The weight of the ruins still clung to them, though the remnants of that horror were now overshadowed by their time in the colony. Days had passed since they first left the ruined cultist stronghold, seeking refuge in the shadows of Senthos-controlled land. The colony had offered them a temporary respite, but it was never a place they could linger for long. Not with the growing tension, not with the cult’s unseen hand tightening its grip.

  Rein walked at the front, his usual sharp gaze scanning the path ahead. His jaw remained clenched, his fingers twitching near the hilt of his sword with a restless energy that betrayed his unsettled mind. Their time in the colony had only reinforced his unease, their search for Lenora had led to dead ends, cryptic warnings, and the certainty that she hadn’t simply left. She had been taken, or worse. The cult was still moving in the shadows, and now, they were likely watching for them as well.

  Shilley, sensing the storm brewing inside him, picked up her pace and walked alongside him. “You’re brooding again,” she said, offering a half-hearted smile that did little to mask the worry in her golden-flecked eyes.

  Rein exhaled, slow and measured, as if trying to rein in his thoughts. “Just thinking.”

  “That’s what I mean,” she pressed. “You do that thing where you go all quiet, and then the next time someone crosses you, you act like you’re ready to cut them in half.”

  His lips twitched, not quite forming a smirk. “If you’re that worried, I’ll start talking nonsense just to put you at ease.”

  Shilley snorted. “Please, I’d rather you stay quiet.”

  Despite the small moment of levity, Rein’s thoughts remained dark. He hated unanswered questions. And more than that, he hated the feeling that something was slipping through his fingers. The more they learned about the cult, the more he realized how little they actually knew. Why did they need Lenora? What was she to them? And if they had taken her, what were they planning next?

  “We need to get to the sanctuary,” Shilley said more seriously, sensing the shift in his mood again. “If anyone knows what’s happening, it’s the fae. The elders might have answers.”

  Rein didn’t reply immediately. His hesitation wasn’t from doubt about the fae’s knowledge, he knew their kind had deep wells of ancient wisdom, buried under riddles and half-truths. His hesitation came from something else entirely. Would they even tell us the truth?

  Luxana trailed behind them, her footsteps light but her presence weighed down by something unseen. She had spoken little since their departure, and when she did, it was with absentminded detachment. Her memories, Lucifer’s memories, were still unraveling inside her, incomplete pieces of a puzzle she couldn’t yet solve. She had glimpsed something in that vision, something that clawed at the edges of her mind, whispering warnings she did not yet understand.

  The colony was behind them now. Senthos had become a tightening noose, and staying any longer would have drawn more attention than they could afford. The moment they had slipped past its gates, it was as if the world outside had exhaled, though whether in relief or warning, none of them could say.

  Now, the forest ahead loomed like a living entity, its thick canopy casting strange shadows over the winding path. The further they moved into its depths, the more it felt as if they were stepping into another world, one untouched by time or reason.

  As they walked, a realization settled in, the fae lands were not part of this world. Sorath was another realm entirely.

  Rein furrowed his brow. “Shilley,” he said, breaking the quiet, “how exactly are we getting into the fae sanctuary? Sorath isn’t just a hidden grove, it’s another realm.”

  Shilley hesitated. “I… don’t fully know,” she admitted. “Fae lands don’t have normal entrances. Sometimes the way opens when we’re ready. Other times, we have to find it. There are weak spots, places where the barrier is thinner. I think I’ll be able to sense it when we get close.”

  Rein’s frown deepened. “That’s not exactly reassuring.”

  Luxana, who had been silent for most of the journey, finally spoke. “It makes sense,” she said. “Sorath isn’t a place you reach by simply walking. You have to be allowed in.”

  Rein sighed, running a hand through his hair. “So we’re wandering until the land decides we’re worthy?”

  Shilley shot him a look. “That’s a very human way of putting it, but… yes.”

  Luxana’s gaze drifted to the forest ahead. “And if it doesn’t let us in?”

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  Silence stretched between them before Shilley finally replied, her voice quieter. “Then we keep walking until it does.”

  Rein muttered something under his breath but said nothing more. The conversation left an uneasy weight in the air, but there was no alternative. If the fae sanctuary held answers, they had no choice but to trust that Sorath would grant them passage.

  Rein exhaled through his nose, shaking his head slightly. Then, after a long moment of hesitation, he spoke, his voice quieter than usual.

  "You know, I never thought I'd say this," he admitted, his gaze fixed ahead. "I always figured if my life ever took a turn for the insane, I'd be on my own. But... I'm glad I'm not."

  Shilley blinked, caught off guard. "Wait, was that an actual moment of sincerity? Should I mark this down?"

  Rein smirked faintly, but there was a weight in his words that lingered. "I’m serious. A few weeks ago, I was just some guy trying to get by. Now, I'm in the middle of something that feels like it came out of a children's story. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but... I hope we all make it through this. Together."

