The wind changed.
It came from the north now. Cold. Still. The kind of wind that carried no scent, no song, and no promise. Only silence.
Rael walked behind Maerin along the broken trail that curved through the hills. The path was narrow and uneven, bordered by pale stone and grass that never moved. Even the birds were gone.
They had not spoken since morning.
The Cradle was far behind them now, hidden by miles of mist and mountains. But Rael still felt its pull. A pressure behind his eyes. A whisper under his skin.
He had changed.
Not just in power. In weight. In presence.
He felt it in the way the world responded to him now. The way his footsteps left shallow glyphs in the soil. The way water hesitated before it touched his skin. The way his shadow moved just a little slower than it should.
They reached a stone outcrop near sunset. Maerin raised his hand.
"There," he said. "Hollow Bridge."
Rael stepped beside him.
The land dipped into a narrow gorge. Across the gap stretched a single bridge of white stone, old and weathered. It had no supports. No ropes. It stood as if grown from the cliffs themselves. Vein-like carvings ran across its surface, faintly glowing in the fading light.
"What is this place?" Rael asked.
Maerin's voice was low.
"A boundary. It marks the edge of Saerin's reach. They do not guard it with soldiers. They guard it with memory."
Rael frowned. "What does that mean?"
"Crossing this bridge means being seen. The minds of Saerin stretch far. Once you step across, they will know you are coming."
Rael stared at the path ahead. The bridge looked solid, but something about it felt hollow. Not in shape. In soul.
Maerin placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You do not have to cross tonight."
Rael nodded slowly. "Then we wait."
They made camp beneath the outcrop. No fire. No light. The sky above was filled with thin stars, distant and cold.
Rael lay on his side, eyes open.
He could not sleep.
Every time he blinked, visions returned.
A city made of mirrors. A face made of smoke. A child reaching through a broken world, crying without a voice.
He sat up, breathing slowly.
Maerin was awake too, staring at nothing.
"You are further than most who survive the Flicker," the old man said. "But the next part is different. Saerin will not fight you with blades."
"I know," Rael whispered. "They will try to rewrite me."
Maerin nodded. "Exactly. They will twist your memories. Fill your head with doubt. Offer you comfort in exchange for obedience."
Rael looked back toward the bridge.
"What happens if I lose myself?"
Maerin's voice was very quiet.
"Then we both die."
Rael did not speak again. He simply watched the stars.
And the stars watched back.