Morning crept into the room in pale slivers of light, slipping through the narrow window and cutting across the wooden floor in thin bands. Nyra stirred beneath the sheets, breath slow and even, the quiet of the tavern broken only by distant movement below and the faint murmur of voices beginning to wake with the city.
She sat up, stretching without modesty or hesitation. Sleep left her quickly. It always did.
The room was cool, the air carrying the lingering scent of old wood and smoke from the hearth below. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, bare feet touching the floor, and reached for her armor. Piece by piece, familiar and well-worn. The leather hugged her frame easily, shaped for movement rather than ceremony. It left her arms and legs bare, the dark straps contrasting sharply against her tan skin, scars faintly visible where blades and teeth had once found her but a berserker couldn't afford to be caged inside steel.
She rolled her shoulders once, testing the fit, then pulled on her red hood but left it down. Her fingers lingered in her white hair for a moment, tugging it loose from where it had tangled during the night. She studied her reflection in the small mirror fixed to the wall.
Red eyes stared back at her. Beneath them, that darkened shadow she could never quite wash away, like bruising that lived under the skin rather than on it.
Nyra's expression tightened just a fraction.
She turned away from the mirror and splashed water from the basin onto her face, scrubbing hard, as if friction alone might erase it. When she looked up again, the shadow remained. It always did.
"Tch," she muttered under her breath, then reached for her axe.
The weapon leaned against the wall where she'd left it, tall and heavy, its haft wrapped in dark leather. The blade itself was carved bone pale, polished smooth with age and care, etched faintly with old markings that caught the light when she moved it. It wasn't elegant. It wasn't pretty. It was brutal, honest, and entirely hers.
Nyra lifted it, weighing it in her hands. For a brief moment, she hesitated.
Then she snorted softly. "Alright. Let's go."
The words slipped out like she was speaking to the axe itself, as if it had a say in the matter. Maybe it did. She slung it over her shoulder and headed for the door.
Downstairs, the tavern was already alive. Jason's voice carried easily through the space, warm and steady, as he moved between tables. The smell of strong coffee hit her before she even stepped outside, sharp and grounding.
She found them gathered just beyond the tavern's entrance Valen leaning comfortably against a post, mid-conversation with Jason, while Luken sat at one of the outdoor tables with a cup in hand. Neo perched beside him, shoulders relaxed in a way Nyra didn't see often. Tar loomed nearby, seated on a reinforced bench, one massive hand wrapped carefully around a mug that looked absurdly small in his grip.
No sign of Thal.
No sign of Alinda.
Nyra felt a flicker of unease but she pushed it aside and took a seat beside Neo instead.
"How's it holding up?" she asked quietly, nodding toward his head.
Neo glanced at her, then gave a small shrug. "Yeah. Still working." He ran his fingers through his hair absentmindedly, right where the horns would have been if the illusion weren't there. "Doesn't itch as much anymore."
"That's good," Nyra said, relieved despite herself.
Luken leaned back slightly, lowering his voice as he took another sip of coffee. "I'm more surprised it's lasted this long," he murmured. "That gem Alinda gave you… beastkin soul gems usually burn out faster under sustained illusion."
Neo glanced down at the faintly glowing crystal set against his chest beneath his clothes. "Guess I got lucky."
"Or she knew exactly what she was doing," Luken replied.
Nyra huffed a quiet laugh. "That sounds more like her."
Valen finally noticed her arrival and turned with a grin. "Ah, look who decided to join the living. Sleep well?"
"Well enough," Nyra said dryly.
Jason set another cup on the table and glanced between them, brow lifting slightly at the lowered voices but he didn't comment. He never did. "Coffee's fresh," he said instead. "Eat while you can. City's been restless since sunrise."
Nyra's grip tightened briefly on her axe.
"Still nothing from Thal?" she asked, keeping her tone casual.
Valen shrugged. "Not yet. Figured he'd turn up when he feels like it. Big guy's got his own rhythm."
Nyra didn't answer. Her gaze drifted down the street, instinctively searching for a massive silhouette that wasn't there.
Neo took a careful sip of his drink, then glanced at her sideways. "He'll be back," he said quietly, more reassurance than statement.
She nodded once, accepting it but the feeling lingered anyway. The morning was too calm. The city too quiet beneath the noise.
Whatever yesterday had started hadn't finished yet and Nyra had the uneasy sense that today would not let them stay spectators for long.
Nyra wrapped both hands around the warm mug Jason had set down for her, letting the heat seep into her palms as she stared out at the street. Morning light had strengthened now, washing the stone in pale gold but it did little to ease the heaviness still clinging to the air.
"So," she said at last, glancing around the table. "Where do we go?"
Valen tilted his chair back onto two legs. "Wherever breakfast is cheapest?"
She didn't smile. "I'm serious."
Luken lowered his cup, reading the tension in her voice. Neo's attention shifted as well, the faint ease from moments earlier thinning.
"I want to stay," Nyra admitted. "Help with the murder. If this Rupture thing keeps killing people, we can't just ignore it." Her jaw tightened. "But we're supposed to be hunting Archons."
"The glamorous life of heroes," Valen muttered.
