They left the dead city at what could only be called the "end" of their rest. Not morning, not night—just the ebb in their exhaustion.
The silence of the ruins followed them as they trudged down the cracked road, passing broken statues and banners that had long since turned to dust. The weight of what they found—books, magical dusts, fragments of ancient study—pressed heavy in their packs.
> "We should see the city walls by second rest," Cass said, walking at the front.
Velira nodded beside him, her pack carefully arranged, though a second pouch—not cathedral-issued—was slung discreetly under her cloak.
Silas walked at the rear, hand resting on the side of his satchel. The Blood Path dust was still there, nestled beneath a false lining.
They didn't talk about what they took.
Not openly.
---
The first ambush came from the trees—silent, coordinated. Four-legged beasts with spined backs and milky eyes leapt from the underbrush, jaws wide with hunger.
Cass reacted first, his effigy darting forward, glowing with pale Light as it intercepted the lead monster mid-air, cleaving it in two with a single swing.
Velira swept her hand forward, summoning a sheet of water from her effigy's arms. It slammed into the second beast and pinned it against a tree, freezing on contact.
Silas felt it then—that now-familiar flicker behind his eye. He let the silver thread unfurl and saw a moment ahead, one where a third beast lunged from his left.
He didn't hesitate. His effigy raised its hand, and Ashpiercer Bolt launched in a straight line, tearing through the darkness and punching through the creature's head before it even finished its leap.
The fourth beast backed off.
Silas didn't chase it.
> "These things are getting bolder," Velira muttered, wiping a smear of blood off her jaw. "They shouldn't be this close to the city."
> "Starving ones always are," Cass said grimly. "But yeah… this is getting worse."
---
By the time the city gates appeared, all three were exhausted but alive. A faint mist clung to the air, and the ever-dim sky cast no shadow.
At the gate checkpoint, they gave their names and mission details to the cathedral scribe posted there. A thin man with tired eyes and a white-streaked robe scanned their tags and asked few questions. He had seen enough returning parties to know when not to pry.
Their authorized materials were logged.
Their unauthorized ones remained untouched.
---
Inside the city, they split.
Cass said he needed to report to the upper cathedral and vanished toward the spire-lined district.
Velira turned toward her home, tugging her cloak tight as if warding off more than just cold.
Silas watched them go, then turned toward the long path to his own house. His legs ached. His ribs throbbed from bruises not fully healed.
But beneath it all, he felt something sharp and hungry curling in his chest.
The Blood Path material sat close to his skin, and it seemed to pulse with every step he took.
Still… there was no guilt.
Only curiosity.