Leon stood near the edge of the village, where the dirt path curved past the trees and disappeared into the shadowed forest. His chest rose and fell heavily, his breaths shallow and quick, the weight of what he had to say pressing down on his shoulders. He could still feel the mimic’s eyes watching him—the way her lips curled like Athisa’s, her voice a perfect echo of Esther’s warmth. The face she wore still haunted him, but he knew now that it wasn’t real.
They deserved to know the truth.
Slowly, Leon walked back to the center of the village, where the last traces of sunlight painted gold across rooftops and treetops. The villagers had begun gathering at Zaria’s call, the tension from recent days still thick in the air. Flint and Dwayne followed him silently, their footsteps slow, delib
