The Promotion
Doya's POV
The Temple had not felt safe since the attack. The streets hummed with tension and fear that the Forsaken might return at any moment. The guards were doubled, wards were reinforced, and no one truly rested.
Slowly, the wounded began to recover. The infirmary, once crowded with groans and the coppery scent of blood, grew quieter with each passing day. I, like some other Bound who had survived, regained strength gradually. Although, some Bound who sustain far worse injuries never woke up.
Today, I was finally released and no longer confined to the healer's bed. My quarters smelled of herbs that I had brought back with me to ease my pains. The strips of linen beneath my loose tunic itched, clinging to my ribs and arm. I had been unconscious for days, only a few days ago had I finally woken. Even in unconsciousness, I had fought hard to survive. The healers kept saying I was so lucky to have made it through an injury like that.
Sitting on the edge of my bed, my head spun, replaying the attack. That day happened like a nightmare.
A knock sounded on my door. I rose from the bed, wincing as pain shot along my side, and limped to the door. The hinges creaked as I opened it.
"Doya." Corvessa smiled, waving to me.
"Corvessa," I muttered, my voice hoarse.
"I heard you were released," she replied. "I wanted to see how you were doing."
I stepped aside, allowing her into my room.
"I am healing," I croaked. "The worst has passed."
She nodded, staring at the marks of my wounds as she walked in.
"I was afraid," she admitted.
"I know," I nodded, closing the door. "Good thing you weren't at the front gates."
"I doubt I'd have survived it. I heard many of the Bound that were stationed there didn't make it."
My face fell as I thought back to that day. I limped back to my bed so that I could sit.
"I hear there will be a gathering today in the great hall. Whatever it is, you should be prepared to attend." She said.
I nodded. I didn't have the strength to talk much.
"I'm glad you're alright Doya." She whispered. "See you in the hall." She gave a small nod, and left the room.
I found myself thinking about Dana. I hoped she was alright. I had planned to see her at the great hall today, since she hadn't come by. Perhaps she didn't know I'd been released. The thought of finally seeing her pulled me from the bed while reaching for my robe. Dressing with the injury was really slow. Every movement I made hurt like hell.
When I arrived at the hall, the entire Sanctum was already gathered. Many of the Bound still carried the marks of the battle on their bodies.
The Ascend sat high on their thrones, before Ascend Kaelric's voice rang out:
"Sacuum Rael, Bound of this Sanctum!"
The hall replied, "Sacuum Nolar!"
Kaelric's eyes swept across the hall. "We are gathered today to commend the efforts of the Bound for their bravery and strength against the Forsaken attackers. It is disheartening that we have lost some of our brothers and sisters to this attack. Their sacrifices will never be forgotten.
"That being said, many of you have remained loyal to your duties, and today, your efforts will be acknowledged."
He rose from his throne as he declared, "Bound Doya!"
My head snapped up, startled by the call. I stepped toward the center of the hall and came to a stop before the thrones, feeling every eye on me.
"You have never failed in fulfilling your duties. Today, your dedication will be rewarded."
Murmurs began to spread through the hall. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"Silence!" Ascend Seraphine barked.
Kaelric continued, "You are hereby promoted from the position of Bound to High Bound of this Sanctum."
The hall broke into applause.
Promotion. The word should have made my chest swell, but I wasn't impressed. More power meant more responsibility, and I didn't want to carry that kind of burden.
I looked through the crowd, scanning over familiar faces, but I was searching for one person alone — Dana.
"You will be assigned to a district in the Temple to oversee, alongside High Bound Dorasmus." Kaelric asserted.
A district? I had never felt so uninterested in a duty as I did in that moment. I couldn't leave the Temple, not while my district remained unattended. I felt trapped. Others would have leapt at the chance, a position of leadership like this. They would have felt pride or excitement. But all I could think about was freedom, the chance to join Dana in her quest for the Cranium.
As the chatter in the hall swelled, a new blue robe was presented to me, the colour that represented a High Bound. Moments later, Ascend Kaelric instructed me to step aside, toward the section reserved for the High Bound.
Then Ascend Corvath spoke, shifting the course of the gathering.
"Sacuum Rael, Bound of this Sanctum."
"Sacuum Nolar," the hall responded.
Corvath began, "Since the attack on the Temple, the Forsaken who were captured have been confined to the dungeons in Thornwick. They have been interrogated, yet we have learned very little of their plans."
He paused for a moment, then he continued.
"Most of those taken, chose death over speech, proving their sole allegiance to Balshak."
At the mention of Balshak, the tension in the hall increased.
Corvath continued, "This is a grave issue and must be treated as such. Those who spoke after torture confirmed that the attack was driven by their pursuit of the Guardian."
A low murmur rippled through the hall.
"They may attack again," Corvath went on. "We must be prepared. The Guardian has begun her journey in search of the Cranium, and we should all be ready to do our parts once the Cranium has been acquired."
My eyes widened. The words hit me like stone. Dana had left. Without me.
I knew it was her mission to fulfill, but that did not make me feel any better.
The discussion in the hall slowly faded from my awareness, blurring the voices. My thoughts were fixed on Dana until the gathering came to an end. I hadn't heard any other thing that was discussed in the meeting from the moment they mentioned Dana had left the Temple.
I was escorted from my former quarters to a new chamber on the third floor, a room fit for a High Bound. The space was far larger and much more beautiful than my previous one, and I was told I had the opportunity to have a personal attendant if I wished.
But none of it mattered.
