He'd walked until he couldn't remember his own name.

Sorein saw himself halfway to Bentrii before coming to his senses, the world around him blurring to the sound of his pounding heart. He'd lost himself on some backroads, then shifted into his wolf farm to hide among the woods.

His primal instincts were far better at talking some sense into him.

With his thoughts becoming simple, manageable even, Sorein was able to hear the sound of silence and keep those whispering winds and the rustling wildlife in sight.

From morning until peak day, he stared out at the open fields, watching ordinary sheep and rare wisps alike until a bitter calm settled in his chest.

Nixian knew his mother was ill, he assumed to know why, and Sorein had no idea what he was going to do about it.

When the sun began to climb down from its watchful tower over the heated day, Sorein knew he'd have to make his way to Chiori and speak with not only Jeremy, but his father.

He made it to the Estate in time to watch Iliya chat with Noah at the gates, staring as they laughed together and parted ways.

Leave it to Noah to make her laugh, he grumbled to himself.

Sorein reassured himself that it might mean his friend was in a better mood, but he didn't expect the same warm response. He guessed Noah was going to the Infirmary and took his chance in following him once Iliya disappeared.

His father was another headache he couldn't bear.

He slipped down the halls like a ghost, passing a few Priestesses that eyed him wearily.

When he entered the small screening room, he found Noah standing in front of the large window, looking in at their friend. His brown eyes lifted in his reflection and noticed Sorein's presence. His smile was much sadder than the one he'd given Iliya.

Sorein hesitated entering, but found himself coming to stand beside Noah as they watched their resting friend.

"Iliya said he was supposed to be awake," Noah said, breaking the silence. "I feel lied to."

Sorein snorted, huffing a laugh.

He still didn't know how to word the way his gut felt or the guilt pooling up inside of him. It was left to build in his stomach as the conversation broke again. He knew Noah wasn't going to speak again, he'd already offered his bridge.

"How was the journey?" Sorein asked instead, biding time.

Noah shrugged. "You didn't tell her I was your Diplomat," he chuckled.

Sorein laughed fully at that, scratching the back of his neck. "Really? Did I truly never mention it?"

"Apparently not," Noah replied, turning to face him.

His attention was as bright and kind as ever.

"I know," Sorein said, looking back to Jeremy. "I shouldn't have left and–"

Noah nodded. "No, but I understand."

The silence knit between them again, weaving a tight blanket of tension around the room.

"I'll be more careful," Sorein promised.

"Please," Noah murmured, practically begging. "If you'd have told me, I could've filled in for you, maybe even gotten to her for you."

Different scenarios had been plaguing him for a while now, leading Sorein to nod. He knew. He'd seen hundreds of outcomes, some better and others worse.

He couldn't stomach a few of the nightmares his mind gifted him with.

"I understand, I'm sorry."

Noah nodded, cheering up slightly as Jeremy stirred from his bed. The Captain's wounds were finally beginning to mend and when he opened his eyes, he looked straight at them.

"That's our cue," he chimed, grinning from ear to ear as he walked into the room.

He was fairly certain Noah was only excited because he wanted to annoy Jeremy, perhaps pester him about when the Captain saw himself standing again. Their usual banter had been absent in the last week, but something he was blessed with was still possible.

Sorein shook his head and followed after, grateful for the ability to spend time with his friends.

~ 🔮 ~

They spent two hours visiting before the Caster's kicked them out, demanding that Jeremy rest instead. He was already beginning to fall asleep when Noah and him left.

Sorein found himself standing in the ballroom again, staring at the Aphyre, with his friend memorizing the paintings behind him.

A seam carved through the crystal where it had been mended, the deep crevasse filled with a glowing magic he assumed meant the fix was temporary.

Dread and suspicion lurked beneath his curiosity.

"Alright," Noah sighed, his fingers tracing the frame of a piece he'd fixated on. Mt. Agonii in the fall, it appeared. "I've got an errand to run."

