Night had fallen, yet Lyra still couldn't sleep. She stared at her hand; the mark of Resonance faintly glowed on her left wrist — as though it pulsed with the heartbeat of the city itself. Erebus's voice slid into her thoughts, soft yet cutting.
"Kael is hiding something from you."
Lyra whispered, "I know. But I can't force him. Everyone has their secrets… so do I."
"And you trust him?"
"No," she answered honestly. "But he's all I have left."
Erebus let out a quiet laugh. "Be careful, Lyra. Even light can deceive, if it shines in the wrong place."
Lyra glanced at Kael, asleep in the chair, his cloak draped over the sword by his side.
Something in that sight — two strangers caught in the same cruel world — felt both warm and unbearably sad.
"I'll try not to be anyone's burden," she murmured, closing her eyes. "I'll learn… and one day, I'll be strong enough to stand on my own. I'll find out why Seren sent me to this dangerous place."
The night wind carried faint sounds from the streets outside — laughter, weeping, and the songs of sleepless merchants. And somewhere within that endless murmur, something waited.
꧁𓆩༺✧༻𓆪꧂
Mornings in Aetheris were never truly quiet. When Lyra opened her eyes, the orange light from the small window already filled the room. The clatter of hooves, ringing bells, and the cries of merchants blended into a chaotic symphony that drowned the air.
She rubbed her eyes, trying to recall where she was. The smell of soup from downstairs made her stomach growl softly.
Kael was already seated by the window. His cloak half-open, his sword resting against the wall. He was sharpening a small blade, face calm and unreadable.
"You're awake," he said without turning.
Lyra only grumbled softly. "I didn't know cities could be this loud in the morning."
"That's because you grew up in silence. The Order of Arcanis was buried in the mountains." Kael set the knife aside and stood. "Aetheris is full of voices, Lyra. You just have to learn which ones are worth listening to."
She looked out the window. The streets below were alive — magic vendors, sigil smiths, Resonance metal peddlers, and children carrying glowing birds on their shoulders.
"I've never seen anything like this," she breathed. "I never realized how small my world was until now."
Kael smirked faintly. "And don't forget — the bigger the city, the deeper its secrets."
Every word he spoke lodged itself in her mind. Compared to him, Lyra felt like a bird freshly freed from its cage — foolishly believing freedom meant she knew where to fly.
They ate breakfast in the inn's lower room — hard bread, bean soup, and a cup of warm water. Not the finest meal, but to Lyra, it felt almost luxurious.
"Thank you, Kael," she murmured.
He gave her a brief glance. "My pay includes breakfast."
"That's not what I meant," she whispered, but Kael ignored her.
After they ate, Kael stood. "I've got work to do."
"I'm coming with you," she said quickly.
He paused at the doorway. "For what?"
Lyra clenched her hands to keep them from shaking. "I can't just sit here. I owe you, and I have no money, no home, no one in this world. I don't want to live off someone's pity."
Kael looked at her for a long time — not with irritation, but with the tired understanding of someone who knew how cruel the world could be.
"Listen, kid—"
"Don't call me a kid."
He snorted. "Fine, Lyra. But listen. Aetheris isn't like your mountain sanctum or your Order's halls. Here, everything has a price. Even people like us."
"I know," she said softly. "But I also know I can't survive alone."
Her gaze steadied. "So if you don't mind… I'll work for you. I'll follow you. That's better than trusting a stranger. Like you said, Aetheris isn't what it seems — with my power now, I can't face them alone. I need your help."
Kael sighed, long and deep. "You don't even know what I do for a living."
"I can learn. I can use magic — basic level, but still."
"That's exactly the problem."
"I won't use Resonance unless you allow it," she said quickly. "I just want to help."
He rubbed his face, defeated. "Fine. But you watch and learn. No fighting, no magic, no stupid decisions. Got it?"
"Yes."
"And if you die, don't blame me."
Lyra smiled faintly. "I'll try not to."
꧁𓆩༺✧༻𓆪꧂
Aetheris by day was a living labyrinth. Every alley had a story. From the upper districts glittering with crystal Resonance shops, to the shadowed depths below where the air reeked faintly of poison.
Kael moved fast, Lyra trailing behind. In his hand, she noticed a sealed letter marked with dark crimson wax.
"What kind of job is that?"
"A small one. Someone lost something — I'm going to retrieve it."
"Like a thief?"
"Closer to a hunter."
"A hunter of what?"
"Trouble."
Lyra said nothing, though her eyes lingered on him — the calm, the purpose, the quiet edge. But behind it all, there was something else… something hollow, like a man who'd forgotten what fear felt like.
They stopped in the lower market, where the air grew damp and metallic.
There, vendors sold bottled Resonance in a spectrum of colors — blue, red, even black.
A boy ran past, holding a glowing bird. "Sky-born Resonance! Get it before it fades!"
Lyra stepped closer, but Kael caught her arm. "Don't."
"Why not? They're just selling magic."
"No," he said coldly. "They're selling lives. Every drop of Resonance came from something that once lived."
Lyra stared at the bottles in horror. "From… people?"
"From anything that can be harvested," Kael replied.
They walked further until Kael stopped at a weapon shop. He exchanged a few quiet words with the owner, then took a small pouch from behind the counter.
Lyra tried to peek, but Kael muttered, "The less you know, the safer you are."
By the time they returned, the sky had turned violet. Lights of Resonance began to flicker across the horizon.
Lyra sat on her bed, pulling off her muddy boots. "I don't understand, Kael. Everyone here looks happy, yet it feels like… no one's truly alive."
Kael's amber eyes reflected the fading light. "Because in this city, living is just another way of surviving."
Lyra hesitated. "And you?"
