Kael.
Nobody moved.
Jane still held the sketch. Silver hair. Blue eyes. The whole room just… froze.
Rael's "…that explains her eyes" dropped like a stone and nobody wanted to touch it.
I kept seeing the alley.
Mira turning.
Blade already at my throat.
No hesitation.
No warning.
Just—
done.
Eight years old. Standing over her sister.
Branik broke it.
"We find her first."
No buildup. No speech. Just—
decision.
Kairo nodded once.
Looked at me.
"Dock district warehouse," I said. "Last Ravine Dogs location in Mira's notes. Three years cold. Only lead."
"Probably empty."
"Yes."
"Then we check it anyway."
And just like that—
he turned and walked out.
No discussion.
No hesitation.
Just we move.
"…Yeah okay, that's illegal levels of decisiveness," I muttered, following.
Eight people hit the street and suddenly the world had to adjust.
Kairo ahead.
Branik behind.
Jane—
just appeared beside me.
"She caught my thread," Jane said.
"Yes."
"I don't get caught."
"Rael doesn't get normal," I said.
Jane glanced ahead.
"…I'm updating my expectations."
"Good plan."
Warehouse.
Stone walls.
Dock smell.
A door that looked like it hated people.
We went in.
Empty.
Like—
empty empty.
Jane's threads went out.
Liora checked walls.
Branik started walking in straight lines like a human war machine.
Kairo checked the entrance.
I crouched near the back wall.
There was a mark.
Small.
Carved.
Deliberate.
I pulled out my journal.
Tried to copy it.
Wrong.
"…Nope."
Tried again.
Still wrong.
"…WHY is this hard—"
"The curve bends inward," Rael said.
I froze.
She crouched beside me.
Close.
Too close.
Her shoulder brushed mine—
—and suddenly I was very aware that her Root energy ran warm.
Like.
Actually warm.
Like standing next to a controlled fire that definitely knows it's a fire.
She reached for the journal.
Her hand landed on mine.
…
…
BZZT.
My brain short-circuited.
Too close.
Too warm.
Too—
Jane cleared her throat.
"Oh."
We both looked up.
Jane looked at our hands.
Then at our faces.
Then back at our hands.
Her expression went from neutral → understanding → interest → oh this is fun.
"Oh," she said again. Slower. Sharper.
"WE'RE COPYING THE MARK," I said instantly.
"The mark," Jane repeated.
"Yes," Rael said.
"On the floor," I added.
Jane nodded.
Slowly.
"…The mark."
…
Silence.
…
Rael stood up.
Her face had gone red.
Not normal red.
Controlled combustion red.
"FIST OF FIRE."
"WAIT—"
THUD.
I hit the ground so fast I saw my ancestors.
"AH—!"
I rolled onto my side.
"This is becoming a pattern!"
"You were too close!"
"IT'S A SMALL MARK! I NEED PRECISION!"
"YOU WERE VERY CLOSE!"
"YOU LEANED FIRST—!"
She took a step forward.
I immediately raised both hands.
"I ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY!"
…
Liora turned from the wall.
Calm.
Serene.
Like none of this was happening.
"Standing near someone with strong Root output can increase temperature exposure," she said pleasantly. "This may lead to elevated heart rate, reduced judgment, and poor decision-making." She smiled. "Entirely physiological."
Jane turned her head slowly toward her.
Kairo looked at me.
"…She does that."
"I AM EXPERIENCING IT LIVE."
Branik stopped mid-step.
Looked at me on the floor.
Looked at Rael.
Looked at Jane who was clearly enjoying this.
"…That escalated," he said.
Then went back to walking.
I pushed myself up.
Jane crouched.
Copied the mark in four seconds.
"Done," she said, holding it up.
I stared.
"…You're showing off."
"A little."
"Thank you."
"Of course."
Rael had turned to the wall.
Very focused.
Extremely focused.
That wall was getting her full attention for the rest of the day.
I looked at Liora.
"Anything useful?"
"Multiple occupants," she said. "Long-term holding. Reinforced sections. Everything removed deliberately. Not abandoned. Cleared."
"Except the mark," Branik said, returning. "No exits. No residue. Dead end."
I sighed.
Loud.
"GREAT. Fantastic. We came all the way here to discover absolutely NOTHING."
Kairo grinned.
"Not nothing."
"IT IS VERY CLOSE TO NOTHING."
"It's a lead."
"It's a disappointing lead."
"Still a lead."
…
"…I hate that you're right."
He turned.
Walked out.
Branik followed.
Liora followed.
Jane followed—still smiling.
Rael followed.
Did not look at me.
I stood there one second longer.
Looked at the mark.
At the empty space.
Mira had been here.
Found nothing.
Kept going anyway.
…
"…Of course she did," I muttered.
Then I ran to catch up.
"WAIT FOR ME—I'M STILL INJURED!"