Chapter 16 — When Silence Watches Back
The investigators did not leave immediately.
That alone was enough to poison the air inside the guild hall.
Steel boots scraped softly against stone. Robes whispered as clerics shifted their weight. Every movement felt deliberate, measured—as though the wrong sound might invite a blade where words had failed.
Alex stood still, hands at his sides, breathing slow.
Commander Talos broke the silence first.
"We've reviewed the rift records," he said, voice carrying cleanly through the hall. "Survivor statements match. Casualty numbers align."
A soldier beside him added, "No mana residue inconsistent with standard rift collapse."
Talos nodded once, then looked toward Eldrin Vael.
"And?"
Eldrin's pale eyes moved lazily from face to face.
"I probed for corruption," he said calmly. "For possession. For external divine interference."
Someone swallowed audibly.
"And?" Talos pressed.
Eldrin folded his hands behind his back. "Nothing conclusive."
A murmur spread.
Talos's expression darkened. "You're telling me a rift wipes out a full squad, spares two teenagers, and leaves no trace?"
"I'm telling you," Eldrin replied evenly, "that if something intervened, it was subtle. Or disciplined."
His gaze drifted—slowly—until it rested on Alex.
Alex felt it instantly. Not fear. Something colder.
"You," Eldrin said.
Alex raised his head.
"When the rift collapsed," Eldrin continued, "what did you feel?"
Alex answered without hesitation. "Relief."
Eldrin studied him. "Not pain? Not terror?"
"I was terrified before," Alex said. "After… I was just alive."
Silence followed.
Eldrin held his gaze for several seconds longer, then looked away.
"No contradictions," he said.
Talos exhaled sharply. "That's it?"
"For now," Eldrin replied.
Talos turned fully toward Alex, his voice dropping.
"Understand this," he said. "Survival without blessing is not admirable. It's suspicious."
Alex met his stare. "I didn't ask to survive."
Talos's lips twitched. "No. But the military may ask what you do with it."
He straightened.
"You are within mandatory enrollment age. Early recruitment into the military academy is an option."
Alex already knew what this was.
"An option," Talos repeated, eyes hard, "not a suggestion."
"I'll think about it," Alex said.
Talos smiled faintly. "You will."
Eldrin spoke one last time as they turned to leave.
"Some truths," he said mildly, "remain buried because the soul refuses to dig."
Alex didn't respond.
The doors closed behind them.
The hall exhaled.
The summons came barely an hour later.
"The Guild Master wants to see you," the clerk said, lowering his voice. "Both of you."
The office was quiet, warm with lamplight. The Guild Master didn't gesture for them to sit immediately. He watched them enter first—how close they stood, how their shoulders angled subtly toward one another.
Then he spoke.
"Sit."
They obeyed.
He leaned back, fingers steepled. "You've had an interesting day."
"Yes, sir," Liora said.
"That was a statement," he replied, a hint of dry humor in his voice. "Not a question."
Alex stayed silent.
"You gave the investigators the same account," the Guild Master continued. "Word for word."
"Yes," Alex said. "We wanted to be clear."
"Clear," the man echoed. "Or consistent?"
Liora met his eyes. "Both."
The Guild Master chuckled softly. "Good answer."
Then his expression sobered.
"But let me ask you something," he said, leaning forward. "When people come back from rifts, they usually talk too much. Fear makes mouths loose."
He tapped the desk once.
"You two didn't."
Alex chose his words carefully. "There wasn't much to say."
The Guild Master raised an eyebrow. "A massacre usually leaves plenty."
Liora spoke before Alex could. "We told them what we saw."
"And nothing more?"
"Yes."
The Guild Master held her gaze, then nodded slowly.
"I won't force it," he said. "If something happened in there that you're not ready to speak about… that's your choice."
Alex felt a faint easing in his chest.
"But," the man added, "choices have consequences."
He shifted his attention to Alex.
"Commander Talos is interested in you."
Alex didn't pretend surprise. "I noticed."
"That interest isn't flattering," the Guild Master said bluntly. "You're unblessed."
"I know," Alex replied.
"Then why volunteer for their attention?"
Alex hesitated, then answered honestly. "Because hiding won't work forever."
The Guild Master studied him for a long moment.
"True," he said quietly. "It never does."
He turned to Liora.
"And you," he said. "They'll want you regardless. Blessing or not."
Liora nodded. "I expected that."
"You want the academy?" he asked.
"Yes," she said without hesitation.
He leaned back again.
"You two have always worked well together," he said casually. "But lately…" He paused. "You move like you're sharing a thought before it's spoken."
Neither of them replied.
The Guild Master watched them carefully, then smiled faintly.
"Relax," he said. "I'm not accusing you of anything. Just observing."
He stood.
"Finish your service here," he continued. "After that, I'll forward recommendations. No guarantees."
"That's enough," Alex said.
The Guild Master paused at the door, then added without turning around:
"Be careful," he said. "Rifts don't just test strength. They test silence."
They left the office together.
The corridor felt longer than before.
"Did he believe us?" Liora asked quietly.
Alex answered after a moment. "He believed we believed what we said."
She frowned. "That doesn't sound reassuring."
"It isn't."
Deep within Alex, something stirred—slow, ancient, patient.
Not threatened.
Not exposed.
Watching the world circle closer…
And smile at the wrong conclusions.