Quiet Travel, Loud Thoughts
They traveled northward now, following a frost-laced river beneath the pale moon. Mireth was quiet. Cael couldn't stop thinking about the message:
"One has fallen. Six remain."
"Was it real?" he asked.
Mireth didn't answer immediately.
"It was real enough for the city to change," she finally said.
"And real enough for… them… to start moving."
Ambush on the Bridge of Echoes
Crossing a frozen bridge strung between cliffs, they were ambushed.
Figures in dusk-grey cloaks appeared from the shadows. Their weapons shimmered—not with mana, but anti-Essentia suppression runes. Nullblades.
Leader: a silver-haired man with empty eyes. His voice was like cracked glass.
"You are a Shardbearer. I name you a Threat-Class Catalyst.
Step forward and let us cleanse the wound."
Mireth whispered urgently:
"Essentia Executioners.
They don't work for nations. They serve the world's timeline."
Battle of Belief
Spell cast: [Phase Lash – Tier 2]
Cael split reality just enough to warp one of their blades mid-swing.
Mireth used Tier 3 Wind Displacement, hurling two attackers into the chasm below.
But the Executioners fought with perfect coordination. No shouts. No fear. Their leader moved like a ghost through Cael's voidcasts, whispering phrases that made Cael's thoughts fog over:
"You are the Fracture.
Your breath cracks the world."
For a moment, Cael believed him.
Cael's First Kill
Cornered on a ledge, Cael cast a desperate void-spike—not a clean spell, but a rage-born burst of broken Essentia. It didn't just pierce the attacker—it erased him.
Gone. Like he'd never existed.
The battle ended with the survivors retreating. Mireth didn't celebrate.
"You didn't just kill him," she said.
"You unmade his presence."
Cael shook. "I didn't mean to. I just… reacted."
She didn't speak for a long time. Then:
"Void doesn't wait for your intent.
It reflects your fear."
Aftermath by Firelight
They camped in a cave that night. Cael stared at his hands.
"Am I becoming the seal? Or… the crack?"
Mireth looked up, startled.
"You asked the wrong question.
You should be asking if you have time to remain yourself."
She handed him a worn notebook—her field notes on relic activity, fractured cities, and possible timelines.
"If you want to live through this, you'll need to understand what's coming.
And decide if you're going to stop it… or finish it."