Kaela stared at the flickering fire outside the Guild's back garden, the soft crackle masking the storm in her heart.
She had just returned from another shadowed meeting with Luna.
"You're falling," Luna had whispered through the darkness. "Don't forget what you are, what you serve."
Kaela clenched her fists now, her eyes tracing the flame's dance.
---
Inside the Guild, Paul approached the counter where Kaela stood staring into nothing.
He placed the black crystal gently between them.
"You know something, don't you?"
Kaela flinched. "W-What?"
He didn't blink. "This thing—this isn't normal. Not from this world. You looked… like you'd seen it before."
She hesitated. "It… it resembles relics found in some ancient ruins. I've read about them. But nothing like this."
She lied with just enough truth to keep him from digging deeper.
Paul stared a moment longer, then turned. "I'm heading out. Next kingdom. There's a lead on another fragment."
Kaela's heart thudded. "Then I'm coming with you."
"No."
Paul didn't even look at her.
"You'll just slow me down. I work alone."
"I helped in the last dungeon," she snapped. "You'd still be stuck in that puzzle room if I wasn't there."
He stopped.
"You're going into ruins, Paul. If you want the next fragment, you'll need someone who understands them. And whether you like it or not—that's me."
He didn't respond. But he didn't argue again, either.
---
Two Days Later — On the Road to Zephirra
The road was quiet. Trees swayed like whispers. Paul led with quiet steps. Kaela followed beside him, her fingers tracing the ancient maps in her journal.
That night, they camped beneath a leaning willow. The fire was warm. The meat from the rabbit they hunted was dry, but edible.
"Why do you always go alone?" Kaela asked suddenly, her voice soft.
Paul didn't answer right away. He was sharpening his sword.
"I lost people once. I won't lose anyone again."
Kaela hugged her knees.
"I didn't always work for ruins and puzzles, you know," she said, half-smiling. "I used to be in a family of scholars. My father was obsessed with the Forgotten Age. We traveled a lot. I thought… if I could uncover the past, maybe I'd find something worth protecting."
"And did you?" Paul asked.
She looked into the fire.
"No. Not until recently."
Silence fell.
Paul stared at her. For the first time, not with caution—but curiosity.
---
That night, Kaela couldn't sleep.
She stared at the stars, hearing Luna's voice echo in her mind.
"He's changing. That power… it's not from me."
"If he finds out the truth about you… he'll destroy you."
But as she looked over at Paul, sleeping with one hand still on his sword, she felt the lie in her blood sting worse than any blade.
She whispered to the wind.
"I'm sorry."