My guards didn't waste words as we walked. Silas led the way, Severus lurked somewhere behind.

  We climbed a claustrophobic staircase where narrow windows on each landing offered only glimpses of the world outside—a strip of darkening sky, the distant glow of the city. The air grew colder with each step.

  My legs grew more sluggish with each step.

  At the next floor, a tall wooden door barred our path. A Temple Sentinel stood before it, sword resting across the threshold. Heavy plate armor covered him from head to toe. Well crafted, dedication and attention to detail clearly visible.

  *But it's nothing in comparison to Sacred Armor.*

  *Holy Knight's armor smelled both like hot furnace and wind after storm.*

  *Its metal plates seemed flexible like fabric from the distance.*

  *Up close I saw insanely complex, small parts moving in precision.*

  *Odd. Deadly. Beautiful.*

  Silas showed his seal without a word. The Sentinel checked it, then turned to me. "Saint Leonard, please show your seal."

  I extended my wrist, reluctant. The moment our seals touched, darkness swallowed my vision. The world tilted. My consciousness seemed to pull in two directions at once—

  Then it released and I blinked multiple times.

  The Sentinel stepped aside. The door swung open.

  Cold air struck my face, driving back the Temple's stale warmth. I stepped through onto the wall.

  The Temple's battlements stretched in a long, gentle arc before me, curving until they disappeared behind taller structures within the complex. Those buildings glowed with warm lamplight spilling from their windows—soft against the deepening evening. Guard towers punctuated the wall at intervals, their interiors lost to shadow despite the torches burning within. On the inner side below, I couldn't make out the training yard—only blackness and the sense of vast distance.

  The walkway itself was uneven stone, worn smooth in places, treacherous in others. Wide enough for three or four guards to stand abreast.

  Torches lined the wall at regular intervals, but their flames were hooded, casting light downward into the inner courtyard while leaving the battlements cloaked in shadow. Between them, matte black orbs sat atop tall poles. Watching.

  "What are those?" I asked Silas, pointing at the orbs.

  "Detection magic," he said quietly. "Part of the Temple's security."

  *Their magical alarm system, huh.*

  I moved to the outer edge and looked down.

  Below, the Temple district spread out in the fading light. Stalls, booths, and kiosks lined the narrow streets—mostly deserted now. A few shopkeepers swept floors or pulled shutters closed, gathering their goods inside before nightfall. I half expected to smell the stench of a medieval town. But the air was surprisingly clean and fresh.

  A rhythmic clank echoed from a small building whose sign I couldn't read—the brightness from its windows blurred the letters against the gathering dusk. A blacksmith, working late. The buildings flanking it were already shuttered, their windows dark.

  Beyond the district, the city sprawled toward the outer wall, where farmlands stretched until the dark line of the forest cut across the sky. Odd structures, like scaffolding covered part of the farmlands, a black grid above the plants.

  *Somewhere out there, beyond the horizon, is the Royal Palace with Ariadne and her suitors.*

  *I'd been there this morning, feels like weeks ago.*

  The day's events pressed against my thoughts.

  *A razor at my throat. A traitor in the Temple. A princess in a garden. Tomorrow, training begins—the Crucible that might cripple me or make me strong enough to survive this world.*

  Not a big deal, one could say.

  But not me. I wouldn't say that.

  "You were awfully quiet today, Althea." My voice disappeared into the cold air.

  She didn't reply. The silence stretched, stubborn and willful. It rubbed me the wrong way. I clenched my jaw, then forced myself to release the tension.

  "It's not like you, to be honest."

  Still nothing. An emptiness inside me where her voice should be.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  "Are you there, Althea?"

  Her soothing voice finally chimed in my mind, melodic against the silence.

  "I'm always with you, Leonard."

  *Yes,* I thought bitterly.

  *Always.*

  I looked toward the nearest guard tower. Silhouettes moved behind the narrow windows, backlit by firelight. Watching. Always watching.

  "Althea," I said into the darkness.

  "Yes, Leonard?"

  "Did you notice anything strange about the seal? When I touched the Sentinel's?"

  "Everything seems fine to me, Leonard."

  *Seems fine to her. But not to me.*

  I shifted my focus to my wrist, where the seal pulsed gently with warmth. A feeling I got so used to, I didn't register it. I brushed my fingers against the mark, on the rough structure of the skin.

  "You tried to peek into the spirit world."

  I froze, not like the wind blowing on my face, not like the thoughts racing in my mind.

  *Me?*

  *Peeking?*

  *To spirit world?*

  *Hell no!*

  My voice was shaky when I asked, "I didn't try anything, what do you mean, Althea?"

  "You focused on their seal, and I tried to guide you to Pandora's Domain."

  I rested my arms on the stone rim of the wall, but my fists clenched on their own.

  "Excuse me?"

  Attempts to release the jaw were in vain.

  "Your focus frayed, I'm sorry, but you're not ready, Leonard."

  *She tried to guide me to that void with a net of glaring eyes?*

  *Damn right I'm not ready.*

  "You need more practice." She finished, now with her usual cuddling voice, as if unaware of my unease.

  "That brightness above and darkness below, with a net of glaring eyes?" Sudden shivers had nothing to do with the cold outside.

  "That's how your brain visualize it, Leonard? Yes, that's the spirit world."

