Gray stood in the street, his eyes fixed on Aurelle's back as the boy walked away. The evening crowd was beginning to thin, but Aurelle's figure stood out in sharp relief, his sapphire eyes having met Gray's only moments ago before turning away. His steps were slow, deliberate, like he knew exactly where he was headed—or maybe like he had no destination at all. Gray couldn't tell.
'Where is he going? What is he doing?' The questions circled his mind as he lingered there, half-tempted to follow. Aurelle had always been like this. Quiet. Detached. There was something about him that never quite fit in with the rest of them. He spoke rarely, but when he did, his words cut with a strange clarity. His strength was undeniable too. Gray had seen it firsthand. Aurelle didn't struggle the way the others did. His control over his Affinity was sharp, refined. Too refined for someone who claimed to be nothing more than another wanderer dragged into Nyxterra's chaos.
"Gray!" Adel's voice snapped him from his thoughts. She was already a few steps ahead, hands on her hips, eyebrows raised. "You planning on growing roots in the cobblestone? Hurry up."
He blinked, then started walking again, slipping into step with the group. But the thought stayed with him, heavy in his chest. 'Aurelle's not as simple as he looks. I'd be a fool if i didn't spot that. Just like Lira… neither of them are ordinary. And I'd be a fool not to notice it.'
The group moved along the dimly lit street, lamps flickering to life in their iron casings, throwing halos of amber light across the cobbles. Their footsteps echoed lightly, weaving in and out of the city's steady hum.
After a while, Adel broke the silence again, this time turning toward Renn with narrowed eyes. "So, Renn. Back there in that disaster of a shop...you said something about Fatum Manuscripts. What in the world are those?"
Renn's face lit up as if she had just handed him a wrapped present. His hands began to gesture before the words even left his mouth. "You don't know? Adel, you don't know? Alright, listen, because this—this is something worth knowing."
Gray smirked faintly at Renn's excitement, but he kept quiet, letting the boy ramble.
"A long time ago," Renn began, "there were three friends. Not just ordinary friends. They were… visionaries, I guess you could say. People who couldn't stop chasing the unknown. And what they loved more than anything were secrets. Not just petty ones, but the big ones. Things no one else could figure out. They spent their days searching, decrypting, unraveling the world. But there was one secret they could never crack. The greatest mystery of all: the heavens."
The word hung in the air like smoke. Gray tilted his head slightly.
'Heaven...I've heard of it before—I always thought it was propaganda or something.'
Renn continued, his voice rising with each word. "Heaven's mentioned all over ancient texts from Nyxterra and even ancient Earth! Some say it's the dimension where gods dwell. Some say it's where the Origins transcended to after their work here. Others think it doesn't exist at all—that it was made up as a metaphor. But these three didn't care what anyone else said. They decided they'd make solving it, the secret of heaven, their ultimate goal in life. Solve every mystery, document every discovery, and uncover the truth of it all."
Adel rolled her eyes. "Sounds like they had too much time on their hands."
"Quiet, I'm not done," Renn shot back, but his grin remained. He took a deep breath, then lowered his voice, almost reverently. "One of the three was called Oculus. The Recorder. He was the one who actually wrote things down. And his work, the Fatum Manuscripts. Also called the Aevum Manuscripts and Oculus's Diary, depending on who you ask, is the most comprehensive record of exploration and discovery ever made."
Gray's interest stirred despite himself. "What's in it?"
Renn's eyes widened as if the question itself was an insult. "What's in it? Everything. Maps of Nyxterra. Explanations of monsters no one else had the courage to face. Everything about Vyre, Affinities, even the meaning of existence itself. But most importantly, it holds the history and timeline of Nyxterra istelf! If it was found it could reveal the reason it appeared on Earty a hundred years go. The biggest mystery for humans. If there's anything else you want to know, it's in those manuscripts. Undoubtedly."
He paused dramatically, then added, "There are twelve volumes in total. But only the first three can be read without authorization. The rest… are locked away."
Gray frowned. "Authorization? Why?"
"Because the books aren't just ordinary words on paper. They're… dangerous." Renn's tone dropped, almost whispering. "Fatum means fate. Aevum means age, or eternity. The brothers didn't pick those words for no reason. The information in the books can twist you if you're not ready. People say knowledge from them killed some, drove others insane. That's why access is restricted. Too much truth at once can burn a man from the inside out."
Adel's brow furrowed. "Then why keep them at all? If they're that dangerous, why not destroy them?"
"Because knowledge, even dangerous knowledge, is worth more than gold." Renn gave a pointed look. "And besides, how do you destroy something that may be the closest thing we have to understanding the heavens?"
Korr scratched his head, his deep voice rumbling. "If they're so special, why was a copy just sitting in some run-down shop?"
Renn shrugged. "Because copies exist. Oculus's originals are most likely gone. Lost, hidden, who knows. But scribes and scholars tried to replicate parts of them. Most are fakes, but some hold fragments of truth. Even a single page from the real thing could change someone's life."
Gray stayed silent, his mind racing. 'Knowledge that kills…' He thought back to the corruption spreading in his chest, the mark no one could explain. If there was knowledge hidden in those manuscripts, could it hold an answer? Or would it simply destroy him faster?
Their footsteps carried them back toward the building they now called home. The air smelled faintly of smoke from cooking fires, mixed with the damp stone of the city. As they approached the entrance, Gray spotted the blacksmith's hammer sign and the messy alchemy shop behind them, both dim under the settling night.
Inside, the reception hall was quiet. The woman who had greeted them yesterday sat at her desk, her robe loose, legs propped casually on the surface. A newspaper was spread across her lap, and she seemed to be more invested in the print than in the group trudging through the doors.
They moved silently toward the stairs, but before they reached the first step, her voice rang out, sharp despite her relaxed posture.
"Tomorrow, you'll be transported to your next sanctuary."
Gray stopped mid-step. The word hit him like a blow. Sanctuary. Again.
His jaw clenched as bitterness coiled in his chest. Another sanctuary. Another cage. He had hoped… maybe this time, things would be different. Maybe this place was free. But no. It was just another stop on a journey someone else controlled.
He forced his feet to move, climbing the stairs with a sour expression carved onto his face. The group dispersed toward their rooms, chatter dulled by exhaustion.
Gray paused outside Lira's door. The wood was plain, unmarked, but behind it… her secret weighed on him now heavier than ever. Cael. One of the great royal families. Her skill. Her silence. It all made sense now. His hand hovered near the handle, heart beating quick, torn between exposing the truth and keeping quiet.
But in the end, he lowered his hand. Not tonight.
He walked back to his own room, closed the door softly behind him, and crossed to the balcony.
The city stretched below, lanterns glowing faintly in the streets, people still walking, talking, living freely. Even after dawn had ended, they strolled without fear. Gray let out a chuckle, low and dry, as he remembered the shrill, relentless curfew horns of Aurelia. The sound had haunted his childhood, hammered into his skull until he'd almost forgotten what nights without it felt like.
Far beyond the rooftops, the second wall loomed high, its dark bulk rising like a cliff face. Gray's eyes lingered on it. What lay beyond? Another city? More secrets?
But higher still, something else caught his gaze. The moon.
It was enormous tonight, larger than he'd ever seen it, a pale blue disk that swallowed the sky. Stars glittered faintly around it, but none could compete with its glow. It cast silver light across the city, across his skin, filling the night with an otherworldly calm.
Gray gripped the railing, heart steadying as he stared at it. The moon seemed alive, pulsing faintly with promise. Hope and Determination grew in his heart.
Whatever lay beyond the wall, beyond this city, beyond this cursed continent… he would face it.