(Kisaya POV)
My palms were steady. My pulse wasn't.
How could he joke at a time like this? Even after five years, he hasn't changed. A smile had already formed on my face before I noticed.
The wall of Sippar rose ahead, vast and white. It was almost too perfect—no cracks, no marks, no sign of time. From a distance, it didn't look like stone at all, but something divine made solid.
At its center stood the Gate of the Sun, a massive door plated in gold, perfectly smooth, without mark or carving. It shone like a solid mirror beneath the light, reflecting everything and revealing nothing.
A few merchant carts waited nearby, their oxen restless in the heat. The guards posted along the entrance wore light armor polished to a glare, their faces lost behind the brightness. The gate opened only wide enough to let each caravan pass, one at a time.
To the left of the great gate stood a smaller archway, wide enough for four or five people to pass at once. There were no guards, no checkpoints, just a stretch of open stone that led straight into the city. From here, I could even see rooftops glinting in the distance.
People moved toward that passage: merchants leaving their carts behind to approach on foot, travelers carrying packs, the desperate and the proud alike.
Could they really walk straight in? No. It couldn't be that simple. If it were, the ring of shadows outside these walls would never have formed.
Then a scream cut through the heat. A man stumbled out of the archway, clutching his forearm, his face twisted in agony. He ran past the line, shouting, the sound raw and broken. When he'd gone far enough, the cries stopped—sudden, as if the pain simply ended.
I exhaled slowly, understanding at lastthe passage wasn't open at all.
It judged.
The closer I came, the less ordinary it seemed, just stone and light at first, but the details sharpened as I approached. The ceiling was lined with narrow openings, perfectly spaced, each one cutting a beam of sunlight straight down to the floor.
Yet what made me stop wasn't the symmetry. It was the light itself. Within those beams, something shimmered, barely visible, almost invisible against the glare. Spiritual energy, faint and golden-yellow, threaded through the sunlight. It was the color of Shamash. I had to squint to see it, but it was there.
A man stepped into the passage ahead of me. For a moment, the light around him deepened, and I saw it, the energy sliding across his skin, seeping into him as he walked. Then it faded, swallowed by the brightness. He didn't stop. His pace never faltered.
So he was judged worthy?
I hesitated. My fingers brushed against the spear at my back.
But he's waiting for me.
Eresh… how is he now? Does he still feel that hunger?
It seemed to ease when he drank the blood of those animals… but what if it's already getting worse again?
He hides it well, but I saw his eyes, how much it hurts him just to endure. And the same way I saw his pain, I saw his relief too, when the hunger finally quieted. When I looked at him then, I wasn't afraid. I was just… sad.
I don't want to see him like that again.
Whatever this is… I'll help him.
I'll do everything I can.
I can't take too long. Need to move, to hurry.
And then I stepped forward, crossing into the light.
After a few steps, one of the sunbeams brushed against my arm, pure light mixed with the faint spiritual energy of Shamash. The moment it touched my skin, I felt it move, like something alive testing the surface of my body.
It tried to enter me, gentle but insistent. Even without resisting, my own spiritual energy pushed back, repelling it on its own. The flow broke apart, fading before it could reach deeper.
I waited for a reaction... nothing.
So I tried taking another step. Still nothing. The air stayed quiet, the light unchanged.
That was all? I thought. Maybe it is easier than I expected.
I'd crossed the corridor without having to speak a word or reveal who I was. Now I just needed to decide where to start, who to ask, what to listen for…
A voice pulled me from my thoughts.
I turned and saw a young acolyte standing near the exit. He looked younger than me, his posture careful but not nervous, his smile polite, measured.
"By any chance, are you a Chosen?" he asked.
I turned toward him, narrowing my eyes slightly. "Why do you think that?"
His expression didn't change; he spoke as if stating a simple fact. "Because only the Chosen can walk through the Corridor of Light without the divine energy of Shamash settling in their bodies."
I was caught off guard. They had a young Chosen watching the entrance?
Still, it made sense. They would have prepared for this, for the chance that one of us might come.
"Yes" I said finally. "I am."
"My apologies," he said. "Chosen must complete a separate procedure before they're allowed to enter the city freely. Please, come with me."
I followed him to the left, still walking along the outer wall. Before long, a wooden door came into view. The acolyte stopped beside it and gestured politely.
"Please, enter" he said. "One of our priests will ask you a few questions before granting entry."
I gave a brief nod and stepped forward. The acolyte stayed behind, closing the door as I entered.