  "Althea, next time, don't guide me there, I don't want to go there."

  "But Leonard," her voice was never more pleasant to hear, "with your will and my power, we can achieve great things together," she tempted.

  "I said no." My reply was instant. "I need your help in real world, not spirit world."

  "Understood," she obediently replied.

  But then her voice sneaked in once more, cuddling, "but give it a second thought, Leonard."

  I sank deep into my robe, raising the shoulders, letting the silence submerge me, staying like that for a few moments. Wind tried to sneak in. To place a cold hand on my chest. I moved toward the guard tower.

  A beam of light at my face surprised me.

  "Who's coming?" Nervous question disturbed the silence.

  "Easy. Saint Leonard," I replied instantly, wondering what sort of sorcery blinded me like a flashlight. "But now just Leonard looking for some company before the night."

  "Identify yourself! We're on high alert, I need proof!" Guard raised his uneven voice.

  "That won't be necessary," Silas stepped in. His body covered mine as he faced the guards. "He says the truth."

  Light turned off. "Sir Silas, it's you. I'm sorry, Saint, we-"

  "No worries," I interrupted, standing beside Silas to see the guards better. "I said I'm Leonard now, how's the duty going?"

  "It's... tense, Saint Leonard," nervous chuckle.

  "Just Leonard," I insisted.

  "Y-Yes, forgive this humble servant of Pandora." The guard said, others stayed silent, stealing glances, but focusing on the perimeter.

  "I swear, if I hear humble servant of Pandora one more time, I'm gonna snap!" I grinned, landing a hand on the guard's shoulder with a quiet thud. Just like Pylades' friend when he tried to comfort him. "Others should keep watch, I don't mind." I looked past him for a moment. "What's your name?"

  "Aurelius, Sa-," grunt, "Leonard." I shook his shoulder, "Good to meet you, I'll sleep better knowing you guys are up here." I released him after a final pat on the arm.

  "Thank you, but it's our duty," he said humbly.

  I locked my eyes with his. "And it's important, take pride in that." Words left me without a second thought.

  Cold started to penetrate my robe and reach my skin. "Well, it's colder here than I thought, but I see you have something to keep yourselves warm?" I glanced at a glowing red ring in the center of the guard tower. Looked like an electric heater. "Yes, this artifact blesses us with Pandora's warmth."

  *Pandora again.*

  "I see. Good night then, I'm going back to my cell," I said.

  "Cell?"

  *Damn. I let my guard down and the word slipped.*

  "I meant, to my room," I corrected quickly.

  I turned around before they could respond, raising my hand in a farewell.

  "Good night," multiple voices reached me from the guard tower, and Silas followed me.

  When we entered my cell, I quickly jumped in under the cold blanket on my bed, trying to keep the warmth from the bath.

  Silas declined my request for the strawberry-like tea to help me sleep. "We can't risk interference with the potions, High Priestess's words," Silas said, apologetic.

  *Evadne, a gifted healer. She stabilized me after my summoning and healed me after the attack on the Temple.*

  *I hope she'll remain helpful during Crucible.*

  *Now that I think about this, I should have asked her. Make sure she was committed. Instead I let us part ways conflicted. Damn.*

  *I guess I'll find out tomorrow, and today's the nightmares night. How strange, part of me is looking forward to them. Maybe I'll remember something new about my past?*

  My absent eyes landed on the larger than usual bowl in front of me. Smelled like nothing in particular, as before. Silas caught my gaze and said, "you'll need energy tomorrow."

  Then he left after a quick bow. He closed the door quietly behind him. I was alone.

  Well, almost, because I was never truly alone. Wooden bowl and spoon landed in my hands. Round shaped, with texture that was pleasant to the touch. Glue jiggled, a bit like a jelly.

  *My 'favorite' food*

  Surprisingly, I craved it. Meal with Pythia didn't satisfy my hunger.

  *Victoria would give me an earful for eating in the bed... but...*

  I swallowed audibly.

  *...she's not here.*

  I took a spoon and shoved white pulp into my mouth. It was thick, bland, and cold—the taste of my own weakness. But I intended to change that.

  *Before I go to sleep and meet my horrors, there's one more thing I need to clear with Althea.*

  "Althea, about you grabbing my hand..." I gave her an opening, leaving the sentence unfinished, curious what she'll reply.

  "It was for your own good Leonard, to protect you." I shoved another spoon, the glue sliding down my throat, and said leaning over the bowl, pointing and waving the spoon into the air.

  "Yes, you already said that. I want to know how much you can do?"

  "Unfortunately I can't do much." I straightened suddenly, swallowed and my face tensed.

  "You can't do much? Althea. You moved my hand and grabbed the razor."

  "I could do more, but I need more practice, Leonard."

  My hand froze half-way to my mouth.

  *Huh?*

  I placed the spoon back into the bowl with a quiet splash, leaning back a little and looking around in disbelief. Or rather, I dropped the spoon, considering part of the rice glue landed on the table.

  "I will protect you to the best of my abilities," she said, as if to reassure me. "The seal is limiting me and it's very difficult to possess your body, it's a complex and delicate matter."

  I stared at the bowl of glue.

  *My fuel. For the next three months of the Crucible, where I'll practice my body.*

  *But I may not be the only one.*