Kael sat down on the bench next to Syleena and rested his cane against it.
For a moment, the two of them simply sat there, taking in the view in silence.
The sun was exceptionally beautiful tonight.
The earlier golden light had deepened into a rich crimson, and the clouds, stretched across the sky like a heavy blanket, reflected the evening glow, making the horizon look like a field of roses.
It had been a while before Kael finally broke the silence.
"I have heard the rumors. It seems like you are doing well."
Syleena did not look away from the horizon as she responded.
"Yes, everything is going well so far. The public has started to divide based on their opinions. One side wants the Valthorne family to break all ties with the Eiriendaile family without any blood shed, and the other side wants an all-out war."
She turned to look at Kael, her hazel eyes sharp and ice cold.
"Just like you said they would."
She continued, her voice steady.
"The people are getting more active by the day. Windows are getting boarded up, and more try to avoid the streets at night."
"Good," Kael answered.
Kael had spent the last few weeks inside the fighting club.
Part of it was to improve himself, but that had never been the full reason.
While Kael stayed low, Syleena had moved quietly through the city, planting false memories and reshaping thoughts.
Even though Kael's assassination of the Valthorne heir's family had sparked outrage, it would not have been enough on its own to make the people truly act.
At first, the outrage had been loud, but in time, it had faded.
The people were not fools. Acting against a noble family was no light crime.
But with Syleena's mind pathway, the city had started to change.
She had not altered every mind in Velthoria, only a few key individuals.
People with a voice.
And from there, the unrest had grown on its own.
She only needed to step in now and then, nudging opinions just enough to steer them in her and Kael's favor.
This was the true reason the Mind Pathway was feared, even at lower ranks.
It was not as flashy as the blade pathway, perhaps.
But its potential was limitless, especially under the right circumstances and in the hands of a skilled Luminaire.
Controlling a crowd with raw power was always an option, but force created cracks. Disagreements would surface, questions would spread.
But if the crowd believed that the change had come from their own voices, from their own decisions, there would be nothing to resist.
No questions. No fractures.
Instead, they might even begin to praise themselves, to celebrate the system they thought they had shaped.
They would not realize that their will had been guided, their opinions crafted.
And by the time the truth could be seen, it would no longer matter.
They had returned to gazing at the sunset after their conversation.
This time, it was Kael who turned toward Syleena.
"I need your help."
Syleena turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow slightly.
A few loose strands of hair danced slowly in the air as she moved her head.
"Is that so? Please, tell."
"I need a recipe for a mote," Kael said, his tone even.
Syleena's expression stiffened slightly.
Just like motes could be stored, given away, or found in the wild, they could also be crafted and refined.
But it was by far the most difficult method of acquiring one.
The creation of a recipe for a mote was not rare because it was impossible, but because few chose to pursue it.
There was no true system for discovering a recipe. It usually came down to long trial and error, costing a fortune in materials and time. For most, it was simply not worth the risk.
Instead, recipes were often passed down carefully from older generations to younger, preserved like treasures.
There were pathways that excelled in this part of the Luminaire world, but they were extremely rare.
Even so, Kael had no doubt that the Eireindaile family, like most noble houses, had nurtured at least a few Luminaires who specialized in it.
Still, asking for a recipe was no light favor.
Syleena's eyes turned to the ground as she went deeper into thought.
Even though the Eireindaile family wanted to get rid of her, she did not despise them.
They had given her a harsh but safe childhood, and in a way, had shaped her into who she was today.
So giving away one of their recipes felt wrong.
A noble family's strength did not simply lie in the ranks of their Luminaires.
It was more than that.
Economy and history played a part too, but not as much as the motes they possessed.
Even though each Luminaire had their own pathway, that did not mean they could not use motes from other paths.
Their chosen pathway was simply where they held the most natural potential.
Their intuition might be sharper there, or perhaps recipes would surface more easily in their minds when working within that affinity.
Some Luminaires even chose to focus entirely on different pathways without ever changing their soulbound motes.
It was entirely possible.
The true strength of a family also came from the variety of motes they had gathered.
More motes meant more ways to plan and strategize.
It meant more options, more flexibility in facing problems that others could not solve.
But more than that, she did not want to give the recipe to Kael.
They currently shared a sort of alliance because of the situation they were in, but it would by no means stay that way.
They had only met on two occasions, this being the second, but he had already left a deep impression on her.
After their first meeting, she had revealed only a few key details, yet he had instantly pieced them together and begun acting on them.
She had also, somewhat naively, tried to alter his thoughts to sway him to her side.
But even with all her caution, he had noticed it immediately, grabbing her by the throat and threatening her life without hesitation.
And that was not the end of it.
His political instincts were almost frightening.
He had no formal background, no official training in political matters, but his grasp of it all was sharper and more instinctive than she had expected.
Following his guidance, she had divided the public into two factions, each putting pressure on the Valthorne family.
Even if she might have eventually reached the same conclusion, it was chilling how quickly he had devised the plan.
Giving a mote recipe to someone like Kael, strengthening him even further, was not favorable for Syleena.
Facing someone like him was the kind of opponent she hated most.
Those who fought for the thrill were predictable. Their actions were obvious, their intentions easy to read.
But someone like Kael, calm, calculating, and hidden, was a completely different kind of threat.
Syleena was not shy about taking her time.
Kael sat quietly beside her, saying nothing, careful not to disturb her thoughts.
She weighed her options carefully before finally reaching a conclusion.
"Fine."
She had made her decision.
Even if Kael was an uncertain variable, she would not be able to achieve her goal without him.
"That is great," Kael said, the corners of his mouth lifting in a warm, easy smile.
Syleena met his gaze, her expression unreadable. She felt a flicker of unease somewhere deep inside but chose to push it aside.
Over the next few minutes, Kael described the mote he was seeking.
Syleena listened carefully, considering the details before deciding on a recipe that would fit his needs.
As a noble heir, she had been taught countless recipes through long hours of study, forced to memorize them rather than writing them down.
This was to avoid leaving anything on paper that an enemy could steal.
The most important recipes were still recorded carefully, but even then, they were guarded with extreme caution, too important to be left to memory alone.
Syleena glanced up at the clouds briefly before beginning to recite the recipe.
Kael listened intently, straining his mind even more than necessary, determined not to miss a single detail, committing every ingredient firmly to memory.
"Then we are done."
Syleena stood up and adjusted her dress slightly before picking up her sketchbook, resting it along her side.
Kael did not respond immediately.
He rose to his feet and brushed some dust off his coat.
"Almost. I will need to stay at your place for the near future."
Syleena turned her head toward him.
For an onlooker, the statement might have seemed outrageous, almost absurd, but Kael's face remained completely devoid of emotion, as did hers.
"No problems."
It seemed strange, but it was the logical choice.
Despite everything happening, Syleena's home was the safest place for Kael.
Yes, they had tried to assassinate her once, but with how much publicity the attempt had drawn, no one would dare to touch her again so soon.
Not without risking open protests.
And even though she was at the center of it all, Syleena was certain that their spying would lessen.
The tension between the Eireindaile and Valthorne families had grown too vast, too dangerous to escalate further without consequence.
Without another word, they began walking along the shore, the quiet stretching between them.
Kael's coat swayed softly in the breeze, each step measured and steady.
Syleena's flower-patterned dress fluttered lightly in the wind, the colors shifting under the fading light.