The closer Duke drew to the surface, the more cautious his movements became.
His spiritual power slipped through the last few meters of soil like delicate tendrils, carefully sensing the conditions aboveground.
The wind moaned through the ruins, and the faint footsteps of a legion patrol drifted over from afar...
After confirming that there were no unfamiliar energy fluctuations or prying eyes nearby, Duke began moving slowly upward.
He controlled the earth elements around him, making the soil and rubble overhead part as silently as water to form an inconspicuous hole just wide enough for one person.
When he poked his head out of the ground, the same desolate ruins stretched before him. Vivian had her back to him and was pacing with apparent nonchalance, but her sharp gaze swept the distant wilderness and the route into the city.
Duke rose completely out of the small hole without a sound, as though surfacing from water.
The instant he cleared the ground, the soil and rubble around the opening began flowing back into place. In the blink of an eye, everything returned to its original state, leaving no trace of excavation, only natural weathering.
He planted his feet lightly on the ground and brushed the almost nonexistent dust from his robe.
By then, Duke was no longer concealing his presence, so Vivian naturally sensed him.
The moment she saw Duke standing there unharmed, relief flashed in her eyes. She immediately regained her usual composure, though, and approached with slightly quicker steps.
"How did it go? You didn't run into any danger, did you?" she asked through a spiritual message, her gaze quickly sweeping over Duke to confirm that he was uninjured.
"No. Everything went smoothly." Duke nodded. A faint gleam deep in his eyes that he could not entirely hide told