The Merchant's Rest had seen better decades. Its common room, usually filled with traveling traders and local gossip, now served as a makeshift infirmary for the Stalker's victims. Elena had insisted they talk somewhere private, away from curious eyes and fearful whispers. Kael's hands wrapped around a mug of bitter ale, though he hadn't taken a sip. Across the scarred wooden table, Elena studied him with those unsettling violet eyes—calculating, measuring, as if trying to solve a puzzle written in his very bones. "You're not what I expected," she said finally. "What did you expect?" "Someone older. More trained. Certainly not a blacksmith's apprentice who's never left his village." She leaned forward, candlelight casting sharp shadows across her aristocratic features. "Tell me, Kael Thornwick—how long have you been able to see magic?" The question hit him like a physical blow. For nineteen years, he'd hidden this strangeness, convinced himself it was fever dreams or an overactive imagination. Now, faced with someone who spoke of it as simple fact, the walls he'd built around his secret crumbled. "Two years," he whispered. "Maybe three. It started small—just glimpses of light where there shouldn't be any. But lately..." He gestured helplessly at the blade resting across his knees, its golden threads still faintly visible. "Lately, it's getting stronger." Elena nodded as if this confirmed something she'd already suspected. "The Awakening rarely happens all at once. Most people with the Sight develop it gradually, usually triggered by emotional trauma or physical danger." "Most people?" Hope flared in his chest. "There are others like me?" "Were." The correction carried the weight of graveyards. "You're the first True Sight I've encountered in fifteen years of service. The last known case was documented three centuries ago, just before the Great Binding." "The Great Binding?" Elena's expression darkened. "A story for another time. What matters now is that your abilities have drawn attention from things far worse than Void Stalkers." She reached into her traveling pack and withdrew a crystal the size of her palm—clear as water, but shot through with veins of silver light. "This is a Resonance Stone. It detects magical signatures across vast distances." She placed it on the table between them. The moment it touched the wood, the crystal blazed with golden radiance that made Kael squint and Elena curse under her breath. "By the storms," she breathed. "I knew you were powerful, but this..." She lifted the stone, shaking her head in amazement. "Kael, this crystal is attuned to detect magic at a range of fifty miles. Right now, it's registering levels that should be impossible in our age." "Is that bad?" "It's unprecedented." She tucked the crystal away, but her hands were trembling slightly. "Raw magical potential like yours hasn't existed since the age of legends. If the Council learns of this—if certain factions within the Council learn of this—they'll either try to control you or eliminate you as a threat." The words settled over Kael like a shroud. "And what do you want to do with me?" Elena was quiet for a long moment, her gaze drifting to the window where the first hints of dawn painted the sky. When she looked back at him, something had shifted in her expression—vulnerability flickering beneath the professional mask. "I want to keep you alive," she said simply. "Which means we need to get you trained, and fast. There's an old sanctuary in the Thornwood, about three days' ride north. If we can reach it—" The inn door exploded inward. Three figures in dark leather swept into the common room with predatory grace. Their faces were hidden behind masks of polished obsidian, but Kael could feel the wrongness radiating from them like heat from a forge. More of Elena's storm-scent filled the air as her power responded to the threat. "Investigator Stormwind," the lead figure spoke in a voice like grinding stone. "You've been recalled to the capital. Immediately." "Have I?" Elena's tone was conversational, but Kael saw her hand drift toward the storm-glass pendant at her throat. "On whose authority?" "Councilor Aldric sends his regards. As does the Office of Magical Oversight." Elena went perfectly still. Even Kael, with his limited knowledge of Council politics, recognized those names. Aldric was the Council's enforcer, the man who dealt with "problematic" magic users. The Office of Magical Oversight was his personal instrument—part investigative unit, part execution squad. "I see," Elena said carefully. "And the nature of this recall?" "Immediate extraction. The anomaly you were sent to investigate has been classified as a Class Seven threat. Elimination protocols are now in effect." Kael's blood turned to ice. They were talking about him. About killing him. "I'm afraid that's not acceptable," Elena said, rising smoothly to her feet. Lightning began to dance between her fingers. "My investigation is ongoing." The masked figures spread out, surrounding their table. "Investigator Stormwind, you are relieved of duty pending a full review of your recent actions. Stand down." "Elena," Kael said quietly, the starlight blade materializing in his grip. "What do we do?" She glanced at him, and for just a moment, her professional composure cracked. In her eyes, he saw fear—not for herself, but for him. "We run," she said. Then the inn erupted in chaos.
