After finishing his meal, Kael remained seated on the edge of the bed, staring at nothing in particular. Augs’ words echoed quietly in his mind.

  Time is the most precious thing a human can have.

  His thoughts drifted unbidden back to Zaros. Kael exhaled slowly as a heaviness settled in his chest.

  He’s right, he thought. Too late, but right.

  His gaze shifted across the room and came to rest on Astra. She stood at the table, bent over a map spread among scattered plants and herbs. Her dark hair fell forward as she studied the map with unwavering focus. For a brief moment, something warm stirred in Kael’s chest. Her calm, resolute presence rivaled the quiet beauty of the flowers beside her.

  Then the moment passed.

  Using his staff, Kael pushed himself to his feet and crossed the room. Astra glanced up as she heard him approach. Their eyes met briefly before she returned to the map without a word. Her expression was unreadable, carefully composed.

  Kael leaned against the edge of the table and waited. He didn’t speak. He let the silence exist until her thoughts reached a natural pause. In the meantime, his eyes followed the markings on the parchment.

  The map depicted the Empire.

  It was vast—far larger than he had ever realized. Its borders stretched across thousands of miles. Regions and names layered atop one another like scars of conquest and time. At its heart lay Eta, the capital, where they now stood and where Kael had lived ever since he woke to this world.

  He had never cared much for the Empire itself. Borders, provinces, and rulers...none of that had ever mattered to him.

  But now, seeing it laid out before him, he had to admit one thing:

  Its size was undeniable.

  Escaping it would not be easy.

  Astra noticed the flicker of awe in his eyes and lifted a hand, pointing to the south, east, and west on the map.

  "That is thanks to the Chroniclers," she said. "They are the pioneers. They are the ones who step into the unknown first to determine if the Empire can expand without danger. Once a route is deemed safe, troops and workers follow. Cities are built. Borders are pushed outward."

  She exhaled softly. "That has been the procedure since the beginning of the Empire. That is why Chroniclers are indispensable.”

  Kael let out a low whistle, impressed despite himself. Then his brow furrowed.

  He pointed north.

  "But this part," he said slowly. "It's barely populated compared to the other directions. Why did they stop here?"

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Astra sighed and shook her head.

  "You were one of the best theoretical students in our class," she said dryly. “And yet, you never learned anything about the Empire’s geographic position?”

  Kael shrugged faintly.

  "I never cared much about the surrounding landscape." His finger traced the empty spaces on the map. “I was more interested in what lies beyond it.”

  Astra gave a humorless chuckle.

  "That makes no difference in this case."

  She tapped the map and dragged her finger along a jagged line of ink.

  "These are the northern mountains, the ones you can see from here." Her finger continued beyond them into the blank, uncharted space. Her voice darkened.

  "No one has ever crossed them."

  Kael stiffened.

  "Everyone who tried either vanished or returned... broken," Astra continued. She paused. "Those who came back spoke of nothing coherent. Only of a grotesque presence waiting for them. And then—"

  Her jaw tightened.

  "They took their own lives."

  A chill ran down Kael’s spine. The words felt disturbingly familiar, as if he had heard them somewhere before, yet the memory refused to surface.

  "You're not telling me," he said slowly, already knowing the answer, "that this is where we're going."

  Astra smiled. It was a small smile, ill-suited for laughter.

  “Exactly,” she said. "We're heading north. We’ll be the ones who finally see what lies beyond.”

  For a brief moment, her eyes shone. Not with madness, but with fierce resolve. Then, the weight of reality settled back in.

  "It was my plan even before the theft," she continued. "Now it's the only option left."

  She gestured toward the other borders.

  "Because of your collapse, we lost our window of escape. The Empire has sealed everything—the roads, the passes, the cities.” Her gaze returned to the map.

  "Everything except the north."

  A faint note of grim amusement entered her voice.

  "Even the king fears those mountains. He stationed no knights there."

  She looked at Kael.

  "Fear," she said quietly, "is the one thing this empire has never conquered."

  Kael’s eyes narrowed.

  “What’s so funny about that?” he asked sharply. “If even the king fears it, what makes you think two former students stand a chance?” He gestured at himself. "Look at us. Look at me. We’re broken. Shattered by our past. Ruined.” His voice dropped. "We won't succeed where others, both stronger and wiser than us failed."

  A sudden bang cut through the air.

  Kael flinched.

  Astra’s hand was pressed flat against the table; the map trembled beneath her palm. Her eyes burned into him with an intensity that left no room for doubt.

  “I don’t care,” she said. “I truly don’t.”

  Her voice was steady and fierce. "Even if we die. Even if something worse than death awaits us." Her fingers curled slightly. "I refuse to let fear decide my path."

  Her dark eyes shone.

  "We are Chroniclers," she said. "Chroniclers don't turn away from the unknown. We face it. Whether it breaks us or not.”

  Kael exhaled slowly.

  "All right," he said at last. “But isn’t the mystery we’re trying to solve supposed to be in the south?”

  Astra waved it off.

  "That was only where the Nameless City once stood. The Mystery itself moved and it manifested somewhere else. I don’t know how or why.” Her mouth tightened. "So there's no point in going there. Others have already gathered everything that could be found.”

  Kael studied the map again, then looked at her.

  "I understand that. But why the north?” He pointed beyond the inked borders to the blank space at the edge of the parchment. "Our answers could be south. Or east. Or anywhere else.”

  Astra didn’t answer immediately.

  Instead, she absentmindedly traced the mountains with her fingers, as if drawn by something she couldn’t name.

  "Something pulls me there," she murmured. Her voice was distant. Uncertain. "I don't know what it is. But it won’t let go.”

  Kael said nothing. He watched her closely, sensing the storm beneath her calm—conviction intertwined with doubt and a certainty born of something deeper than logic.

  At last, he turned back to the map.

  "Then it seems," he said quietly, "the north will judge whether we were ever meant to survive."