“Erith, I’m truly sorry for—”

“Don’t.” 

Erith responded sharper than he intended.

He lowered his head, running a finger along the cold stone floor as he rested his back against a crate by Maeric’s side. “I mean—just… I get it.”

Their eyes met. Erith offered a faint, weary smile.

Maeric held his gaze for a moment, before slowly returning a grin. “Tell me, teacher—was I a good student? Did you expect it would light up like that?”

Erith laughed, shaking his head. “I’m not sure what I expected. But I’m not surprised. You pulled in too much Kaida—far more than anyone who’s ever survived the Balance.”

Maeric shifted in his linens, waving Erith off as he inched forward to help. He slowly pulled himself upright, settling back against the wall with a soft groan.

Strained from the effort, he let out a ragged chuckle. “I’ve always had a habit of diving into life’s wonders—perhaps some with too much enthusiasm.”

He glanced at Erith. “Rin mentioned you pulled me through.”

Erith could see the weariness etched across Maeric’s face in the soft glow of the candlelight.

“Thatch always had theories about the Balance,” Erith murmured. “Too much Mura killed most, but even after Loradun started using a Murath, people kept dying—fewer, yeah. But even some who seemed to draw an almost equal amount still didn’t make it…”

Maeric watched him curiously.

“He used to go on about how he was sure the Mura didn’t bind fast enough to the Kaida once it entered the body,” Erith said in barely more than a whisper.

“I don’t think he just liked talking about this theory of his. I think he wanted to see if I could pull someone through the Balance like this.” Erith shook his head. “I don’t think he wanted to put that on me. He wouldn’t have wanted me to carry the blame if it failed.”

Erith paused, his eyes distant. “So he left the choice in my hands.”

“Thatch sounds like he was a strong mentor,” Maeric said softly. “Someone who cared about you.”

“I hope I get the chance to thank him someday,” Erith said, a thoughtful weight carrying through his voice. “We didn’t exactly part on the best terms.”

Maeric nodded. “The terms we leave on don’t erase the ones we lived by. How were those years you spent on the farm?”

A smile tugged at Erith’s lips. “They were exhausting—the old man nearly worked me to death. But they were good.”

Maeric beamed at Erith, warmth in his eyes. “Then a bad last moment is just that—one moment. One among many good ones. I’m sure he knows what those years meant for you… and that they meant just as much to him.”

He placed a hand on Erith’s and let the quiet settle between them—until a distant door shut, and a single set of boots light on their feet scurried closer.

“Moons. Must’ve found out you’ve done something interesting, Maeric.”

A small chuckle escaped Maeric. “Surely he’ll grow fond of me if I have godly magic like his friend?”

“That, or he’ll dislike you more for it.”

The wooden door flung open. Amun, out of breath, was framed in the doorway.

“Okay—I.. I leave for a few minutes to go get stuff for Tal…”

He pointed at Maeric.

“That guy can? He’s like you? But there’s no way he’s stronger than you. You better make whatever Saryn was talking about glow—”

Maeric let out a small laugh, tilting his head toward Erith. “You’ve grown quite the fan there.”

“And you’re still not making any new fans,” Amun cut in.

Tal patted Amun on the shoulder from behind, parting him from the doorway as Rin and Saryn entered with the sieveglass in hand.

“That was quick,” Erith said, watching the group settle on nearby crates, Tal taking the lone chair next to a small wooden table by the door.

Saryn offered a faint smile. “It helps when I’m the one in charge of the Kaida barrier on this side of the city—though I did feel a little bad waking the guardhouse at this hour.”

She handed the sieveglass to Erith, studying him as he took the manipulated Kaida gem from her hands. “You look like someone who already knows the answer.”

Erith’s focus was fixed on the gem. He blinked and looked up at Saryn.

“Oh…I—yeah. I think I do. The Kaida in the sieveglass didn’t feel like it was too much when Maeric pulled from it.

Without much thought, Erith pressed a finger to the tip of the gemstone, and drew the Kaida through him. The sieveglass flared to life—bright and full, just as it had for Maeric.

“I knew it,” Amun said in awe. “See? He’s more powerful.”

The glow faded as quickly as it had come.

“Ah, but we measured the same, haven't we?” Maeric added with a teasing glint in his eye.

“Then you just need a bigger… uh… thing to measure with,” Amun said, glancing hopefully at Saryn.

Saryn folded her arms. “Isolating the Mura in a manipulated Kaida gem at that size would take fine craftsmanship—but it might be possible to retrofit a container. It’s just… never really been necessary.”

Erith threw up a hand, shaking his head. 

“No.” 

The room went quiet at the sudden firmness in his tone. Their eyes landed on him, and his thoughts tangled in the rush to find the right words.

“Look… most of my life has been shaped around wielding Kaida and Mura, I… I don’t want to know what that measures up to.”

He paused, feeling his heart drumming. Then something clicked.

“Also—we really shouldn’t be trying to build a way to measure Kaida wielding on a scale that is beyond the Illuminary's strength. If word got out of that… Well, we are on the run from Aldarath and Morvath, they wouldn’t need to look far for who attacked the embassy in Verael.”

The others nodded solemnly. The candle beside Tal gave a soft crackle as it burned low.

“You don’t have to worry,” Maeric said, turning to Amun. “I can assure you—Erith’s power is unmatched. You won’t be seeing me cutting through stone balconies anytime soon.”

Erith grinned, letting his head rest against the wall. His eyes hung heavy, fighting to stay open. Only two hours awake and already exhaustion crept through every muscle.

He caught Rin’s eye from across the room. Rin was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He gave Erith a small nod.

“Keeping our heads down from Aldarath and Morvath is still the plan.” Rin broke the silence as he stepped forward. He pulled a fresh candlestick from a small box beneath the table and lit it from the one burning low.

“And despite… well, all of this, we’ve done a decent job not drawing attention to ourselves. Let’s keep it that way. We’d better get some rest. We’ll finish gathering whatever supplies we need while we’ve still got a moment.”

As the others began to drift toward the door, Erith spoke up.

“Rin. Any word from Rhymera?”

Rin’s steps faltered at the door. “Nothing yet. I think we’ll have to find our own way for a while.”

With a quiet click, he closed the door behind him.

The group’s footsteps faded away, leaving the small, makeshift quarters in silence. 

Erith shuffled onto the linens, settling beside Maeric.

He glanced toward blood-stained sheets piled in the corner of the room, then turned to meet Maeric’s gaze.

“I survived the embassy. You survived the Balance,” he whispered.

He exhaled softly. “So… what comes next?”

✦☽✧❖⨁☼✺☼⨁❖✧☽✦