The forest was hushed, as though it too held its breath after the chaos. Smoke curled above the scorched ground, and the sharp stench of burning metal lingered like a wound that refused to close. Eira stoo
d among the fallen, her chest rising and falling in shallow gasps. Her hands trembled at her sides, stained with ash and something she couldn't quite name.
All around her lay the remnants of the battle, the black-clad Enforcers of the Veil, their silver masks cracked or shattered, their bodies still. The stillness was unnerving. It wasn't silence born of peace. It was the silence of something broken.
She had done this. She had killed.
The thought coiled around her mind like smoke, suffocating and slow.
Kaela's voice broke through. "Are you hurt?"
Eira turned, startled by how calm the woman's voice sounded. Kaela stood a few feet away, blood smudged across her cheek and a shallow cut on her arm, but her eyes were as steady as ever. There was something different about her now though, a flicker of respect, or maybe quiet recognition.
"I don't think so," Eira said, though her voice came out hoarse and unsure. "I can't tell. Everything feels... strange."
Kaela nodded. "That's the magic. It's waking up. You're starting to feel what it means to carry it."
Eira's gaze drifted back to one of the bodies. The Enforcer she had set ablaze. His mask had melted, revealing a face that couldn't have been much older than Torin's. His eyes were still open. She looked away quickly.
"I didn't mean to kill him. I wasn't trying to... I just threw the dagger."
"I know," Kaela replied. Her voice wasn't cruel, but it wasn't soft either. "But you did. If you hadn't eliminated him, he would've eradicated you.."
Torin approached, his blade now cleaned and sheathed. He glanced at Eira with an expression she couldn't quite place. His eyes lingered on her face a moment longer than usual, but he said nothing. Instead, he turned to Kaela.
"We should go. This wasn't the full force. Reinforcements will come."
Kaela didn't argue. "Agreed. We head to the Ruins. Now."
Eira's legs felt heavy as they began moving through the trees again, deeper into the forest's tangled heart. She stayed close behind Kaela, saying little. Every now and then, Torin would glance back, as though checking she was still with them. She wasn't sure if he was watching for her safety or watching for signs she might lose control again.
She didn't blame him either way.
They moved in silence for a long while. As the sun dropped below the horizon, the forest shifted, its vibrant greens fading into muted blues and greys. The shadows grew longer. The trees whispered with every gust of wind, and Eira couldn't tell whether it was the forest speaking, or her own fears trying to take shape.
"I thought killing someone would make me feel... stronger. Like I'd crossed some threshold," she said quietly.
Kaela's response came after a pause. "It doesn't. It makes you feel colder. If you're lucky, it fades with time. If not, you learn to wear it like armor."
"And you?" Eira asked. "Do you feel it still?"
Kaela glanced back at her, her face unreadable. "Every time."
The rest of the journey passed without words.
Eventually, the trees began to thin, and a clearing opened before them. There, set against the backdrop of a darkening sky, stood a ruin unlike anything Eira had ever seen. Massive stone walls, weathered and half-consumed by vines, rose from the earth like the bones of a long-dead god. Time had broken it, but it still stood. And in its presence, something deep in Eira stirred.
It felt familiar, though she knew she had never been there before.
"This is Ascarith," Kaela said, her voice hushed. "A place forgotten by the Veil. A place where magic lives freely."
Eira stepped forward, her eyes scanning the ruins. There was a strange pull in her chest, as though the stones themselves called to her.
"What is this place really?"
Kaela looked at her, her expression softer now. "It was a sanctuary once. A temple. Maybe more.
No one really remembers. But for us, it's a beginning."
"A beginning of what?"
"Of who you'll become."
They walked deeper into the ruins, passing fallen columns and crumbling arches. The air felt charged, like the space between lightning and thunder. Eira could feel her magic reacting, not violently like before, but curiously. It whispered now instead of roaring.
At the center of the ruins, they reached a wide stone circle, etched with runes that shimmered faintly under the twilight. Eira stepped forward and the ground beneath her buzzed with energy. It flooded her senses, not painful, but overwhelming, like being pulled into the heart of a storm.
Kaela placed a hand on her shoulder. "This is where your training begins. This is where you learn to control it."
Eira closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath. The magic inside her responded immediately, rushing up like it had been waiting. Her hands warmed, her fingertips tingling. She could feel it dancing just beneath her skin, testing her limits, begging to be free.
"Focus," Kaela said. "Don't let it take the lead. You guide it. You tell it what to be."
Eira gritted her teeth and reached inward, trying to steady the storm. Her body trembled as she pushed back against the flood. This time, it didn't resist. It didn't fight her. It slowed, calmed, listened.
The runes beneath her feet glowed brighter, then steadied, their light settling into a soft pulse.
Kaela gave the faintest nod of approval. "You're beginning to understand."
Eira opened her eyes. Her chest still heaved with exertion, but something was different now. She didn't feel like she was drowning anymore. She felt... anchored.
Torin approached the edge of the circle, watching her with a quieter gaze now.
"You did well," he said, his voice low. "Better than I expected."
Eira managed a small smile. "Thanks. I think."
He looked like he wanted to say more, but didn't.
As night fully descended and stars pricked the sky above them, Eira stood in the heart of the ruins, surrounded by strangers she was starting to trust, in a place that felt older than memory.
And for the first time since her world shattered in Valebourne, she allowed herself to believe that maybe she wasn't lost.
Maybe she was exactly where she needed to be.