(Ereshgal POV)
When I came back, the house was dark.
Kisaya was still awake, sitting at the table, elbows on the wood, fingers laced together. She hadn't even tried to sleep. The tension in her posture made it obvious. The moment I opened the door, she looked at me.
I'd been gone long enough that she deserved an explanation. And judging by her expression, I wasn't getting out of this with a joke.
Even so, the first thing that wanted to come out of my mouth was a joke.
"Sorry for taking so long" I said, half serious, half smiling.
"It's not funny, Eresh" she snapped immediately, crossing her arms with more force than necessary. "You have to tell me what's going on. I know something isn't right."
I sat down across from her. She clearly wanted answers, and I was still trying to hold everything together.
"Yes… something isn't right" I admitted. "But I can't tell you while we're being watched." I shook my head.
Ishtal couldn't find out about Ari and Darim. If he did, they'd be in danger. I couldn't let that happen.
Kisaya stared at me, silent. Her jaw clenched, then loosened. Silence settled between us for a while.
"I could try something…" she muttered. There was doubt in her eyes.
"If we can make sure no one is spying on us, then you'll tell me, right?" she asked, looking back at me.
I nodded. "Of course. But how are we going to do that?"
Kisaya stood up.
"There's a way to use spiritual energy that only Ascendants can access" she said. "It can detect people or any movement of spiritual energy, among other things."
"Ascendants?" I repeated.
"They're the chosen who have deepened their divine pact twice" she explained. "Awakened, then Consecrated, and after that, Ascendant."
Right, those who formed a pact with a god were called Awakened. So those were the next ones. Still, at the very least, she'd advanced her pact two times in these five years.
"I know the theory. I've seen it before… but I've never tried it myself." Her expression turned serious, and despite her doubts, there was a clear determination in her eyes.
"But there's a first time for everything" she added, and then she smiled. She closed her eyes and brought her palms together, leaving a narrow gap between them.
A faint violet light appeared in that space, her spiritual energy. Then it grew brighter, thicker, condensing. She concentrated more and more power into a single point.
I could feel it from where I sat. The air around us hummed softly.
Kisaya frowned deeply; a drop of sweat slid down her forehead, tracing a line along her temple. Her breathing grew slightly heavier. It was clearly difficult for her.
The violet spiritual energy between her hands grew denser.
She opened her eyes and pressed her palms together slowly, as if she were forcing the energy to compress instead of letting it burst free. She held it like that for a while.
Then, suddenly, she parted her hands.
The compressed point of spiritual energy expanded all at once.
It spread outward, passing through her, through me, through the walls, and into the streets beyond. It swept across my skin like a cold breeze without temperature. I glanced toward the window and saw a faint violet sheen outside, stopping two or three meters past the house.
It was as if the world had been dipped in that color, but unlike Shamash's light in the corridor, this energy wasn't trying to enter my body. It simply existed, like a second layer of reality.
"This is a spiritual zone" Kisaya said, voice strained. "It detects anything inside it—people, spiritual energy, runes."
She paused for a few seconds, catching her breath. Sweat formed along her brow and slid down her neck. Clearly, maintaining it wasn't easy.
"Right now" she continued, "no one's watching us. Trust me."
Impressive. So spiritual energy could be used like this too.
But.. most likely, whoever had been watching us pulled back the moment they saw the violet wave expanding.
"Hurry" Kisaya added. "It costs a lot of spiritual energy to maintain."
I nodded. I'd keep it simple so I wouldn't waste time.
"I'm getting flashes of Akhem's memories and emotions, the man I killed when I had no control" I said.
Kisaya stared at me. Beyond the fatigue in her face and the sweat still forming, it was clear she didn't believe me.
I told her everything from the start.
How I'd run into a woman at the market and somehow knew her name without ever meeting her. How I'd felt things for her and her child—people I had never known. And how that woman turned out to be Akhem's wife.
"Honestly, I thought I was losing my mind" I admitted. "But… today I went to find them. I had no idea where they lived, but I found them instantly thanks to a voice in my head, Akhem's voice."
The words sounded absurd, even to me. But at the same time, they felt like the only explanation.
Her expression turned even more serious. The zone around us hummed faintly.
"It would be impossible… unless it was really him." I paused, then forced myself to say it out loud:
"I think he's inside me."
Kisaya didn't answer.
The spiritual zone vanished at once, its faint violet glow blinking out. Kisaya gasped, shoulders sagging. She bent forward, bracing a hand on the table, and started breathing heavily.
"Did this happen… with anyone else?" she asked between breaths.
"I don't think so" I said, shaking my head. I grabbed a linen cloth and handed it to her so she could wipe the sweat from her face. She took it with a small nod and drew in a long breath.
"I can't create the zone again until my spiritual energy recovers" she said. "We'll continue tomorrow."
(Ennari POV)
What a beautiful day to take a nap in the sun.
I know, stupid thought. But it was warm, and for a second, I could pretend this temple wasn't a prison with prettier walls. I was lying on the stone, staring at the sky. Too hard, too cold, but the light felt good on my face. I stretched anyway, bones popping, and grabbed the apple I had 'borrowed.'
I took a bite.
Sour. My whole mouth clenched.
I spat it out. "Gross."
"You shouldn't spit out food, Ennari."
Tsk.
Of course. He had to show up.
I turned my head slightly. There he was, my older brother, Ishtal. Always looking like his life is perfectly under control.
Annoying.
"Where did you get that apple?" he asked, in that soft, patient voice that made me want to punch him.
I stared at him for a second, then looked away, not in the mood.
"One of your errand boys was carrying a basket somewhere. I just took one" I said.
If he wanted a proper explanation, he was living in the wrong world.
"If you want it, you can have it back" I added, tossing him the apple without warning.
He caught it easily.
