By the time Kaelen reached Greyhook, his boots were soaked in mud and his nerves were stretched thin.
The outpost town wasn't much — just a scattering of buildings half-swallowed by the hills and anchored by one rusted Veilstorm siren that hadn't worked in years. People came here to disappear, and the only rule that stuck was "don't ask."
Kaelen liked that.
He slipped past the outer watch without trouble — his hood low, blade sheathed, eyes on the ground. The gatekeeper didn't even glance up from his smoke-stick.
The town smelled like old metal, wet ash, and burnt stew. Safe, in the loosest possible sense.
He made his way to the place everyone called The Hook, though the sign outside had long since rotted away. Part tavern, part flop-house, part rumor mill. He pushed through the door and was hit by warmth and noise — mismatched voices, a fire pit, boots clunking against warped floorboards.
And above it all, a girl's voice cut through the noise.
"If you bleed on my table again, I swear I'll start charging extra."
Kaelen froze.
He turned.
And there she was.
Yreya.
Three years older, taller, sharper around the eyes. Hair cropped close now, no longer tied back with bits of ribbon and bone like when they were kids. She wore a healer's apron, stained and scorched, and held a steaming bowl in one hand like a weapon.
She blinked. Recognition hit her face like a slap.
Then she sighed.
"Of course it's you."
Kaelen managed a crooked smile. "Miss me?"
She walked up and punched him in the shoulder.
Hard.
They sat in the back, near the fire.
Kaelen didn't say anything at first. Just stared into the flames while Yreya worked her jaw like she was biting back twenty questions.
"You look like hell," she finally said.
"Been worse," he replied.
She eyed the faint glow pulsing beneath his shirt. "You still carrying that thing?"
He nodded.
Yreya leaned back. "You always were bad at letting go."
Silence stretched between them — not awkward, just long. They didn't need to say everything yet. Not tonight.
But eventually, Kaelen spoke.
"There's another one," he said quietly.
Yreya didn't flinch. Didn't blink. "Shard?"
He nodded.
"I saw something, Re. A thing made of ash and light. It gave me a choice. I think… I think whatever we survived back then didn't end. I think it's starting again."
Yreya took a long breath. Her eyes didn't leave his.
"Then we better find the others."