"Steady," Sophie murmured, supporting the slim woman leaning heavily on her. "I'll take you to Cane."
The woman, dressed in black with long, raven-hued hair that shimmered to her waist, groaned softly.
"Is it far?"
"Not far," Sophie replied, glancing over her shoulder at the administration building. Telamon's assistant, Ana Dahl, had asked her to escort this woman—directly to Cane's room in Seven Tower.
"Are you alright?"
The pale woman paused, visibly nauseous. "No. I'm not alright."
"Let's get you there." Sophie took most of her weight, though the woman was already light and frail-looking.
"Shit…" the woman hissed as they reached the base of Seven Tower. "Tell me he's not on the top floor."
"Not the very top," Sophie offered with an apologetic smile.
When they knocked, Cane's voice answered immediately. "Come in."
"Some help, please," Sophie said, slightly breathless as she supported her guest through the door.
"Gadira?" Cane stood from his desk, hurrying over. "What happened?"
Gadira collapsed onto the bed with a sigh. "Telamon. May I speak freely?" Her gaze flicked to Sophie, cautious but respectful.
"Yeah," Cane said, gesturing between them. "This is my girlfriend, Sophie Sweetwater. Sophie, meet Gadira."
"Oh." Sophie smiled, already fully briefed on the Soothsayer network and the secret alliance Cane had brokered. "Nice to meet you."
"And you, Sophie." Gadira exhaled slowly, pulling a small parcel from her spatial ring. She unwrapped it and chewed with her eyes closed, visibly recovering.
When Sophie gave Cane a questioning look, he simply shrugged.
"Telamon placed a geas on me," Gadira said once she'd eaten. "Since I'll be staying in your ringworld, it prevents me from revealing any of your secrets—or acting against you in any way."
Cane let out a low whistle. "Why would he go that far?"
"We have history," Gadira said simply.
"What kind of history?"
"The private kind I'm not discussing." She scowled faintly. "His magic is stronger than I remember."
Cane glanced at the high-tier spatial ring on her finger. "Do you have everything you need?"
"I do."
"Take her in, Sophie." Cane communed with the ringworld, his body beginning to shimmer.
Sophie nodded, taking Gadira's hand. In the next breath, both vanished.
They reappeared beneath the canopy of Cane's ringworld, the air fragrant with wild herbs and the hush of living wood trees all around.
Gadira exhaled with pleasure as the overwhelming presence of wood mana swirled through her. "Lovely… Living wood trees."
Her gaze took in the towering trunks, the wild meadow, and beyond the hanging branches, a simple house nestled in the clearing.
Sophie led her down the narrow, untrampled path. "We're still decorating, but it has basics—a bed, kitchen, heat runes."
Gadira walked slowly, breathing it in. Then she glanced sideways.
"So… you're the girlfriend."
"Yep." Sophie tilted her head. "You're not interested in him, are you?"
Gadira laughed softly. "I wasn't. Until you said that." She grinned. "Don't worry, I can tell you're not the jealous type."
Sophie frowned. "I'm not?"
"No," Gadira said, studying her. "You're what my kind would call a pure soul. Had you been blessed with healing magic, you'd be overpowered."
"A pure soul?" Sophie blinked. "You can see souls?"
"Not like books. But I can feel them. Yours is bright. Uncomplicated. Good."
Sophie blushed, brushing hair behind her ear. "Oh… thanks." Then, more quietly, "Can you see Cane's?"
Gadira smiled faintly. "Yes… Shall I tell you?"
Sophie hesitated. "I don't want to know. That feels intrusive."
"It's alright. You can tell her," Cane's voice echoed from the air, resonant and calm.
Gadira's lips parted in surprise. Her color had already returned, but now her expression softened into curiosity.
"He's hard to read. Something blocks me. His soul feels ancient—like it belongs to a forgotten race. Self-governed. Unfettered by destiny."
Sophie let out a quiet breath as they stepped into the clearing, the simple house rising ahead.
"Perfect," Gadira murmured. "Understated, but lovely."
She followed Sophie inside, admiring the layout—bedrooms, water runes, warming stones, and a modest but well-run kitchen.
"Isn't it nice?" Sophie smiled, running a hand across the smooth counter. "I'd love a house like this someday."
"Isn't this a bit simple for you?" Gadira raised an eyebrow, testing her. "You're Cane Ironheart's girlfriend. Won't you end up living in a castle? Surrounded by servants and lush gardens?"
Sophie wrinkled her nose. "The garden part sounds nice—but I don't want the rest."
"Do you think it's avoidable?"
Sophie shrugged. "We met chopping wood. A girl from the kitchens and a blacksmith. That's who we are."
"Shit… that's really sweet," Gadira laughed. "Take no offense—I might have to take up chopping wood."
Sophie giggled, the tension between them finally fading. "I'll teach you."
Cane withdrew his senses from the ringworld after murmuring to Sophie that he'd retrieve her in an hour.
A knock sounded.
He opened the door to find two women standing awkwardly side by side.