Sorein's brow raised, turning back to stare at him.

"You? Have an errand to run here?"

"Yes, here," Noah teased, laughing. "Iliya asked me to find Qudja for her, so I thought I'd go snooping around the grounds."

He frowned, wondering why she didn't bother asking him. Sorein had already taken up so much of her time with Mirror Falls, he owed her. Still, he didn't know what he was supposed to say as his friend turned and headed for the door.

"Don't worry," Noah called over his shoulder, already chuckling at his words. He didn't even bother glancing back. "I'm sure she would've asked you, had you been around."

Sorein coughed, choking on Noah's implication. Before he could respond, the human was off running an errand for his friend.

He couldn't even understand why he cared so much about any of it, but the feeling nagged him enough that Sorein walked down the long hallway and up two separate flights of stairs, just to find out.

Maybe Noah was right, maybe she only asked because he was in front of her at the time.

But investigating this felt much safer than interrogating his father before dinner came. He'd done enough with himself today, a bit could wait for tomorrow.

He tried to convince himself of that anyway, knocking on Iliya's door.

A groan sounded on the other side, followed by an echoing thunk against her wooden floors. Fighting the smirk on his lips, Sorein knocked again. The groan that followed was both longer and more dramatic, followed by the sound of something scraping on the ground.

Despite his better judgment, he knocked one more time, laughing under his breath.

This time only silence followed.

"Are you alright?" Sorein called through the door.

"Rein?" her groggy voice answered.

For a moment, he thought her voice was raw, as if she'd been crying.

"Yes?" he asked, unable to help the concern dropping into his tone.

Iliya cleared her throat. "Come in."

Thinking he'd find her in the living quarters, Sorein was surprised to see the Princess kneeling in the dress he'd seen her wearing earlier with blankets tumbling around her.

His vision fixated on her bloodshot eyes and haunted stare, trailing down until he saw a book splayed in her lap. The fraying ends of her auburn hair tangled together in a bird's nest, reminding him of the strange Caster's he'd seen in Natansia.

Stress soaked the air around her.

Sorein frowned, unsure where his guilt ended and panic began. A pair they'd become, that's for sure.

"What's wrong?"

He shut the door behind him and strode up to the bed, looking at the journal expectantly.

Iliya tugged the book against her chest, lips parting and shutting again. Once, then twice. Her voice cracked before she finally met his gaze again.

"What do you know about Nioreir?"

He blinked. "You mean the wives tale?"

Iliya shook her head, staring down at her legs. Her hands trembled against the book.

Sorein knew he needed to take this more seriously then. He sat down on the edge of the bed, sighing.

"When I was younger, my mother told me stories about Nioreir," he answered softly. "She said there was an entire underground world beneath our own, yet above Heilos. Down there merged darker beings – the dynali and demonic – with those who were willing to tame them. Her story was always the same, describing a network of tunnels that could be used to reach any country. But Iliya, Nioreir is only a story they use to scare us into behaving."

A stray tear slipped down her cheek as Iliya dropped the book onto the bed, glaring down at it.

"Sorein," she whispered, her voice barely escaping. "Please..."

"What is it, Irie? What do you need?"

He was not expecting a dense determination to thicken in her green eyes.

Iliya took a deep breath, glancing toward her closet and then back at him. "I need... I need to see something. Will you come with me?"

"Are you going to tell me what this is all about?" he asked.

She nodded hesitantly. "Yes, but... Can I show you instead?"

He supposed it was better than arguing with his father. In fact, without knowing where Andrin was there was no point wandering around aimlessly. Sorein looked at the fear writhing beneath Iliya's skin and knew there was no other way to understand what plagued her.

"Okay... When?"

"Tonight, when the last bell chimes," she said. "Meet me in the ballroom."

Wondering if he might live to regret this, Sorein took Iliya's free hand and squeezed. He hoped to leave a semblance of peace with her as he left.

A strange sense of dread continuing to wreak havoc in his mind.