"We don't even know where the others are," Luken said quietly. "Threads, Design… and Inevitability still missing. Rot was the only one we had a clear trail on and we only survived that because Thal was there."
Tar gave a low rumble of agreement.
Nyra nodded. "Which means we need information. Either from the Church… or Commander Eric."
Valen straightened. "I vote Eric. He gives facts, not sermons."
"Agreed," Luken said.
Nyra stood, slinging her bone axe across her back. "Then we head to "
The tavern door opened behind them.
Conversation faltered as a small group stepped inside: a young woman in Church robes, pale and tense, flanked by two armored guards bearing the sigil of the Three. Her blonde hair was pulled back tightly today but her green eyes were unmistakable.
She scanned the room anxiously. "We're looking for the giant. The one who was with the Hero's Triad yesterday."
Valen blinked. "That narrows it down."
Nyra frowned. "What do you want with Thal?"
Rikia stepped forward. "He was in the infirmary last night. We need to speak with him again. There are developments."
"Infirmary?" Neo echoed, surprised.
Luken exchanged a look with Nyra. "Why would he be there?"
Before Rikia could answer
A deep voice spoke right behind her.
"I was checking something."
Rikia gasped and nearly jumped out of her boots.
She spun around and found herself face to chest with Thal.
He had walked up without a sound, towering over her, golden eyes calm but unreadable. The guards stiffened instantly, hands twitching toward weapons they clearly didn't want to use.
Valen let out a low whistle. "Gods, you do that on purpose."
Thal ignored him. His gaze settled on Rikia, not unkind but distant. She swallowed hard, trying to recover her composure.
"Y-you left before we could speak properly," she said. "We thought it best to inform the Cathedral. They want "
"We were about to head to Commander Eric," Nyra cut in. "Maybe we should go to the Church first if they're asking for him."
Thal's eyes shifted to her.
"No," he said.
The single word carried weight.
"We go to Eric first."
Rikia blinked. "But the Cathedral "
Thal looked back down at her, and though his voice remained level, there was an edge of finality beneath it. "After."
She hesitated, clearly unused to being redirected like that. The guards exchanged uncertain glances.
Valen stood, stretching. "Well, there you have it. Commander first, sermons later."
Nyra studied Thal for a moment longer. He looked like he hadn't slept, though it was hard to tell with him. Something in his posture felt… tighter.
"What did you find?" she asked quietly.
"Later," he said.
Tar rose from his bench with a heavy scrape of wood on stone. Neo adjusted the collar near his gem, eyes flicking briefly toward Rikia before looking away.
Luken drained the last of his coffee. "Then let's move before the city decides to fall apart without us."
Rikia stepped aside reluctantly, watching them prepare to leave. Whatever she'd hoped to say seemed smaller now, swallowed by Thal's presence and the direction he'd set.
As the group began moving down the street toward the Commander's district, the morning bustle of Lions Gate stirred around them.
Behind them, the Church still waited.
Ahead of them, answers and more trouble almost certainly did too.
Rikia lingered at the edge of the tavern longer than she needed to.
At first it was subtle her attention drifting, her gaze catching on faces as if she were committing them to memory for later questioning but then her eyes settled on Neo and didn't move.
Nyra noticed it immediately.
Rikia's expression didn't sharpen or harden. If anything, it looked puzzled. Curious. Like something about him didn't sit right in her thoughts. Her gaze traced him too carefully his posture, his face, the way he carried himself. Not leering. Not fearful. Just… searching.
Neo shifted slightly under it, unaware of why. He glanced down at his cup, then back up, a faint crease forming between his brows.
Valen, of course, noticed last and misunderstood instantly.
"Oh?" he said with a grin, nudging Nyra lightly with his elbow. "Looks like the Church has good taste. Can't blame her. Bit young for her vows, though, yeah?"
Nyra opened her mouth to snap back and froze.
Because Thal had turned. It wasn't fast. It wasn't dramatic but something in the way his head angled, in the way his shoulders subtly squared, sent a chill straight through her.
Nyra's breath caught.
Thal's golden eyes had narrowed but not the way she'd seen before. Not focused, not stern but Predatory.
For the briefest moment, his pupils split, thinning into vertical slits that caught the light like a blade edge. The warmth in his gaze vanished, replaced by something raw and ancient and violently alert. It was the look of something that had decided, in a heartbeat, what it would destroy if necessary.
And it was aimed squarely at Rikia.
Nyra's stomach dropped.
She had seen Thal angry. She had seen him fight. She had seen him stand against Archons and horrors that should not exist but this this was different. This wasn't battle-readiness. This was territorial. Instinctual. Feral. Protective.
Rikia felt it too. Her shoulders stiffened as if a sudden cold had passed over her skin. She tore her gaze away from Neo, colour draining from her face. Her fingers curled into the fabric of her robes, breath hitching as she looked anywhere but at Thal.
"I…I should return to the Cathedral," she said quickly, voice too tight, too rushed. "I've… said what I came to say."
The guards didn't argue. They looked relieved to leave.
Rikia bowed stiffly more reflex than respect and turned away, nearly tripping over her own feet as she exited the tavern.
