Far below, the river rushed, its surface shimmering with the moon's magical glow.

As they crossed the cobblestone expanse, a deep, unsettling weakness seeped into Zorn's bones. His knees buckled with each step.

"Don, I... don't feel good," he managed, voice strained. "I feel... weakened."

Donal gave a reassuring smile.

"It's to be expected."

Zorn looked at him, confused.

"What?"

"I feel fine, if not more energized," Khor remarked, glancing back at him.

Zorn shook his head as the world swam.

"I don't. Hold on, guys, I need a moment." He stumbled to the side, leaning against the parapet and planting his head into his palm.

Sabrina's eyes widened with concern.

"You're not going to pass out, are you?"

He shook his head slowly, dizziness washing over him.

"I... don't know."

Khor nudged Donal.

"Don, take Sabrina ahead. I need to talk to him." 

He began walking toward Zorn.

Donal nodded.

"Sabrina, come on. The boys will catch up in a bit. Plush is good at handling stuff like this."

Sabrina hesitated, then followed after Donal, casting one last worried glance over her shoulder.

Khor's shadow fell over Zorn.

"Zorn..." he said, folding his arms. His voice cut sharp and stern into Zorn's skull.

"You feel it, don't you? Like something gnawing at your bones."

Zorn staggered, clutching the parapet.

"It's... killing me."

Khor regarded him as if weighing a decision, then looked both ways to ensure no one approached.

"Hey, look at me."

Zorn lifted his head, vision blurring at the edges.

"Y... yeah?"

Khor pointed slowly at his forehead; a small, bright white light appeared at his fingertip and a gentle breeze brushed their hair and clothes. 

Suddenly, Zorn heard Khor's voice clearly inside his mind. The warmth and comfort of it were mismatched with Khor's usual demeanor, almost like a different energy.

[Can you hear me?]

Zorn's eyes widened; he slumped as another wave of weakness hit.

[Yeah... I can!] he thought.

[I'm only doing this because what I need to tell you is not safe to speak aloud. First, just sit down. It's not worth fighting it.]

Zorn gave in and slid down to sit on the cold stone, leaning his back against the wall. His eyelids felt heavy.

Khor's eyes followed him down.

[You have a mark, right?]

[Yeah, Don said I need to hide it. It's a weird glyph that looks like an 'M' with a sharp tail,] Zorn replied internally.

[That 'weird glyph' is called Scorpio. It's a Martian glyph,] Khor said.

[Oh... is it killing me?] Zorn asked.

Khor scanned him, eyes catching the tremor in Zorn's hands as he crouched, light glinting off his features.

[That's Cancri constellation magic eating you alive. This land may be the Moon, but they use the constellation magic to shield this place from people like you.]

[People... like me?]

[Martian beings. This land's magic barrier strangles Mars here. And you, you're stamped with Mars. Every planetary region has a magic barrier of a certain constellation that works with their planet.]

Zorn's chest tightened.

[So, I'm screwed?]

Khor scoffed.

[Not if you stop fighting like an idiot. You're clinging to planetary magic, Mars, which does not work for you in general. You are a constellation, not a planetary. Switch to constellation. Switch to Scorpio.]

Zorn's teeth gritted.

[I don't even know how!]

[Yes, you do,] Khor insisted, jabbing a finger toward Zorn's chest. [Scorpio is resistance, separation, and tenacity. Call on what burns you alive and use it to separate yourself from this land's barrier!]

[I can't just—]

[Then die here. The vines will eat your corpse and no one will remember your name. You must not have much to fight for.]

Images flashed in Zorn's mind; Lira, her scream, the rift that had torn her away. Rage flared, hotter than fire. Khor's mouth curved in something like approval.

[There it is.]

The mark on Zorn's skin pulsed red. For the first time, the crushing weight lifted as violent, living power surged through him. His eyes snapped open; the gold in his irises flashed a brilliant red for a moment. 

He looked down at his hands, feeling the power coursing through his veins. He realized, with a jolt, that he had subconsciously used that power earlier to save Sabrina.

Khor snapped his fingers. A tiny gust blew through their hair and the mental link vanished, leaving an odd emptiness inside his head.

"Get up," Khor said flatly, watching as people walked past behind him.

Zorn pushed himself up; his legs felt steady again.

"Thank you. A lot. You really helped me."

He hesitated, then pressed on.

"How do you know all this? About the marks—"

"SHH!" Khor interrupted sharply with a shush, then turned away and began down the bridge toward the city gates.

"Don told you he will explain everything at the tavern."

Zorn watched Khor's mysterious silhouette against the lantern-lit city and found, against all odds, that he began to think the man was kind of cool. 

He hurried to follow, mind buzzing with unanswered questions, especially about falling from the sky, just as he had. 

He vowed silently that he would figure everything out about himself and this place. All for her.

In his pockets, his hands balled into tight fists. 

I'll get Lira back, and the one who stole her will suffer.