Kai climbed the ivy-covered trellis up the side of the Eldridge estate, slipping quietly through the attic window with the practiced ease of someone who had done it many times before. The sun cast amber streaks through the glass, cutting across the floorboards.
He landed silently, brushing cobwebs off his shoulders. The moment he was inside, he got to work. With a flick of his fingers, twelve distinct layers of barrier magic rippled outward from his core, weaving over the attic walls like translucent veils of light and shadow. The barriers shimmered faintly, each tuned differently, staggered to blur, distort, or deflect any divine sense that might brush against them.
"Just need to buy myself some quiet," he muttered. "If the gods notice, they notice… but let's not hand them an invitation."
He stood still for a moment, testing the stability of the barriers, sensing the faintest resistance like taut silk stretched thin.
