The chamber was a blur after Narsh gasped back to life.
Priests shouting. Guards rushing. Malrik's furious voice cutting through it all.
And then—silence.
When I opened my eyes again, we were no longer in the grand trial hall. Narsh lay sprawled on a narrow cot, her throat swathed in clean white bandages, her breathing shallow but steady.
I sat beside her, hands still trembling.
---
The door creaked open. Malrik stepped inside, his face pale, his priest's robes dusted with the aftermath of chaos.
"You two…" His voice shook with restrained anger. "Do you have any idea the storm you just caused?"
Narsh, barely awake, cracked open an eye.
"…Storm? Hah. More like I just saved your holy butts from endless debating."
"Saved?" Malrik snapped. "You nearly killed yourself! In front of the Council!"
Narsh smirked weakly.
"Yeah, and it worked. Didn't it?"
Malrik pinched the bridge of his nose.
"…Goddess help me, why was I chosen to shepherd you two?"
---
I finally found my voice.
"What… what did they decide?"
Malrik's gaze softened, though his shoulders still carried the weight of the hall.
"The priests are divided," he admitted. "Some call you blessed, others cursed. But all of them agree on one thing: you are dangerous."
My stomach twisted.
"…So what happens now?"
He sighed.
"They will not cage you. But they will watch you. And the Council demands you accompany me on pilgrimage—to prove whether your power serves the light… or leads to ruin."
---
Silence stretched in the small room.
Then Narsh wheezed out a laugh, holding her bandaged neck.
"See, Ark? Told you stabbing myself was worth it. Now you've got an official quest. Sounds like some RPG nonsense."
I gawked at her.
"You—You died! You literally died!"
"And then you fixed it," she shot back, flashing her crooked grin. "Teamwork!"
Malrik groaned and muttered a prayer under his breath.
---
But when Narsh finally drifted into sleep, her hand still resting lightly against mine, I realized something.
The priests weren't wrong. My power was dangerous.
And Narsh had just proven it in the most reckless way possible.
I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or scream.
But one thing was certain—our journey wasn't over.
It had only just begun.