**POV Aria**
"Ignis, wait!"
Branches clawed at my arms as I chased him, dodging roots and rocks in the darkness. The moon barely lit the forest, its silver threads filtering through the treetops. But I didn't need light to know something was wrong. My breath came in gasps, and my heart pounded as if trying to escape my chest.
Ignis ran ahead, his figure barely visible in the shadows. He'd been acting strange for hours, as if carrying an invisible weight. Since we'd arrived at the gypsy caravan, something about him had shifted. Something he couldn't—or wouldn't—explain.
My mind raced with questions. Why was he acting this way? What was driving him away? We'd always worked together, always followed the Exodus's orders without question. But this time…
This time was different.
Ignis wasn't running for money or selfish impulse. No. There was something else, something eating at him from within. Something he couldn't share with me.
