The slow groan of a wooden door stirred Erith awake.

He blinked his eyes open, the world still hazy, and made out the blurred figure of Amun just before the pounding ache in his head flared.

“How long have I—”

“Nearly two days,” Amun said, crouching beside him. “Tal sent me to wake you. Here.” He carefully placed a small ceramic cup into Erith’s hand. “Drink that. Tal says it’ll help.”

Erith pushed himself up from the bundled linens tucked between stacked wooden crates.

He raised the cup, recoiling as the sharp, bitter scent of the deep green liquid hit his nose.

Amun grimaced at the drink. “If I were you, I’d drink it all in one go.”

The pressure behind Erith’s eyes throbbed. He let out a deep breath, and downed the drink in a single swallow. 

The taste was sharp—burning. Erith coughed hoarsely, and a chill coursed through his veins. As the fleeting cold subsided, the pain in his head began to dull.

He sat up straighter as the relief settled in. Amun slid down beside him, his back pressed against the wall.

“Fate? Fate, Maeric?" Rin’s shouts rang out, echoing down the hallway.

“Did you stop and think at all about what you’d suddenly be putting on him?” he continued, his voice rising with disbelief.

Amun’s eyes dropped. He ran his fingers along the hem of his sleeve.

“He woke up maybe an hour ago,” Amun said in a low voice. “Tal checked him over—don’t worry, he’s fine,” he added, seeing the concern in Erith’s face. “I can’t say I’ve known Rin for long, even though he’s family, but I never thought he could get that mad.”

Erith didn’t answer right away. He watched the flicker of the candlelight near the floor.

“Anyway, I’m glad he’s okay. I don’t know much about your weird magic, but try not to overdo it like that.”

Erith raised an eyebrow, catching the worry in Amun’s eyes.

“Tal says you were all still for hours, and then suddenly you turned blue—like you forgot how to breathe. You slumped over, and she had to sort you out,” Amun’s voice wavered. “It was scary to see you like that.”

“I’m… I didn’t think about…” A deep sigh escaped Erith. “I’m sorry, Amun. I’ve never had to use Mura like that.”

He furrowed his brow. “Come to think of it, I didn’t even realize I was using Mura. But it makes sense—using my own Mura to hold onto the Mura in Maeric. I couldn’t draw it in myself, so I guess I had to reach out to it.”

Amun stared at Erith blankly.

“Using that much Mura is exhausting. I sometimes get a little sick if I use too much or take in a lot of Kai—” Erith caught himself, his heart suddenly beating louder in his chest.

He hadn’t meant to say that. Not out loud. Not even to Amun.

Some may not just see you as a weapon.

Some may see you as an answer to their faith.

Thatch’s warning echoed through his mind.

“Yeah, your godly magic continues to be weird.” Amun gave Erith a smile, pushing himself off the wall. “Tal would kill me if you got out of bed, so stay there for a bit for my sake and let that awful drink do its thing.”

Amun started toward the door, but his steps faltered as another slammed shut nearby. Footsteps pounded closer, then Rin wrenched the door open.

Rin paused, his frustration easing when he saw Erith awake, startled by his entrance.

Amun glanced at Rin, then tilted his head toward Erith. “He just woke up. Try not to shout him to death, too.” He clapped Rin on the shoulder on his way out.

“Not so happy with Maeric?” Erith asked, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“No. Not so happy with him.” Rin dropped onto a crate across from him. “And what, you are?”

“I haven’t had much time to think about it.” Erith replied, stretching his arms. “I’m just glad he’s not dead. That’s as far as I’ve got. And…well, I did tell him only he can judge when he’s ready.”

“You can’t be blaming yourself for his actions.” Rin cut in, lifting his head up from his hands.

“I’m not,” Erith answered, then paused. “But I think I understand it. We were never going to stop him from going through the Balance. If you had to face death, wouldn’t you choose the moment you felt like you had the upper hand?”

“He felt it was his moment.” Erith shrugged. “So it was.”

Rin studied him for a moment, his expression softening. “I want to call you a fool—too blinded by your heart. But… I understand. I hate it. But I can understand it.”

A door clicked shut. Faint voices carried down the hall.

“Ah. That’ll be Tal and Saryn.”

Erith’s brow lifted at the mention of Saryn.

Rin caught the look. “Tal’s a great healer, but even she isn’t an expert in… well, you.” He pulled himself up from the crate.

“You didn’t exactly give the impression you were fine—with not breathing and hitting the floor. Saryn’s dealt with the Balance before. She checked on you. And Maeric.”

“I… thanks…”

The door creaked open, and Saryn poked her head in.

“Good to see you awake, Erith. Feeling alright? Nothing out of the ordinary?”

Erith gave a quiet nod.

She entered the room, crouching close towards Erith’s face, examining each of his eyes. She gave a nod and stood upright.

“Right. If you’re up for it, we’re going to check on Maeric. He’s perfectly healthy—don’t worry. All that’s left is to see what the Balance left him with.”

Curious at the remark, Erith slowly got to his feet and followed Saryn and Rin out.

As they entered Maeric’s room, Tal nudged Erith and gave him a small grin.

Maeric sat upright on the bed, faint black lines etched along his body—one trailing up his neck.

“Erith…” There was a tremble in Maeric’s voice.

Erith didn’t respond.

A tight knot settled in his chest. The words just wouldn’t come. 

He kept his eyes down, unable to meet Maeric’s gaze.

Saryn reached for Maeric’s arms, gently tracing the faint black lines etched along his skin. “Kaida burns,” she murmured. “The body heals, but where the raw Kaida surged before it was balanced, those marks remain. Nothing unusual for surviving the Balance.”

She let go of Maeric’s arm and reached into her satchel at her waist. She drew out a gem, unfamiliar to Erith. Faded blue, reshaped into a twisted teardrop, its surface wrapped in spiraling filaments.

“Ah, not many have seen one of these,” Saryn said, noticing Erith’s curiosity. “A sieveglass—Loradun is no different in not fully understanding the raw principles of Kaida and Mura, but we’ve made strides in how to harness them.”

She held the gem out in front of Maeric. “This sieveglass is a manipulated Kaida gemstone. The filaments are laced with Mura—it allows us to measure how much Kaida one can draw.”

“Here. Place a finger on each side. You’ll draw Kaida from the right.”

As Maeric reached forward, Rin stepped in. “Is that dangerous for him to do so soon?”

Saryn shook her head. “A balanced body can’t pull more than it can handle. It knows its limits. The sieveglass reflects what the body is capable of. The filaments will brighten as the Kaida interacts with the Mura.”

Maeric closed his eyes.

“It’s rumored that all of the Illuminary have been measured this way. Even Cerus, with all his strength, only ever lit one of these a little more than half—”

Saryn trailed off as the gem flared to life.

Every filament ignited in a steady, radiant glow.

No one spoke. No one could look away.

Whatever the Balance had left Maeric with—it wasn’t ordinary.

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