  Luxana gave him a sidelong glance, her expression softening. "That’s oddly sentimental for you."

  "Don't get used to it," Rein muttered.

  Shilley grinned, nudging him lightly with her elbow. "Well, if we’re living in a storybook, at least we’re the main characters."

  Rein let out a low chuckle. "Let's just hope it’s not a tragedy."

  With that, they pressed onward, leaving behind the colony but carrying its lingering questions with them into the unknown. They had traveled together like this for two days, little was said between them as their uncertainty in Shilley’s suggestion started to take root and grow.

  As they traveled deeper into the forest, the air thickened with something unseen yet palpable. The world around them no longer felt entirely stable, trees seemed to stretch taller when they weren’t looking, the path subtly shifting beneath their feet. The shadows cast by the branches above flickered unnaturally, as though moving of their own accord.

  A whispering breeze wound its way through the trees, carrying fragments of words in a tongue neither Rein nor Luxana recognized. It was neither hostile nor welcoming, just ancient, a reminder that they were stepping into something beyond mortal comprehension.

  Shilley slowed her pace, her eyes darting around. “It’s close,” she murmured, though she hadn’t yet seen any clear entrance. It was a feeling, an instinctual pull deep within her chest, urging her forward.

  She stopped abruptly and raised a hand. “Give me a moment,” she said. “I need to concentrate.”

  Rein and Luxana exchanged glances before stepping a short distance away, allowing Shilley the space she needed. She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, trying to hone in on the shifting energies around them.

  Rein crossed his arms, watching her for a moment before turning to Luxana. “So,” he said in a low voice, “how much do you actually know about the fae?”

  Luxana raised a brow. “More than most, I suppose. Why?”

  Rein sighed. “Because even if they do know something about our situation, I doubt they’d just hand us the truth. The fae aren’t exactly known for their generosity.”

  Luxana nodded slightly. “True. They’re... difficult to deal with. They value their own kind above all else, and their sense of morality doesn’t align with ours.”

  “That’s what worries me,” Rein muttered. “We’re asking them for answers, but what if they decide we’re more useful as pawns?”

  Luxana tilted her head slightly. “That’s a possibility. Or they may just deceive us for their amusement.”

  Rein groaned. “Great. Exactly what I wanted to hear.”

  Luxana studied him for a moment before speaking, her tone softer. “They are not inherently evil, Rein. They have their own ways, their own rules. If we are careful, we can navigate them.”

  Rein glanced back at Shilley, who stood completely still, her focus unshaken. “I just hope she knows what she’s doing.”

  The forest around them began to blur, edges of reality warping as though the land itself were watching them. Luxana’s breathing hitched slightly as she noticed it too—how their surroundings bent and curved in ways that defied logic. Rein’s grip tightened around his sword, though he knew brute force wouldn’t help against something like this.

  Then, without warning, Shilley stopped. “Here.”

  Before them lay a clearing, the space eerily still despite the wind rustling the trees just beyond it. The ground shimmered faintly, like the surface of a lake catching the light. It wasn’t a doorway in any traditional sense, but something was there—a thinning in the veil between worlds, a place where reality was stretched to its limit.

  Rein exhaled slowly. “So… do we just step through?”

  Shilley didn’t answer immediately. She placed a hand against the air just beyond the clearing, and the space rippled at her touch, sending faint waves of light outward.

  “I think it’s already watching us,” she whispered.

  Rein exhaled sharply, shifting his stance. "Are we sure we’re ready for this? We might not come out alive."

  Luxana, trying to be reassuring, nodded. "Yes, but statistically speaking, the likelihood of death is only slightly higher than being permanently lost between realms."

  Rein stared at her. "That... really doesn’t help, Lux."

  Shilley snorted. "I think what she means is uh, we’ve survived worse? Probably?"

  Rein, still uneasy, exhaled and lowered his voice. "Alright, but what if we don’t? We should have a plan."

  Luxana folded her arms. "If the fae decide to betray us, fighting our way out will be difficult. Their magic is unpredictable."

  "Exactly why we need a backup," Rein said. "If things go wrong, we need a way to regroup."

  Shilley, still keeping part of her focus on the veil, muttered, "Easier said than done. If they separate us, things could get messy."

  Rein thought for a moment. "Then we don’t let that happen. If anything goes wrong, we meet back at the last marker we passed, near that fallen tree a few minutes back. If someone doesn’t show, assume the worst and don’t rush back in blindly."

  Luxana nodded. "And if we can’t escape easily?"

  Rein glanced at Shilley. "Then we rely on her to find another way out. If she can lead us in, she can lead us back out."

  Shilley sighed. "No pressure or anything. But fine, that makes sense. Just... let’s hope it doesn’t come to that."

  The wind stilled. The veil was waiting.