The moment she crossed the threshold, Thal's eyes returned to normal.
Just like that.
Nyra swallowed hard, her heart hammering against her ribs. She hadn't moved. Had barely breathed.
Valen chuckled, completely oblivious. "Guess you broke a few hearts, kid," he said to Neo. "Careful. Church folk get weird about crushes."
Neo flushed faintly. "What? I didn't she wasn't…"
Luken sighed, rubbing his temples. "Valen."
"What? I'm just saying…"
Nyra couldn't hear the rest.
Her gaze stayed locked on Thal.
He hadn't spoken. Hadn't reacted outwardly but she'd seen it. She knew she had and the image wouldn't leave her the slitted eyes, the silent promise of violence held in perfect restraint.
She had never been afraid of Thal before, not once but in that moment, she was.
Not because she thought he would hurt them but because she understood, with terrifying clarity, that if anyone threatened Neo truly threatened him Thal would not hesitate. He would not warn. He would not negotiate. He would erase them from the world without a second thought and nothing would or even could stop him.
Nyra looked down at her hands, forcing herself to breathe evenly as the group began to move again. Valen was still teasing. Neo was still confused. Luken was still annoyed.
None of them had seen it and as they stepped out into the street, Nyra cast one last glance at Thal's broad back, unease curling tight in her chest. She trusted him, she always had but now she understood something new and terrible about that trust
That Thal's love was not gentle. It was absolute and if ever pushed too far, it would turn the world to ash to keep Neo safe.
The group spilled out into the street in a loose cluster, morning light bright enough now to chase most of the shadows from the road. Valen was already talking again, Luken half-listening, Nyra walking a little ahead, her mind clearly elsewhere.
Thal did not follow immediately.
He slowed, letting the others move several paces ahead before turning his head slightly. "Nyra," he called, voice low but firm.
She glanced back.
"Take them to Eric," he said. "I'll join you shortly."
Nyra hesitated, searching his face for a moment, then nodded once and continued on with Valen and Luken. None of them questioned it. Thal did things his own way. They were used to that.
That left Neo and Tar.
Neo shifted, clearly ready to follow Nyra and the others but Thal's voice stopped him.
"You stay with Tar."
Neo blinked. "What? Why "
"Stay," Thal repeated, sharper this time.
Neo's mouth opened again, a flash of frustration crossing his face. "I'm not made of glass, Thal. I can handle "
"Rikia almost saw through your illusion."
The words landed heavy.
Neo froze.
His hand went instinctively to his hair again, fingers brushing the space where his horns should have been. "She… what?"
"She was looking at you too long," Thal said, stepping closer, lowering his voice but not the intensity in it. "Not with curiosity. With recognition trying to form. She didn't know what she was seeing yet but she was close."
Neo's chest tightened. "But the spell Luken said "
"The spell is holding," Thal said. "But illusions don't hide what someone feels is wrong and the Church trains its mages to notice wrongness."
Neo swallowed.
Thal crouched slightly so they were closer to eye level, his voice still firm but threaded with something deeper than anger.
"This city is not safe for your kind," he said. "If anyone discovers what you are truly are you will not be questioned. You will be taken. Studied. Used. Or killed."
Neo's jaw tightened. "Because I'm Kruul?"
"Because you're Kruu'Voth."
The word sat between them like a blade laid flat.
Neo's breath faltered. Even hearing it spoken aloud still felt strange, like naming a wound.
Thal continued, voice quieter now but no less severe. "You have been hunted since you were a child, Neo. Since before you understood what that meant. There are those who would cross continents for a chance to claim a Kruu'Voth."
Neo stared at him. "You never told me that."
"I will," Thal said. "But not here. Not now."
Neo's frustration flickered back. "You always do that. Treat me like I'm still a kid."
Thal's gaze hardened. "When we are in this city, you follow my word like it is law."
The edge in his voice made Neo fall silent.
"This isn't about control," Thal went on, quieter but iron-strong. "It isn't even about the humans. It's about the Archon here. If I can sense its influence, it can sense power in return and you…" His eyes held Neo's. "You are not small in the ways that matter."
Neo looked away, unsettled by the weight in that statement.
Thal straightened slowly. "Until we leave Lions Gate, you do not wander alone. You do not argue orders in the street and if I tell you to hide, you hide."
Neo nodded, though reluctance lingered in his expression. "…Alright."
A brief silence passed.
Then Neo glanced around. "Where's Alinda? I thought she was with you."
Thal's eyes shifted down the street, scanning rooftops and distant corners with quiet certainty.
"She will be," he said.
Neo frowned. "That doesn't answer "
"She'll be here soon," Thal finished, already turning away. "Stay with Tar."
Tar gave a low rumble of agreement, massive presence settling beside Neo like a living wall.
Neo watched Thal walk off after the others, unease coiling in his chest. The morning didn't feel as bright anymore.
He ran a hand through his hair again, trying not to imagine how close Rikia had been to seeing what lay beneath the illusion.
For the first time, Lions Gate didn't feel like a place they were passing through.
It felt like a trap that already knew he was inside.