Dawnreach was louder up close.
Hammers rang against metal. Voices overlapped in half a dozen accents. Magic hummed through crystal lamps lining the streets, casting soft blue and gold light across the stone.
Ethan kept close to Lyra, feeling like a glitch in a game he definitely wasn't supposed to be in.
Ghost-Ethan floated lazily above the crowd. "Okay, review so far: glowing city, armored people, zero smartphones. Solid vibes. Questionable survival odds."
"Please stop talking," Ethan muttered under his breath.
Lyra glanced back. "Did you say something?"
"Nope," Ethan said quickly. "Just… impressed."
She gave him a small smile and guided him toward the largest structure in the city — a towering hall built into the cliffside itself. Massive runes pulsed across its doors like slow, steady heartbeats.
"The Dawn Guild Hall," Lyra said. "Once we're inside, you'll be safe."
Ghost-Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Define 'safe.'"
⸻
Two guards stood watch at the entrance, their spears tipped with glowing crystal.
"Apprentice Lyra," one said, nodding. "You return early."
"I encountered a Lost Soul," Lyra replied, gesturing to Ethan. "Near the Starflow."
Both guards turned their attention to Ethan.
The other guard frowned. "He doesn't look dangerous."
Ghost-Ethan gasped. "Wow. Rude."
"He hasn't been tested yet," Lyra said firmly.
The doors opened.
The guild hall swallowed them in light.
The interior stretched upward several stories, banners hanging from the walls, each marked with sigils of different orders. Mages whispered over glowing tomes. Knights sharpened blades that hummed with enchantment. At the center stood a circular dais.
And upon it sat the Guildmaster.
She rose as they approached — tall, armored, and radiating quiet authority. Her dark braids were threaded with silver rings, and her eyes glowed faintly like embers behind smoke.
"Another Lost Soul," she said calmly. "It seems fate is restless."
Lyra knelt. "Guildmaster Selene. I brought him as quickly as I could."
Selene's gaze locked onto Ethan.
Ethan swallowed.
Ghost-Ethan leaned close. "She looks like she could bench-press destiny."
"Name," Selene said.
"Ethan," he replied.
"Origin?"
"Another world," Ethan said. "I didn't choose to come here."
"None of you ever do," Selene said softly.
She stepped closer, studying him. Ethan felt a strange pressure in his chest — not pain, but awareness. Like someone was reading a book written inside him.
Her eyes narrowed.
"You are… fractured."
Ghost-Ethan stiffened.
Selene looked directly at Ethan's left side — exactly where Ghost-Ethan floated.
"Oh no," the ghost whispered. "She can feel me."
"You carry an echo of yourself," Selene said. "A soul fragment unmoored."
Lyra looked confused. "Guildmaster?"
Ethan's heart pounded. "She knows. She knows. She knows."
Before Selene could say more, the entire hall shuddered.
Crystals flickered. Banners swayed. A deep, furious roar rolled through the stone like thunder trapped underground.
Everyone froze.
Selene straightened instantly. "That sound…"
Ghost-Ethan's eyes went wide. "Yeah. That's not normal."
Another roar followed — closer this time.
Lyra drew her sword. "That came from outside the walls."
Selene summoned a blade of pure light into her hand. "All guild members to readiness."
She turned to Ethan.
"Lost Soul," she said firmly, "something followed you here."
The floor trembled again.
Far beyond the walls, molten light flared against the sky.
Ghost-Ethan swallowed hard.
"The Lavabear wasn't chasing you anymore," he said quietly.
"It was running from whatever's coming now."