with a suffocating weight. His stomach churned, a leaden drop that left his knees unsteady.
"M-Mother Nagisa?" he managed, the words catching in his throat as her aura expanded, pressing against him like a rising tide.
"I-I'm sure... Risa also saw the cave, right?" He turned sharply, his gaze snapping to Risa. Her wide eyes reflected his own fear, her lips parting soundlessly before she nodded, her movements jerky and hesitant.
"Mmm..."
