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His eyes fix on the emblem with such intensity, I wonder if he’s seeing something else entirely.

“Before the Authority claimed it, Ashenvale was open. No walls, no checkpoints. Markets spilled beyond the city limits. Music played in the streets. There was color everywhere.” He falls silent, and I canseethe weight of what he lost in the rigid line of his jaw.

I note the subtle tension in his shoulders as he walks. Most wouldn’t notice, his control is near-perfect, but over the past few days, it’s like I’ve developed a new sense specifically attuned to him. The tiny shifts in posture as we get closer to the city. The barely perceptible changes in his breathing when Authority soldiers walk by. The way his fingers occasionally twitch.

Returning here is affecting him more than he’ll admit. This isn’t just an infiltration mission for him. It’s a haunting. Every corner holds a memory, every stone a reminder of what was taken. And despite the barriers he’s erected, I can feel his pain like an echo inside my chest.

This was his home. His command center.

Now it’s the heart of everything he fights against.

As we near the gates in the first outer wall, Sacha veers left.

“We’re not going through the main gates. There are too many eyes there. There’s a service gate for Authority staff.”

I follow his gaze to a smaller gate a few feet away from the main one. Two guards stand there, checking documents of those seeking entry. They’re wearing similar uniforms to us, and their posture suggests boredom rather than high alert.

“Follow my lead. Speak only if directly addressed,” Sacha says quietly.

We approach the gate, and as we walk Sacha seems to change in front of my eyes. His entire bearing shifts, shoulders slightly hunched, eyes downcast, the commanding presence I’ve become accustomed to muted into a convincing subservience. He even looksshorter.

One of the guards steps forward, his boots grinding against the packed earth. His words spill out too fast for me to catch. The odd power inside me stirs, and I push it down hard, concentrating on keeping it suppressed.

Sacha presents the documents Varam prepared, his movements deferential. The guard snatches them from his hands, still speaking, and Sacha responds in low, submissive tones.

The collar around my throat tightens, the air becomes harder to breathe. I keep my gaze fixed on the ground, heart hammering against my ribs so loudly it drowns out the murmured words. The effort it takes to hold the energy inside me taut is like clenching every muscle at once. The longer we stand here, the more it fights back.

“Navirak et selurin?”The guard’s voice snaps like a whip, slicing the air between us. My head jerks up before I can stop myself, and I find myself staring into hard, blue eyes framed by a face that has forgotten how to smile.

The power flares inside me—a surge, wild and greedy, a second away from escaping. The basic phrases Mira taught me tumble into my mind in a panicked rush.Who is this one?

“Sentash elerum,” I stammer, the words leaving my lips without thought.New recruit.

The guard’s eyes narrow. He shifts closer, crowding the space between us. My pulse slams against my temples as I force the silver light down, locking it behind my ribs with every bit of will I have.

I catch Sacha’s quick glance of surprise, followed by a subtle nod.

Each second stretches unbearably. The guard’s eyes move over me, and for one horrible instant, I think he sees it—the shudder just under my skin, the silver gathering behind my eyes.

“Beresh kavir tem,” he finally says, his tone dismissive. The words form in my mind, crystal clear.Learn quickly.

He makes a notation in his ledger, then barks another order at Sacha. With a wave of his hand, he motions us through.

We move through the gate. I stumble half a step before catching myself, releasing a shuddering breath. Adrenaline crashes through me, leaving my hands shaking and my vision swimming.

Once we’re out of earshot, Sacha turns to me.

“Is your Meridian improving or …”

“It wasn’t the lessons.” I keep my voice low, fighting the urge to look around for listeners. “Whatever …this is…” I press my hand against my chest. “It helped me understand and respond. It made connections between the phrases I’ve learned, like someone whispering translations directly into my thoughts.”

“Like yesterday.” His voice betrays nothing, but I sense his mind working through it. “Be careful with it. We don’t want it giving you away.”

Mira’s arm brushes mine in a subtle gesture of support. I nod, grateful, but it’s Sacha’s steady presence just ahead of us that anchorsme, the unspoken promise that if I falter again, he will be the one who moves.

The area beyond the wall reveals Ashenvale's true nature. Unlike the wilderness we traveled through—wild, unpredictable, alive—everything here feels ordered to the point of suffocation.

Streets run in perfect straight lines, buildings stand exactly the same distance apart. The air itself seems thinner, as if spontaneity has been slowly bled out of the city. The stone underfoot smells faintly of dust and smoke, the air dry and stale, as if the city itself has forgotten how to breathe.