The road narrowed as the land rose, stone pressing closer beneath their boots and the trees thinning into something older and more deliberate. The air changed first. It lost its softness. Each breath tasted sharper, laced with mineral cold that settled deep in the lungs and stayed there, leaving a faint ache behind with every exhale. Even the wind felt different here, brushing against skin with a deliberate insistence, carrying the faint scent of stone and wet moss.
Leira felt it immediately.
The temple was close.
Not visible at first, but present all the same, like pressure behind the eyes or a sound just beyond hearing. The ground beneath them had been worn smooth by centuries of passage. Even the moss clung differently here, flattened and pale where countless feet had brushed past, like the memory of travelers trapped in each leaf.
Cassian slowed.
It was subtle. A gradual drawing inward, as though the world itself were tightening around him. His shoulders squared, then lowered again, controlled. Guarded. There was a quiet rhythm to it, measured and deliberate, a signal that he was aware of more than he let on.
Leira stayed beside him.
She did not comment. She did not reach for him. She simply matched his pace, close enough to notice the way his breath had shifted, the slight flare of nostrils as he inhaled the mineral air, the way his focus had narrowed to the path ahead as though filtering the world into fragments he could control.
Ahead, the stone steps emerged from the mist, carved directly into the mountain's spine. The temple rose above them, dark against the pale sky, its outer walls veined with age and sigils worn thin by time. Tall columns framed the entrance, their surfaces scarred by weather and something older that no longer had a name. Moss clung in places, and the faint outline of carved shapes hinted at rituals long forgotten.
At the base of the steps stood Kael.
He had not changed.
That was the first thing Leira thought, and then immediately corrected herself.
He had changed. Just not in ways that softened.
His hair was pulled back tightly, his posture rigid with restrained energy. Fresh bandages wrapped his forearm and midsection. His eyes were sharp, alert, already taking inventory as they approached. The faint scar along his jaw caught the light. It had been there before, but now it seemed to thrum with purpose, a reminder that Kael was no stranger to endurance or danger.
His gaze went to Cassian first.
Then to Leira.
"You made it," Kael said. "I was scared out of my mind."
He said it while hugging her very tight. It was not a question. The weight of worry pressed against her chest for a heartbeat before she straightened, letting him go.
Leira nodded. "We did."
Kael's eyes narrowed, attention flicking back to Cassian. "You said three days. You arrived at the edge of that promise."
Cassian did not argue. "We arrived."
Kael exhaled slowly, his breath sharp and deliberate, leaving the faintest trace of dampness in the air. "Next time, do not make me count the hours."
Silence followed. Heavy. Measured. The sound of wind brushing over stone filled it, carrying the faint scent of something burnt or smoldered long ago.
Then Kael's focus returned fully to Leira.
"Did he try anything?"
Cassian shifted, just barely. Leira spoke before he could.
"No. No, he did not."
Kael's gaze sharpened. "You cannot do that to me again," he said quietly. "And before you tell me it was necessary, I already know that."
Leira held his eyes. "Well, my answer remains the same."
The wind moved through the steps behind them, whispering against stone. Faint dust swirled in the beams of light, catching for a brief moment like pale sparks.
Kael studied her face, not searching for injuries but for something less visible. Her posture. Her breathing. The way she stood, as if the air around her had changed in tone, carrying both caution and calm.
"Is everything alright?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied.
"Then why do you look like you are not saying something?"
She hesitated. Just a fraction.
"I am just tired," she said.
Kael did not immediately accept that. His eyes slid sideways, taking in the space between her and Cassian. Or rather, the lack of it.
"Hmm… you are standing close to him," he said.
"What?" She asked.
"A few days ago, when you left here, you could barely stand the sight of him… but now, you walk beside him. Almost like you got… comfortable with him."
Leira realized it then. The unconscious proximity. She took a step away.
"Do not overthink it," she said quickly. "I missed you."
Kael searched her face again, then nodded once. "Come inside. You look like the road was not been kind."
The temple doors opened with a low, resonant sound, stone against stone. Cool air spilled outward, carrying the scent of old incense and mineral damp. The sound lingered like a quiet announcement, as though the building itself recognized their arrival.
Leira crossed the threshold first.
The Veil stirred.
Not violently. Not urgently. A subtle tightening beneath her ribs, like fabric drawn taut. Awareness deepened. Her senses sharpened, the world gaining an edge that felt both familiar and unwelcome. She felt the floor beneath her feet, the uneven grooves in the stone, the faint scent of centuries of passage.
Cassian paused at the threshold.
Kael noticed.
"Problem?" he asked.
Cassian nodded once. "No. No problem at all."
It was a lie that sounded practiced.
