[Secluded Desert -> Wrattleham]

Heroism.
There is still a very strong basic need for this instilled in Xeni, despite any of his other modern problems.
It drives most of his more reckless decisions, most of his disappearances, his personal sense of significance.

There are reasons for this, some unhappy, some quite happy, but none of them are as especially important in the now as "make the world better and safer."
Which seems to be something Zee has very inadvertently threatened now.

"What?"
His sharp response to Zee's sharp response cuts all other thoughts from his mind and a small current of magic sends him straight up into the air, to scout out for himself.

The mage is aware of the effect unbound-Yezekiel can have on the unprotected. This was joked about earlier, somewhat, with the idea of her feeding grounds threatening the world.
Less funny now.
"How long have they been there?"
It doesn't really matter does it? Too long, by any length of time at all.

"//\\\/ /\\ \\\//\\/"
With very little wasted time, he reaches deep for his reservoir of Will and commands reality in its own tongue to drop as much fog as it possibly can between Zee and the city.
Which, it turns out, is a really enormous amount of line of sight-blocking fog. Enough to blanket the nearby hills.

There's a clear, immediate exhaustion and strain on his face, but Xeni immediately follows up by disappearing-pop-and reappearing in the vague airspace of Wrattleham.
The fog hasn't extended to the town itself, just the land in front of it, so he is fully visible to everyone looking up. Just a very tired looking white-haired man in a blue robe.
His look of distress will vary depending on how many people have already begun visibly changing.