CHAPTER TWO: UNCERTAIN FOOTSTEPS
The city of Valmere never truly slept. Even at this late hour, lanterns flickered in windows, voices carried through winding alleyways, and the scent of fresh bread from a midnight bakery drifted through the crisp night air.
Lirien, Alekai, and Ren walked in silence, keeping to the quieter streets. After escaping the graveyard, they had taken the long way back to avoid any lingering guards.
Ren still hadn't spoken much.
Lirien watched him from the corner of her eye. His movements were careful, almost deliberate, as if he was testing every step. Every breath.
He looked alive. He even felt alive. But something about him was… too perfect.
"So," Alekai said at last, breaking the quiet. "That went well."
Lirien gave him a sharp look. "We were nearly arrested."
"But we weren't," he pointed out with an easy shrug. "That's what matters."
Ren sighed. "I would like to formally request that, in the future, you bring an actual shovel if you plan to dig up a grave."
"Noted," Alekai said cheerfully.
Lirien ignored them both and focused on Ren. "Are you feeling… alright?"
Ren hesitated, flexing his fingers like he wasn't entirely sure they belonged to him. "I don't know."
"You're breathing, which is a good sign," Alekai offered.
Ren placed a hand over his chest, frowning. "My heart's beating too evenly."
"That sounds like a good thing," Lirien said.
Ren shook his head. "No. I mean, it's not changing. Not slowing when I rest, not quickening when I walk faster. It's just… steady."
Alekai and Lirien exchanged a glance.
Lirien studied him more closely. His skin wasn't pale, his movements weren't sluggish. There was no visible sign that he had spent two weeks buried beneath the earth. But magic always came with a price.
Something was different about him.
"We need answers," she said firmly.
Ren sighed. "And I assume that means a library."
Alekai groaned dramatically. "Ugh, research."
Lirien crossed her arms. "Unless you have a better plan?"
Alekai considered, then sighed. "Fine. But if I fall asleep in a pile of books, it's on you."
Lirien shook her head, but she couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips.
THE LIBRARY AT MIDNIGHT
The Grand Archive of Valmere stood like a fortress of knowledge, its towering stone walls lit by soft blue lanterns. At this hour, only the night scholars and a few scattered students remained inside, their whispers barely disturbing the quiet air.
Lirien led the way, stepping lightly over polished floors as they entered.
Ren followed, his gaze sweeping over the endless shelves. "It's been a while since I was here."
"You've read half the books in this place," Alekai said. "And yet, I bet you still don't know the answer to what happened to you."
Ren didn't argue.
Lirien guided them toward the restricted section, where books on old magic were kept. "Stay quiet," she whispered. "The librarians here are very particular about their rules."
Alekai grinned. "Rules are just—"
"If you say 'suggestions,' I will personally throw you out," Lirien warned.
He raised his hands in surrender.
They slipped into the shadowed aisles, searching through leather-bound tomes. Ren ran his fingers over the spines of books, occasionally pulling one out, flipping through its pages, and setting it aside when it didn't contain what he was looking for.
After a while, he spoke. "I don't feel dead," he admitted. "But I don't feel… normal, either."
Lirien sat beside him, flipping through a book on necromantic rituals. "There's always a cost. Even if we don't see it yet."
Ren hesitated. "What if the cost isn't mine to pay?"
Lirien looked up, startled.
Alekai, who had been pretending to read a book upside down, glanced between them. "You're saying it might not be your magic keeping you alive?"
Ren exhaled slowly. "I don't know. But I need to find out before it's too late."
They fell into silence, the weight of the unknown pressing down on them.
Lirien just hoped they weren't already out of time.