"Thanks, Thressa," Cane said with a smile, taking the food cart. "I'll handle it from here."
Thressa beamed. "Just leave it in the hall when you're done. I'll grab it later."
Once she'd gone, Chanzi stepped in stiffly. Dressed in dark clothes, her posture was tense.
"Am I early?"
Cane shook his head. "Have a seat."
Chanzi slipped off her shoes and took the seat by the window. From her satchel, she removed a dozen small wooden balls, laying them out methodically.
Meanwhile, in the ringworld…
"Wait—really?" Sophie watched Gadira speak with Fraedi. "You aren't using a psi-rune?"
"I have one," Gadira said. "But I don't need it with family. Our blood link enables it. It's part of being a Soothsayer."
"How far can it go? Is that a branch of magic—or a natural talent?" Sophie had grown more comfortable with Gadira, and the questions came freely.
"It's a branch of the Psi Element," Gadira answered. "I can talk to him anywhere on the continent."
"Wow." Sophie sipped from the glass of red wine Gadira had poured—something from her homeland. "Our team link covers about ten miles."
Gadira sighed. "Fraedi did something, didn't he? He came home limping last night. Too proud to tell me what happened."
Sophie bit her lip to hide a smile. "He, uh... tried to test the Access Rune at the estate."
"That boy..." Gadira rolled her eyes. "And?"
"Spud bit him. On the bum." Sophie added matter-of-factly. "That's our dog."
Gadira burst out laughing. "I suppose he was worried about me and wanted to scout things out."
Sophie raised an eyebrow. "You called him boy, but... he looks older than you?"
Gadira's face lit up. "You're lovely to be around. Fraedi is my son."
Sophie blinked. "No... Really? How is that possible?"
The Soothsayer leaned in. "You don't know? Aren't you a little old to be completely clueless?"
Sophie stared at her in confusion—then went crimson. "Oh. I didn't mean—of course I know. I just... you were…" She trailed off, realizing she'd been teased. "Not funny."
Gadira chuckled. Then froze.
Her expression shifted from amusement to alarm. She stood abruptly and rushed outside.
"Is something wrong?" Sophie followed quickly, eyes scanning the canopy.
Above them, the sky of the ringworld shimmered. A dark star pulsed overhead—gently, steadily—turning the overwhelming presence of wood mana into pure psi.
Gadira stared up, slack-jawed. "T-that's not possible. Mana doesn't change elements."
She clenched her fists, feeling a surge of power rush into her like a tide breaking its barrier.
Back in Cane's dorm room, ten wooden balls floated around Chanzi in perfect orbit, while only two circled Cane. The goal was to snatch them mid-air using psi alone. With the professor carefully restraining her full strength, Cane managed—barely—to keep pace.
"Your psi element is surging," Chanzi noted, a rare smile tugging at her lips. On her, it still looked a little stiff—like an expression borrowed from someone else. "I sense a breakthrough in your mana storage."
Cane exhaled. He felt it too.
Though the psi-ring granted him access to that mana type, something deeper had shifted—something innate, tied to the dark star. Even now, within the ringworld, he sensed the mana churning, restless.
"Let's stop here," Chanzi said. She flicked her hand and effortlessly drew all the spheres back into her satchel.
You did something, Cane. What was it?
Gadira's voice threaded into his thoughts, echoing from the ringworld. He blinked. He hadn't realized she could do that.
With a flicker of intent, he pulled Sophie out of the ringworld—startling Chanzi, who nearly dropped her satchel.
"Excuse me for a moment," Cane murmured, closing his eyes and sending his focus inward.
He emerged inside the ringworld, floating effortlessly until he reached the house.
Gadira stood outside, her gaze tilted to the sky. A dark star pulsed above, and the world felt changed—like the air itself was awake and listening.
"That dark star is shifting the mana here," Gadira said softly. She drew a slow breath, trying to steady herself. "It feels wild and untamed… like mana from a primal world."
"It's temporary," Cane replied. "At least, I think it is. The dark star is one of my aspects; it holds dominion over my psi ability. When I stop training it, the world should revert."
Gadira stared at him for a long beat, speechless.
"Could I ask…" she hesitated, then committed, "could you summon that dark star for a few minutes each morning?"
Cane nodded. "Of course."
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his dorm—and found Chanzi eating from a small bowl, eyes closed in rapture.
Sophie leaned in and whispered with a smile, "She's never had a lemon frosty."
"This is… so good," Chanzi murmured, her normally stoic face going through an entire cascade of new emotions.
"Right?" Sophie grinned, scooping vegetables onto Cane's plate before reaching for the bread tray. "Looks like bay crab—want it?"
"Yes, please." Cane accepted it and dipped a claw into warm butter.
He ate slowly, observing the way Sophie gently nudged Chanzi to try new dishes. The professor clearly had a weakness for sweets and spice but squinted skeptically at the crab's texture before nibbling cautiously.
"I'm seeing a pattern," Cane said at last.
Sophie tilted her head. "Hmm?"
"You're very charming," he said, smiling as he dipped another bite.