"Well, it doesn't matter" he said. Of course it didn't. "But shouldn't you be training your Divine Trace?"
There it was. I rolled my eyes, knowing he could see it.
"I'm not interested" I answered flatly. "If that's all, leave."
I turned the other way and closed my eyes. Thanks to him, any trace of sleep was gone. Hopefully he'd go soon and leave me alone.
After a while, the silence started to feel… suspicious. No lecture or sigh, not even a you'll regret this later, Ennari.
I opened one eye and glanced back at the sky, then shifted my gaze. I frowned. "Why are you still here?"
Ishtal was still beside me, sitting there like he had all the time in the world. Smiling.
Always smiling.
"I want you to meet someone tomorrow" he said.
I propped myself up on my elbows and raised an eyebrow.
"Want to bet I won't go?" I smirked.
He wants me to meet someone just because he says so? Who does he think he is?
…Okay, technically he's the High Chosen of Shamash in this city or whatever grand title he's using now, but still.
"Don't say that. You'll like this person. Trust me" he insisted.
Trust him. Right. Because that's gone so well in my life.
But he really wanted it. I could see it in his face, in the way his eyes sharpened just a little. This was one of his plans.
Interesting.
If he wants something that badly… maybe I can get something out of it.
"Fine, I'll meet that person. But in exchange, I want to go outside the walls" I said, smiling.
There. Let's see him refuse that like always. For some reason, he never wants me to leave the city. The great city of Sippar—so pure, so just, so suffocating.
"If you still want to leave after meeting him, I'll give you permission" he said.
I stared at him.
What?
Did he really just say that?
"But you have to promise" he added.
And there it was. The knife hidden in the smile.
I shot up immediately.
"Never. I'm not promising anything. Ever." The words came out before I could stop them.
How can he even ask me that? I glared at him, heat rushing to my face.
"Did you already forget your sister's edict?" I hissed.
I hate promises. More than anything.
Everyone loves to throw them around like they're sweets at a festival. I promise I'll come back. I promise it'll be alright. I promise I won't leave you.
Lies.
All of them.
Even the people you love break them.
They're useless.
And the sadistic goddess I made a pact with thought it'd be hilarious to give me an edict that matches it perfectly:
You must keep any promise you make.
That's it. No room for excuses or for an 'I tried, sorry'. If I say I promise, then I move the world or die trying. There's no in-between.
So I won't do it.
I won't make a single promise. I'll stay a mere Awakened forever if I have to. Everyone else can play their little game of progress. I'll stay at the bottom before I chain myself with my own words.
"I haven't forgotten. But you need to understand your edict if you want to advance. If there's never a real situation where you follow it, you'll get stuck" he said, still smiling.
I didn't care. Simple promises would've been easy, 'I promise I'll punch you' but that sadistic goddess wasn't satisfied with those.
Punching him actually sounded great right now.
Leaving this damned city sounded even better. If meeting some random person is what buys me a chance to step outside, then fine. I'll do it.
But I won't promise.
"I'll go. But I'm not promising anything" I said coldly.
Ishtal sighed.
"Alright. But go. Tomorrow afternoon, Nadira will go with you."
I made a face of disgust before I could stop myself.
Nadira. Great, that obedient lapdog is coming with me?
She's not a person. Never questions anything, always 'as you command, my lord'.
I nodded anyway. "Fine. Now go away. I'm not training. I'm not in the mood."
"Haha, very well. Rest, my dear sister. Tomorrow will be a busy day."
Dear sister again?
Tsk. Who does this bastard think he is?
The next day, I walked to the meeting place with Nadira following quietly a step behind. I walked in front on purpose. She could stay back there and enjoy the view of the back of my head.
I refused to talk to her. She never did anything without permission. As if the only thought in her head was to obey.
People like that… I hate them.
It annoyed me to come here at all, but at least we passed through the market. I bought some things I like along the way. Sweets, snacks.
Hopefully we finish quickly so I can try them.
"We've arrived, miss" Nadira said beside me, bowing her head. Her brows were furrowed.
Why that expression?
Does she dislike whoever is here?
"What's your problem?" I asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.
"Nothing, miss. I'll wait outside if you need anything" she answered without lifting her head.
Of course. Nothing, always nothing.
I clicked my tongue and looked at the door.
My hand lingered on the handle.
Why am I nervous? It's just some person Ishtal wants me to meet. Some important idiot, probably.
I sighed.
Just go in, greet them, and leave.
That's it.
I put a hand to my chest, inhaled deeply, then knocked. A few seconds later, the door opened—and the person I saw shocked me.
"Big sister Kisaya?" I blurted out. "What are you doing here?"
My eyes dropped before I could stop them. What was she doing here? She'd barely spoken to me these past years. Even when I tried to reach out.
Was she the one I was supposed to see?
Instead of answering, she laughed and opened the door wider.
Kisaya laughed? My head snapped up as I stared at her. This had to be a dream. How long had it been since I'd seen her smile at all?
Someone else was sitting at the table inside.
He stood up.
"Not going to attack me like always? Or are you finally too grown up for that?" he said, half laughing.
Huh?
My brain stopped working for a second.
That voice.
My eyes widened as far as they could.
My heart stopped.
No.
No. It couldn't be real.
It wasn't him. It couldn't be him.
He stepped closer, close enough for me to see his eyes.
Those eyes.
Golden. Just like I remembered.
He promised he'd come back.
He never did.
"Forgot how to speak in five years?" he teased.
Tears spilled from my eyes before I even realized it. Hot, relentless, carving down my cheeks.
I couldn't stop crying. My body wouldn't listen; everything just broke open at once.
The room blurred. His face blurred. My chest hurt so much I thought it would split open.
Warm, familiar arms wrapped around me.
"Sorry for the delay" he said.