>>Ariston
Rael's room was simple. Cleaner than I expected, though still cluttered with all kinds of things. The window was cracked open, letting in the sound of the wind brushing over the rooftops.
From where I sat, I could see it clearly—far in the distance, past the edge of the city, looming like a shadow carved from stone.
The Demon Palace.
Rael's room faced it directly. I wondered if he'd asked for that on purpose. He was there when the spider-nun attacked us. Did he figure out something was happening because of this view?
He sat across from me, slouched into the wooden chair like he had nowhere else to be, legs propped up on the round table between us. He was still eating—slow, careless bites of his last apple. His coat was draped over the back of his chair, and he looked almost… comfortable.
Unlike me
"How've you been?" he asked, casual. Like we were two strangers who'd just run into each other on the road. Like it hadn't been years.
I didn't answer.