The priest sat inside with a clay tablet balanced on his knee, stylus ready; he looked young and formal.
The chamber was small, the air carrying a faint scent of stone and incense. A single lamp flickered near the far wall, casting thin shadows across a stone table at the center. On it rested a transparent orb, no larger than an apple, so clear the light passed straight through it. An empty chair stood across from the priest, it was clearly meant for me.
As soon as I sat down, the priest finally spoke.
"Welcome to Sippar" he said with practiced calm. "I am Priest Neren, assigned to record all entries of the Chosen. May I have your name?"
"Kisaya" I replied.
For a moment, he froze. The stylus stopped midair, suspended above the clay. His eyes flicked up, searching my face as if to confirm what he'd heard. Then, after a long breath, he began to write.
"This is the Solar Truth Orb" he said, tapping the orb beside him with the stylus. "A divine artifact of Shamash. When a Chosen holds it and feeds it their spiritual energy, the orb reacts. It glows with the color of their energy when truth is spoken, and turns black when a lie is told."
He paused briefly, his tone still calm. "If you wish to enter the city, you must use it to answer a few questions first."
I hadn't expected that.
Looked at the orb, a knot forming low in my chest. Didn't want this.
What if they asked about Ereshgal? About what I was really doing outside the city?
No one can know. Priest or not, I won't let them.
I exhaled slowly.
Need to stay calm.
He noticed the shift and added, calmer, "Do not worry. The artifact does not force truth. It only verifies what you choose to say. If you do not wish to answer, say nothing. But some questions are mandatory, without them, you will not be allowed to pass."
I brought a hand to my chest and let out another breath, this time one of relief. Good, If it had forced me to speak, I'd already be walking away.
My hand moved toward the orb. It was cool at first, then subtly warm as my energy met whatever slept inside it. I pushed a thread of power into it.
Violet bloomed.
"The orb will remain linked to you until the questioning is done" the priest said.
"Ask" I said.
He glanced once at the tablet, then at me. "You're Kisaya? One of Uruk's royal captains?"
"Yes."
The orb flared bright violet. The priest froze for a moment, his stylus still halfway in the air. Then he blinked, and inclined his head.
For nearly ten seconds, he said nothing. The silence stretched. Then his eyes refocused on me.
"My apologies" he said at last, his tone measured now, almost respectful.
"We must proceed with a few more questions. Some may be unpleasant, but I trust you understand, it is for the safety of the city."
"Proceed" My voice came out sharper than I wanted.
The questions began—routine, cautious, too practiced to be personal. Some I answered, others I let pass in silence. Every word I spoke kept the light steady; every silence he accepted without comment.
For a moment, it seemed like everything was going smoothly.
"Lastly… do you bear any ill will toward Sippar, its temples, or its people?"
I didn't move. My fingers holding the orb trembled slightly. If I said the wrong thing, I'd lose time we didn't have… or worse.
"No" The word slipped out before I could stop it.
The orb did not go black.
It didn't glow pure violet either.
The light clouded, like smoke in water, violet struggling against a darker shade. It wasn't a lie, but not truth either.
The priest's brows drew in. He looked at the orb, then at me. "The divine artifact detects… you are not telling the full truth."
"It is true that I hold hostility toward one person here" I said quickly, cutting the pause short. My fingers tightened on the orb. "But I will not bring harm to this city, its people, or its temples, nor will I seek conflict unless there is absolutely no other choice."
The orb vibrated against my palm as the darkness faded, violet light returning in a steady glow.
His shoulders eased as he let out a quiet breath. "I understand. Your answers are satisfactory. You may enter the city."
Relief spread through my chest. I set the orb back where it had been and let the link snap. My fingers tingled where it had held them.
I stood.
All right. Time to move, find out what I can about Ennari, get out, then back to Eresh.
The door opened.
Another priest entered, older, robe edged with gold thread. He pressed finger to brow, drew it down in the sign of Shamash, and said "The High Chosen requests an audience with her."
Priest Neren frowned. "I have granted her entry. It would not be fair to delay her further. The High Chosen will understand."
The elder priest nodded once, neither yielding nor insisting. "I understand. Then it is the lady's choice whether to accept the meeting."
Hearing High Chosen made my expression harden. Meeting a Chosen without knowing their blessing was rarely wise.
"I'm sor…" I began.
"She'll accept" a voice cut in from the side.
Male, smooth, familiar the way a scar is familiar.
"Because one should always take the chance to see family. Don't you think, cousin?"
I turned. My hand went reflexively to where the spear crossed my back.
"Ishtal."