A Growing Doubt

The dim light of the moon cast eerie shadows across the stone chamber as Yuj and Aternos sat facing each other, both silent, deep in thought. The air between them was thick with uncertainty—uncertainty born not of their own intentions, but of Leegna's recent actions.

-Aternos was the first to break the silence.

"Have you noticed anything... strange about him lately?" His voice was low, almost cautious, as though he feared the answer.

Yuj, who had been staring into the flickering fire, shifted his gaze toward Aternos. His eyes, always calculating, betrayed a flicker of something else this time—unease.

"Strange?" Yuj echoed, his voice soft, but laced with hidden layers. "How do you mean?"

Aternos leaned back slightly, his brow furrowed in frustration. "It's hard to describe. It's like... he knows things before they happen. During our last encounter, his reactions were too precise, too perfect. It was as though he anticipated my every move."

Yuj's lips curled into a faint smirk, but even that seemed forced. "Leegna is powerful, more than you give him credit for. The pact we made gives him advantages, yes, but this? It does seem... unnatural."

Aternos crossed his arms, leaning forward again, his gaze intense. "Do you think he's hiding something from us? Or worse—do you think he's figured out more about the ring than we anticipated?"

-Yuj remained silent for a moment, weighing his words carefully. "The ring... It still has secrets, even from me. But Leegna's behavior suggests something more. I've seen the way his eye glows when he uses his power. It's as if he's seeing beyond the present."

A chill settled over the room. Both of them knew the implications of what Yuj was suggesting.

Aternos's voice lowered, barely above a whisper. "Time... You think he's manipulating time?"

Yuj narrowed his eyes, staring into the fire once more. "I don't know. But if he is, that changes everything."

The weight of that possibility hung in the air like a storm cloud ready to burst. Yuj, despite his usual confidence, was beginning to feel a sense of dread creeping in. Could it be that Leegna had unlocked powers far beyond their understanding?

But Aternos, ever the strategist, seemed determined to keep his composure. "If he's manipulating time," he began, a calculated glint in his eye, "we need to be careful. If we play this wrong, he could outmaneuver us. We need to bait him, lure him into a false sense of control."

-Yuj's smirk returned, this time more genuine. "You're right. But we'll need to stay a step ahead of him. If he really is bending time to his will... then we must be ready for anything."

The two sat in silence once more, the gravity of the situation sinking in. If Leegna was truly capable of manipulating time, their plans would need to evolve—fast. And if they weren't careful, they might find themselves caught in a game they no longer controlled.

As they rose to leave the chamber, Aternos cast one last glance at Yuj, his eyes flickering with a mixture of curiosity and caution. "We can't let him know we suspect anything. He must believe he still holds the advantage."

Yuj nodded. "Agreed. For now, we watch. And when the time is right, we strike."

But as they left the room, neither could shake the growing feeling that, somehow, Leegna was already one step ahead of them.