Kira woke to the sound of voices arguing below.
She lay still, listening. The words were muffled, but the tone was clear—frustration, urgency, disagreement.
Someone wanted to move faster. Someone else wanted to wait.
"They're debating how to use you," Malachar said quietly in her mind. "Some think you're ready for harder
missions. Others think you'll break under pressure."
"What do you think?" Kira whispered.
"I think you've survived worse than anything this world can throw at you. But survival and success aren't the same
thing."
Kira sat up slowly, her body still aching from yesterday's journey. The fragment she'd found sat on the wooden
chest where she'd left it, its faint internal light pulsing like a heartbeat. She reached out and touched it, feeling the
warmth spread through her fingers.
It recognized her. She could feel it—a connection, faint but real, like a thread tied between her chest and the
crystal.
"That's the chaos magic," Malachar explained. "The fragments are anchored to the same power I carry. When you
made the contract, you became part of that network. They sense you. You sense them."
"How many are there?" Kira asked.
"Six. Scattered across this world, hidden in places even I can't see clearly. The seal disrupts my vision. But
you—you can find them. You're the key."
Kira pulled her hand back. "And if I find them all? What happens then?"
"Then we open the passage. And I can finally leave this prison."
The way he said it—calm, matter-of-fact—made her stomach twist. She was a tool. A means to an end. Just like
always.
But at least this time, she knew it going in.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
"Kira?" Sera's voice. "Elder Voss wants to see you. Breakfast first, then a briefing."
Kira stood, pulling on the boots that were still slightly too big. "I'm coming."
The main hall was busier than it had been the night before. A dozen people moved through the space—some
preparing supplies, others studying maps spread across the long table. The air smelled of smoke and something
cooking—bread, maybe, or porridge.
Sera handed Kira a bowl of thin gruel and a piece of hard bread. "Eat. You'll need your strength."
Kira ate quickly, her eyes scanning the room. Garrick and Lena were near the fire, speaking in low tones with
another hunter she didn't recognize. Elder Voss sat in his chair, his gnarled hands folded over a wooden cane,
watching everything with those sharp, knowing eyes.When Kira finished eating, Sera led her to the table where Elder Voss waited.
"Good morning, child," he said. "Did you sleep?"
Kira nodded.
"Good." He gestured to the maps. "We need to talk about what comes next."
The maps were crude but detailed—hand-drawn sketches of the ruins, the rifts, the dangerous zones. Red marks
indicated known hazards. Blue marks indicated safe zones. And scattered across the map were small circles with
question marks inside them.
"Potential fragment locations," Elder Voss explained. "Based on old records, spirit readings, and guesswork. We've
narrowed it down to about thirty sites. But searching them all would take years—and most of us wouldn't survive
the attempt."
He looked at Kira. "That's where you come in. If you can sense the fragments, you can guide us to the right
locations. Save us time. Save lives."
Kira stared at the map. Thirty sites. And only six fragments.
"How do I know which ones are real?" she asked quietly.
"You don't," Elder Voss said. "Not until you get close enough to feel them. But that's still better than blind
searching." He tapped one of the circles. "This is our next target. An old temple complex, about two days' walk from
here. Dangerous terrain. Rift activity. But if there's a fragment there, we need to know."
Kira's stomach tightened. "You want me to go there."
"I want you to lead us there," Elder Voss corrected. "Sera, Garrick, and Lena will accompany you. They'll keep you
safe. But you'll be the one guiding the search."
"And if I can't sense anything?"
"Then we mark it off the list and move to the next site." Elder Voss leaned forward slightly. "This is going to be a
long process, child. Months, maybe years. But every fragment we find brings us closer to opening the passage.
Closer to ending this."
Kira looked at the map again. The temple complex was marked in the middle of a cluster of red hazard zones.
Rifts. Unstable ground. Hostile creatures.
"When do we leave?" she asked.
"Tomorrow at dawn," Sera said. "We'll need today to prepare supplies and plan the route."
Kira nodded slowly. She didn't have a choice. She never had a choice.
But at least this time, she had power.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of preparation.
Sera showed Kira how to pack a travel kit—water, dried food, basic medical supplies, a knife. "Keep it light," she
said. "You need to be able to move fast if things go wrong."
Garrick taught her how to read the terrain—how to spot unstable ground, how to identify rift distortions, how to
move quietly through ruins. "The creatures here hunt by sound and movement," he said. "Stay low. Stay quiet. And
if something comes at you, run first, fight second."
Lena showed her how to use the knife. "You're not a fighter," she said bluntly. "But you need to know how to
defend yourself if it comes to that. Aim for soft spots—throat, eyes, joints. Don't try to be a hero. Just survive."
Kira absorbed it all, her mind cataloging every detail. Survival skills. Terrain reading. Weapon basics. It was familiar
territory—she'd spent her whole life learning how to stay alive in hostile environments.This was just a different kind of hostile.
By the time the sun—or what passed for it—began to set, Kira was exhausted. But she didn't complain.
Complaining got you punished.
Sera found her sitting near the fire, staring into the flames.
"You did well today," Sera said, sitting down beside her. "Most people would be overwhelmed by all this. But you're
handling it."
Kira didn't answer. She didn't know how to respond to praise. It always felt like a trap.
"I know you don't trust us," Sera continued quietly. "And I don't blame you. But we're not your enemies, Kira. We're
trying to survive, just like you."
"Everyone's trying to survive," Kira said flatly. "That doesn't make them safe."
Sera was quiet for a moment. Then she nodded. "Fair enough. But for what it's worth, Elder Voss believes in you.
And so do I."
Kira looked at her. Sera's expression was calm, steady. Not cruel. Not manipulative. Just... honest.
It made Kira's chest ache in a way she didn't understand.
"Get some rest," Sera said, standing. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day."
Kira lay in bed that night, staring at the ceiling.
"You're thinking too much," Malachar said.
"I'm always thinking," Kira replied.
"True. But tonight, you're thinking in circles. What's bothering you?"
Kira was quiet for a long moment. Then: "They're being kind to me. And I don't know why."
"Because they need you."
"I know that. But it's more than that. Sera... she's not just using me. She's trying to help me."
"And that scares you."
"Yes."
Malachar's presence shifted, becoming almost gentle. "Kindness is a weapon you've never learned to defend
against. Cruelty, you understand. Manipulation, you can see coming. But genuine care? That's foreign territory."
"So what do I do?"
"You accept it. Cautiously. And you remember that people can be kind and still have their own agendas. The two
aren't mutually exclusive."
Kira closed her eyes. "I don't know how to do this."
"You'll learn. Just like you've learned everything else."
She wanted to believe him. Wanted to believe she could navigate this new world without losing herself in the
process.
But trust was a luxury she'd never been able to afford.
And she wasn't sure she could start now.