Jamie did not let go of his hand.
They walked through the thinning trees in silence, their boots crunching softly over the brittle crust of late-winter snow. The forest around them was quieter than usual, as though even the birds had decided that whatever had just happened in that shack was not something to sing over.
Elias's gaze remained forward, unfocused.
Jamie glanced at him from the side.
"So…" she began carefully, a tone very unlike her usual bluntness, "there's actually an evil entity inside your spirit domain?"
Elias gave a small grunt.
"Even now," he said quietly, "I can feel her staring at me."
Jamie's grip tightened just a little.
They walked a few more paces before she spoke again.
"What's your spirit domain like?"
Elias looked at her questioningly, surprised by the shift. For a moment he considered not answering. Then he exhaled slowly.
"It's… a vast ocean," he said.
"Endless. Still. The sky above it is filled with countless stars. Nebulae. Galaxies. Cosmic dust. Everything reflected perfectly on the water's surface."
Jamie blinked.
"Is it like that story you told me, The Star Stealers by the Fathers Grime?"
Elias turned to her.
"It's The Star Tellers by the Brothers Grimm."
Jamie frowned.
"Huh. What would make two brothers grim?"
Elias sighed.
"That's just their name."
She nodded sagely, as though this clarified everything.
They stepped over a fallen branch half-buried in frost.
Jamie continued, softer now.
"Every person has their own personal domain," she said. "You're not supposed to tell anyone about it."
Elias looked at her.
She smiled.
"I won't tell anybody," she added quickly. "Promise."
Then, without waiting, she continued.
"Mine's different."
Elias raised a brow.
"It's not calm like yours," she said. "There's water too, but it's always moving. Waves going in every direction. Frozen shores and a sky keeps changing sometimes its sunny, other times its filled with swirling grey clouds. Sometimes snowflakes fall. Sometimes there is a ghost rainbow that moves around. Nothing stays still for long."
She laughed lightly.
"I think it fits me."
Elias could picture it.
Absurd. Chaotic. Alive.
Her Anti-Flow, always fluctuating, refusing to settle into any fixed pattern.
Jamie looked ahead as they neared the edge of the forest where the path widened toward the road.
"Now I've told you a secret," she said. Her fingers tightened around his hand.
"The point is, I don't care if some old dog is crashing around inside you. If it shows its ugly head, I'll just beat it up."
Elias glanced at her.
She grinned.
"So don't think about it too much. Just keep having fun with me."
He realized, faintly, that the tightness in his chest had eased.
Jamie was always like this. Loud. Unfiltered. Ridiculous.
But somehow, she had a way of making terrifying things feel… manageable.
"Hey Jamie?''
"Yeah?"
They stopped walking.
He paused for a moment. He wanted to tell her but he still couln't bring himslef to say anything. After Seven years he still carried some bitterness from his past life. But...
"I'm not actaually a Magician."
"Huh?Oh, your Trait?"
Elias nodded. He wanted to tell her more and yet a part of him was telling him it was pointless so why bother?
"I-I...I am The World."
There was silence.
"Thats awesome! Well it makes sense that you'd try to hide that fact from everyone."
She smiled at him and hugged his arm.
"I wont tell anyone." She raised her pinky, the obsidian ring on it gleaming in the sunlight.
''Promise."
Elias took it with his own pinky, the silver ring clinking as their fingers interlocked.
They continued walking and stepped out of the forest fully now, the road to Blackhaven stretching ahead. A few carts rolled by slowly, farmers returning early as the frost began to thaw in patches along the roadside. The distant stone walls of the city rose against the pale sky.
Jamie sniffed the air.
"Hey,what's for dinner?"
Elias blinked.
"It's not even three o'clock yet."
"I know," she said. "I'm going to eat now. But I need to know so I can make room for more later."
He shook his head faintly.
They passed beneath the looming gates of Blackhaven. Guards nodded at them without question. The sounds of the city wrapped around them—vendors calling out, metal clanging from a distant forge, children laughing somewhere unseen.
Jamie deliberately bumped her shoulder against his.
"See? Not dead. Still hungry. Everything's fine."
Elias let out a quiet breath that might have been the beginning of a laugh.
They walked through familiar streets, past market stalls and stone houses warmed by afternoon light. People moved about their routines, unaware that somewhere beyond the walls, an old man and a mask held the remnants of a legend that could shake the world.
By the time they reached Beth's shop, the air smelled faintly of herbs and spices.
Jamie pushed the door open first.
The bell above it chimed softly as they stepped inside together.