Kairo just learnt the rules of this new world by tripping over them. Divinity did not announce itself like thunder. It arrived with authority, "You remain standing", the god said. His voice did not echo, it landed directly as if I was bypassing the crowd. Kairo bowed his head, just enough to be polite "I didn't think it was the right to thing to do". A murmur ran thought he crowd, someone hissed a warning, the priest that was leading the crowd went pale, hands were fluttering as if they were trying to catch someone already falling. The god looked at Kairo, it studied Kairo, not with anger but interest. "You are not of this land", it said. It was a statement being tested for accuracy, "I am", Kairo replied. The gods gaze sharpened, "You carry knowledge and power without permission", Kairo felt the sentence settle around, "I learn differently than others", he replied. Silence stretched out, the god did not object.
"Demonstrate", the god said. Kairo's heart was racing, demonstration meant magic, but doing magic here feels… attentive. In his world, spells answered structure and intent, here the spells answer to someone else. He chose something small, a containment spell, Kairo stretched out his hand and traced the weave, a pattern so basic it barely deserved the name, no need for an incantation. Just clean geometry and clear intent. The weave formed, then disappeared. Not shattered, not misfired, it simple just failed, as if the pattern had been untied by patient fingers. Kairo felt a faint tug in his chest.
He tried again, adjusting for resistance he couldn't find. This time the weave held a second, then folded inward, leaving a dull ache behind his eyes. A god was intrigued, the crowd laughed at Kairo, mocking him for failing at his magic. The god's attention shifted to the crowd, "Shut up". The crowd went silent as the bowed their heads to the god. He turned to Kairo and said, "Again".
Kairo's fingers tingled, he lowered his head, "I don't think that going work", he said quietly. Another murmur rippled, the priest stiffened. The god looked at Kairo in his depressed state. "You belive restraint is wisdom", the god said, "I believe repetition without first understanding the problem is a waste". Kairo, surprised at himself for saying it out loud. The air tightened to another degree, at the corner of his eye, Kairo noticed a man standing as smiled with curious intent. "This hour is concluded, you will be recorded".
The pressure was released, sound rushed back in pieces. The god was gone, leaving behind a square full of exhalations, as hands shook and knees rose from the ground. Kairo lowered his arm, his hand was visibly trembling. The priest hurried forward with a pale face, giving out apologizing to no one in particulars, as the crowd quietly dispersed. "You felt it too", a voice said directly in Kairo head, Kairo turned. The mysterious man who was smiling at him was now closer. "Felt what?. "The hesitation", the man replied, "Not your, the world's". Kairo asked "You didn't kneel?", the man nodded, "Why?. The man pondered on the question as he looks at where the god was. "I guess I wanted to see what would happen f someone didn't", Kairo frowned, "That would have been bad for you". The man smiles, "that is if the outcome is immediate, and they rarely are. These play before they kill".
He extended his hand, after a pause Kairo took it, the grip felt warm and human. "Names are useful, for now you may call me witness", Kairo released his hand, "I'm Kairo". He stepped back, already disengaging, "Be careful of what you do next, Kairo, this world remembers patterns". "And you?" Kairo asked, "I remember the outcomes".
He turned as he melted into the crowd, leaving Kairo with pain in his eyes and the sense that the square was being being watched long before the god arrived.
We return to the scene that Kairo left, a cloud of dust filled the forbidden wing. The guards rushed over to see what happened, the prime minister stood there dumbfounded, wondering what just happened. The guards see the Izan on the floor, they surround him as they assess the situation. "What happened?", a guard asked, "I don't know but a student was sucked into the Chronal Reliquary".