Inside, the temple was quieter than the forest. Sound behaved differently here, absorbed by stone and shadow. The faint drip of water echoed with intent, each drop resonating like a metronome, marking passage of time in a room that seemed both immense and intimately confined.
Light filtered down through narrow apertures high above, casting pale lines across the floor, illuminating half erased symbols and deep carvings whose meaning had long been forgotten. Dust motes drifted like tiny specters through the shafts of light.
Kael led them deeper, past worn carvings and half erased symbols, into her bedroom.
"You should sit," he said to Leira.
She did.
Cassian remained standing, positioned slightly behind her, eyes tracking the room with careful precision. Every detail was cataloged: cracks in stone, the angle of light, the scent of damp air. His body radiated controlled alertness, his muscles coiled in quiet anticipation.
Kael noticed that too.
"Why are you standing there? Like you are guarding her." Kael said.
Cassian met his gaze. "Habit."
"I need to talk to you for a moment." Kael said, standing up from where Leira was and walking toward Cassian. Frustration lined his expression. He led Cassian outside the door, then pinned him to the wall, placing his forearm on his neck.
"It is not, and will never be your job to protect her. That is my job. You need to know your place, remember who you are here… a guest. That we are only helping because of what you can do for us, so don't think for a second that you are anything more than a pawn in our game." Kael lashed.
"I know that Kael, and that's why I guarded her during the journey, because this is her fight, and she needs to survive it. Now, before this gets uglier than it already is, I suggest you get off me."
Kael's face tightened, like he was so close to attacking Cassian, but he chose not to argue.
He walked back into the room, and knelt in front of Leira, leaving Cassian outside. He helped her take off her boots, and for a short moment, none of them spoke.
"Leira, can I ask you something?" He asked.
"Of course."
"What happened on this trip?" He said.
"I'm not sure what you mean." She replied.
"I mean… you seem different, and I'm just wondering what happened, and how long you have been like this." Kael asked Leira quietly.
"Like what?"
"Soft," he said, not unkindly. "You were angry, guarded, and honestly, I was more comfortable knowing that you knew the threat he poses."
She frowned. "Soft?"
"Yes. Now you are listening more than reacting," he said. "You are watching instead of bracing. That is new."
Leira folded her hands in her lap. "Look Kael, a lot happened."
Kael's face changed, he looked almost nervous. "What does that mean? Did he try to deceive you again into believing that he was a good guy? The victim? Because he has done this before and you know how it ends, you know how it always…"
Leira interrupted, a little snappy. "…I know, Kael. I know."
Kael, stunned by Leira's tone, exhaled slowly. "You should rest… I'll leave you to it."
She wanted to stop him from leaving, call him back but all that came out of her was an exhale and she let him leave, and slowly turned back around. She was so confused because she knew what Kael was saying was true but she also knew what happened at the Ritual Ground.
The Veil pulsed beneath her skin, not as a warning, but as a form of company, reminding her that she was not completely alone.
The room felt larger now that Kael had left. Her shadow deepened along the walls. Dust drifted through a shaft of light, glinting like distant stars.
Suddenly, she heard the soft clearing of a throat at the entrance of the door.
"Listen, Kael I…" she didn't finish, it wasn't Kael, it was Cassian.
"I'll… I'll go to the room where you tied me up the last time."
"Alright." She said with a small smirk on her face. "I'll see you in the morning."
He was about to leave and she stopped him. "Wait."
He stopped and turned back to her.
"You do not like being here, do you?" she said.
"No. Not really."
"Because of what it represents?"
"Because of what it removes," he replied.
She waited.
"The temple strips away noise," Cassian continued. "Excuses. Distance. It leaves only truth."
The Veil tightened, just a little.
"And you do not like what truth does to you?" she asked.
"I do not like what it reveals."
Leira stood, closing the distance between them deliberately.
"Listen, you do not have to tell me everything," she said. "But just like I said when you asked me those questions earlier, you don't have to handle this alone."
His breath caught.
"I am trying," he said quietly.
"I know."
For a moment, the world narrowed to that very point. Awareness.
Then something shifted.
Deep within Cassian, the pressure returned. Not a voice. Not yet.
A push.
The Veil reacted instantly. Heat flared beneath Leira's skin, awareness sharpening to a blade.
Cassian stepped back.
"I need to leave," he said abruptly.
Her eyes narrowed. "What is happening?"
"Nothing," he said too quickly.
She did not believe him.
Outside her chamber, stone groaned softly.
Something within the temple stirred.
Not awake.
But listening.
Cassian felt it coil tighter, patient and assured.
"Do what you were trained to do," it seemed to say.
And Leira, standing before him, felt the Veil lean forward in response.
Recognizing a threat.
Or an invitation.
The temple held its breath.
And somewhere beneath layers of stone and silence, something waited for Cassian to begin.