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I held my breath, waiting for him to continue, but Zayn remained silent.

“They made it back, but they were never the same,” Aleksander interjected, his voice cold. “All three took their own lives within weeks of returning.”

Zayn cleared his throat. “Yes. But before they did, they spoke of strange things they’d seen on the other side. Most notably? A walled city rising far in the distance, much of it hidden by a hazy cloud that suggested it might have been surrounded by powerful, protective magic. And there was at least one towering structure rising impressively high in the center of that place.”

“An impressive structure…” I repeated. “Like a palace? A mirror of Rose Point and the city that once flourished around it?”

“One of my theories,” said Zayn. “I’m curious to explore it further, either way—which is why I thought we’d start our search in this direction. But now that we’re here…”

Now that we were here, the way forward loomed impossibly dark and dangerously uncertain.

Everything safe and familiar was already far behind me, though, and turning back didn’t seem like a viable option, either. So I took a few more steps forward. The red-beaded bracelet around my wrist shivered, so I gave in to the magic it channeled, just a little—just enough to let a more perceptive filter overtake my vision—allowing me to better spot and decipher the energies and potential spells surrounding the piles of stone and metal.

Most of the wall might have been gone, but someone, or something,had rebuilt the gaps, placing reinforcement spells that had been invisible to my naked eye, but which danced with brilliant color before me now—a tumbling current of black and silver magic.

“The energy shifts in a strange way within the empty spaces,” I explained to the others. “It’s building and stretching out like a new wall.” I blinked several times, clearing away the remnants of my enhanced Sight. “The path isn’t as open as it seems.”

“…You can see such things?” Aleksander questioned, skepticism lacing his voice.

The doubt in his tone irritated me. “I can do more than just see it,” I replied, meeting his gaze defiantly. “If I wished, I could drain the energy and create a passage for us to slip through unscathed—while hopefully avoiding the cursed magic that drove your soldiers to madness. I used a similar trick on the Nocturnus Road when I first arrived in this hell.”

He still looked skeptical, but he gestured me toward the largest opening, as if to sayprove it, then.

And I rarely missed an opportunity to prove myself.

Without hesitation, I strode forward until I was right in front of the missing gate, my fingers reaching out, preparing to explore the shimmering magic woven into the air.

“Siphonus,” I uttered, my voice steady yet quiet, reverberating with intent. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the energy swirl around me, then opened them to the vivid display of black and silver forces I’d glimpsed moments before. They danced with renewed intensity, swirling most fervently around the remnants of the crumbling wall, while the stones themselves glimmered with a rich, sparkling green hue.

Orin had taught me that everything carried life. Even crumbled walls like these held the imprints of things left behind—the hopes and dreams of the hands that had crafted it, thesorrows and aspirations of those who once walked along it. To carve a path through the barrier, I would need to drain the energy that clung to the stones first, separating it from the spell barring our passage. Then I could focus more easily on the spell.

As I began the process, it felt as if I was absorbing not just the energy, but the lingering echoes of the wall’s existence too—its triumphs and its tragedies intertwining with my own essence. I could almost sense it collapsing, the weight of its history pulling at my body and threatening to bring me down as well.

My arms dropped to my sides, overcome with the weight of it all.

Phantom nudged his nose into my palm, snorting warm breath into it.

“Are you okay?” Zayn asked.

I waved off his concern, shook the feeling back into my limbs, and immediately moved on to trying to take hold of the barrier spell.

Siphoning the silvery-black waves of energy proved challenging—but I had anticipated far worse. They struggled precariously against my hold, like a sail caught in a stormy wind, trying to rip free. I steadied my breath, though, allowing the beat of my heart to sync with the erratic rhythm of the magic, and soon I felt the energy flowing into me, weaving its way through my veins.

With one final surge of focus, I pulled the remaining bits of the spell into myself. It unraveled from the wall with a sharp snap that nearly knocked me off my feet.

“...Nova?”

“I’m fine,” I reassured Zayn. “It’s clear. Let’s just cross over while we can.”

I led the way, Phantom at my side, the others following closely behind.

As we passed through the opening, a visible shudder rippled throughout our entire group. Aleksander came last, little cracks lighting on his skin as he stopped to encourage the last of his soldiers—Elias—to keep moving.

Elias seemed to have forgotten where he was for a moment. The dazed look in his eyes sent a shiver skipping down my spine.

Once we were all through, we huddled together against the biting cold that felt more penetrating on this side of the barrier.

“The energy around this wall is still dangerous,” Aleksander commented, his brow furrowing. “I can’t see it, but I can feel it intensifying, suddenly. It’s restless.”