Aria remained still for a long moment considering Fenrir's word, her eyes lingering on the damp sheen coating the cavern walls before drifting toward Halbrandt. The hiss that had escaped him moments earlier still echoed in her thoughts. Never—not once since she had taken him into her service—had she heard such a sound from him.

It was enough.

"...she was correct," she said quietly, almost to herself recalling Therezias's words. "Breath condensate..."

The realization settled over her like a winter chill. Fenrir's confirmation that the inscriptions were draconic only strengthened the conclusion forming in her mind.

"If this moisture truly comes from a dragon's breath..." Her gaze lifted toward the darkness stretching deeper into the cave. "...then we should proceed under the assumption that this is not merely an abandoned lair."

Her attention shifted back to Halbrandt. Though still poised to strike, every twitch of his ears and tail spoke louder than words.

"Halbrandt."

The feline demi-human immediately turned his attention to her.

"You recognized the scent."

It was not a question.

"Can you tell whether it belongs to a single dragon... or several? Whether it is fresh or old? Do not venture further—only tell me what your nose can discern from here."

Only after giving the instruction did Aria glance back toward the others.

"Until we know what awaits us, no one advances alone."

Gerard silently adjusted his grip on his sword and shield, stepping half a pace nearer his Lord while keeping his watch fixed upon the yawning darkness before them. Halbrandt's ears remained pinned flat against his head as he drew a slow, deliberate breath through his nose. His golden eyes narrowed toward the darkness ahead, every muscle in his body held taut.

Another inhale.

Then another.

The scent was overwhelming.

His nose twitched repeatedly before he finally spoke, his voice low and unusually strained.

"...More than one."

He kept staring into the depths of the cavern.

"I am certain of that much, my lord."

A brief silence followed as he tested the air once more, searching for anything more precise. After a long moment, his shoulders tensed in frustration.

"But... that is all I can say."

He shook his head.

"The smell is too strong... too layered. It clings to every surface." His gaze flicked across the damp stone lining the cave. "Everything reeks of dragon. I cannot separate one scent from another, nor tell how old they are."

His hand tightened around his spear.

"Only that there is... more than one."