"I stopped looking for meaning a long time ago," he said quietly. "Now I just make sure no one gets in my way."
"So I've been in your way then?"
He smirked. "Finally some self-awareness."
Lyra chuckled softly. "You're right. I'm still just a kid. You've got more experience in this sort of life."
"Not by choice," he said. "But your flattery's appreciated."
꧁𓆩༺✧༻𓆪꧂
Through narrow alleys lined with arcane light, humans mingled with magi, mercenaries, and creatures half-made of Resonance. Aetheris breathed and pulsed, alive — but Lyra could sense the rot beneath its rhythm.
Kael led the way, his gray cloak trailing lightly behind. The blade Eclipsera hung across his back, catching the dim silver gleam. Lyra followed, steady-footed. Three days she'd spent in the city — learning to chew dry bread, counting the cost of rooms, memorizing the weight of coins.
Kael once told her, "Here we don't trade with crests. We trade with Omens. If you take a job paid in Omen, your life becomes part of the contract."
That morning, Kael had met a short man in silk — eyes like a snake's. Marquess Dalen Corvyr, a Resonance artifact dealer, who claimed to have lost something "priceless."
"What kind of item?" Kael asked lazily.
Dalen lowered his voice. "A fragmentum. A black stone with a spiral carved in its core. It was stolen. The thief fled to Lower Aetheris. I want it back before anyone else finds it."
Kael had looked at him the way only liars recognize liars. Still, he took the job.
"Does it pay well?" Lyra asked as they walked.
"Well enough for a week's food and two nights' bed," Kael said. "I'm not in the charity business."
Lyra grinned. "Then I'm excited."
Kael gave her a sharp glance. "Excited? This isn't a stroll."
"I told you, I want to learn. Besides, I need to understand this city… to protect myself. And maybe—"
To get revenge. She didn't finish the thought.
Kael sighed. "You don't even know north from south yet. You'll get lost — or eaten by Resonance rats."
"I don't care. I've been lost for a long time," Lyra said calmly, eyes fierce.
He studied her, then gave in. "Fine, stubborn brat. Don't whine if we end up sleeping in the sewers. Jobs like this take time."
"As long as there's a roof, I'm fine."
"Cover your wrist," Kael said suddenly, handing her a black handkerchief. "It's warded — keeps the Resonance glow hidden."
"Thank you. I'll tie it tight."
Lower Aetheris — not just beneath the city, but beneath its morals. The black market of Resonance, where forbidden magic was sold like bread, and killers prayed to things older than gods.
They descended stone steps into the dark. The light from above faded, replaced by a damp chill.
"This place smells like blood," Lyra whispered.
"That's not blood," Kael muttered. "It's rotting Resonance."
When they reached the bottom, Lyra froze — another city stretched below Aetheris, built of corroded metal and humming sigils. Lanes glowed with blue flame, children with skin like marble ran past, their faces inked with living sigils.
"Are they… human?"
"Once," Kael said flatly.
"Why doesn't the government do anything about this?"
Kael laughed without humor. "You're still naïve, Lyra. You think the government's clean? They built this place."
The more she learned, the more afraid she became of trusting anyone.
They passed a rusted sign Market of Veins. Kael stopped at a large metal door. "We start here. Stolen goods from the harbor usually end up in this pit."
"Anyone can enter?"
"Sure. Getting out's the hard part."
Inside, the air was thick and heavy. Dozens of traders sat along long tables, bartering over fragments of crystals, skulls etched with runes, even hearts still beating inside jars.
Kael walked straight to the head table. "We're looking for a fragmentum. Black stone, spiral core."
The old man smiled wickedly. "Dangerous item for a hunter like you, Veyrborn."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "You know who I am?"
"Who doesn't know the cracked blade from the north?" the man chuckled. "The world's small, Kael Draven."
Lyra blinked. "You're famous?"
Kael exhaled. "Heh. Not in a good way."
"The fragmentum you seek," the man continued, "was here once. But its bearer took it deeper — to the Underveil."
"Underveil?" Lyra repeated softly.
"The lowest layer of Aetheris Below," he explained. "Where those who've given their souls to The Veil dwell. None return alive."
"The Veil…" Lyra's heart clenched, but she kept her face steady.
"You're lying," Kael said coldly.
The man rolled up his sleeve, revealing a spiral mark burned into his skin. "Believe what you will. The Veil awaits you either way."
The air changed. Lyra felt dark Resonance slither beneath her skin. Erebus screamed in her mind. "Leave, Lyra. Now."
Kael grabbed her hand. "We're leaving."
But the metal door slammed shut. The traders rose one by one, their eyes turning silver and empty.
"Kael…" Lyra whispered. "A trap?"
"I know," Kael muttered, drawing his sword. "Don't use your Resonance unless you must."
"Why?"
"Because they can smell it."
He moved first. Eclipsera flashed crimson, slicing two creatures in a blur. Their blood hissed into vapor. Lyra staggered back, trembling, then traced protective sigils — silver symbols circling them both. But shadows spilled from the walls, crawling like living ink. One whispered, voice distorted, "You… the bearer of the breach…"
Her mark burned white-hot. Erebus shouted, "Don't let them touch you, Lyra! They know your blood!" Lyra screamed as one shadow lunged, gripping her wrist — but her mark flared, bursting into searing light that shattered the darkness.
Kael cut it down. "Move!"
They ran. Kael slashed the metal door, resonance burst through the blade, melting it apart. They stumbled into the tunnels beyond, panting, chased by laughter that echoed from the deep.
"Kael…" Lyra gasped. "Why are The Veil here?"
"They're not The Veil," he said grimly. "They're its worshippers. And it seems… we've caught their attention. Or rather — you have."
꧁𓆩༺✧༻𓆪꧂