~Kaida Orion POV~
I reached the capital's western gate just before mid-morning.
The sky had turned a dull white, the kind that meant rain by evening, cloaked in a thick brown coat I borrowed from Biat, I walked alone. My hands clutched the archive chest close to my ribs, and my boots were soaked from marsh dew and my hair clung to my forehead with cold sweat.
No one greeted me at the gates, no guards, no messengers, only the tall gray wall and the quiet judgment of the city I once called home. I stepped forward and pressed my seal pendant to the iron plaque on the city gate.
For a moment, nothing happened, then the plaque flashed silver and the heavy doors groaned open.
Inside, I was led by two silent ink scribes through long granite corridors lit with skylights. At every turn, I saw statues of contract founders and memorial stonework, their eyes followed me.