I did not care about status. Or comfort. Or honour. All I wanted was Dana. To be by her side. To protect her. I had grown so fond of her that her safety had begun to feel like my responsibility, one I could not ignore, no matter the cost.
The day slipped past as I sat on the edge of the enormous bed, staring at nothing in particular. I remained in that position till everywhere got dark outside. I stood up to turn on the candles in the room, and just as I was doing that, someone knocked on the door.
When I opened it, Corvessa stood there, smiling wide, showing all her teeth.
"Congratulations!" she shrieked, clapping her hands together.
"Thanks," I muttered.
Corvessa and I had grown up together in the Temple. As children, we were inseparable, always side by side, sneaking glances at each other when we thought no one was watching. When we became Novitiates, we grew closer. We had always spent time together during trainings. We got promoted to Bound at around the same time. People had known us as a pair at the time, though they had no idea that what we shared went beyond friendship.
Somewhere along the way, that feeling faded. I still cared about her but it wasn't the same as it used to be. And when Dana came into my life, the space that Corvessa once occupied quietly closed.
Corvessa's feelings for me never changed. I saw it in her eyes, in the way she looked at me.
"Won't you invite me into your room?" she asked, still holding that same smile.
I stepped aside, giving her room to pass.
The moment she entered, her eyes lit up. "Oh... this room is beautiful," she murmured, turning slowly. Then her gaze landed on the bed. "And the bed is so huge."
Before I could say anything, she crossed the room and flopped onto it, laughter bubbling out of her. "And it's so soft," she added, bouncing on it with her bum.
I watched her for a moment, a small smile tugging at my lips. She'd always been like this, very cheerful.
"I could sleep here all day," she said, sinking into the mattress, breathing in the clean scent of the fresh linen.
"Did you know you were going to get promoted?" she asked, still sprawled on the bed.
"It's not like the Ascend tells us anything now, do they?" I replied, as I moved over to light the remaining candles.
"Well... I'm genuinely happy for you," she said, "but I have a feeling we'll move farther apart. You have more duties now. We won't even be on the same floor anymore."
She was right. The duties of a High Bound were far too demanding to leave any time for old friends. Since Dana's arrival at the Temple, her resentment had only grown. After every practice, she would complain, whispering to me that Dana had consumed too much of my attention, leaving nothing for her.
She sat up slowly, her smile fading. "You've changed," she said quietly. "You used to talk more. You used to laugh with me."
She rose from the bed and walked closer to me. "Ever since she came..." I turned to look at her, leaving what I was doing. "It's like you stopped seeing me." She took a step closer. "You used to look at me..." Another step, "like I was your whole world."
Her fingers brushed my sleeve. "I waited for you," her hand caressed my face. "Even when you started becoming distant, I waited for you to come back to me."
Before I could speak, she leaned in. Her lips grazed mine. "I love you Doya," she whispered as she parted her lips and kissed me.
I lifted a hand and rested it against her shoulder, stopping her without pushing her away.
"Corvessa... don't."
She didn't listen, she leaned in more, "I know you still love me." She mumbled, deepening the kiss but I stopped her, drawing my head back as she drew in more.
"Please, don't make me push you away." I hissed.
Her breath shuddered. "I just wanted to know," she murmured, pain threading through every word, "if there is still a part of you that belongs to me."
"There was," I said quietly.
Her voice broke. "But not anymore," she whispered. "You don't care about me anymore. And it hurts. It hurts so bad." She stepped away from me as a tear slipped from her eye.
"Corvessa," I said softly, "it's not like that."
"Then what is it like?" she asked, searching my face. "I know what we had, Doya. You can't tell me it meant nothing."
"It didn't mean nothing, I just..." I trailed off.
She looked at me waiting for me to finish but no words came.
She sighed and said, "I miss you Doya... I miss us. But you seem to have forgotten what we had." She choked as another tear dropped.
"I didn't forget," I said at last. "We just... grew apart."
She swallowed hard, blinking quickly. Then she forced a small laugh. "Of course we did," she said bitterly. "Well, you did."
I looked away. There was nothing I could say that wouldn't hurt her more.
She turned toward the door, then paused, glancing back at me. "Just don't forget who stood by you before she came."
And then she was gone.
I felt guilty. I didn't want to be the cause of her tears. She was still the same girl that I once loved and I felt so bad that I made her cry.
---
Weeks passed since what happened with Corvessa in my quarters. She avoided me now, and the fact that we no longer shared the same floor made it easy. I knew I had hurt her. I wanted her to be well, truly, but I could not give her what she wanted.
Today, I was in the district assigned to me and High Bound Dorasmus. We sat upon two small thrones — nothing like the elevated seats of the Ascend, but thrones all the same — settling minor disputes among the people of the district.
One by one, they came forward with their problems, and we offered judgement and solutions. It was a duty that felt awkward to me. All my life, I had known only combat and discipline, not conversation and mediation. Still, with time, I began to adjust to this new way of living.
Sometimes, I visited the Bound quarters. Friends I had once lived beside now bowed when I passed, addressing me with formal respect. It felt strange, but it was expected. The law was the law, and familiarity did not exempt anyone from it.
As I sat on my small throne beside Dorasmus, I felt it.
A sudden strain in my chest, like something invisible had wrapped around my heart.
Dana.
She was in trouble. I could sense it.
The hall faded. The voices blurred. Everything dissolved until there was only her fear echoing inside me.
I rose abruptly and excused myself. Dorasmus asked if I was well, but I couldn't answer. I only nodded and staggered out of the hall.
The strain in my chest tightened more. She was terrified.
What was wrong?
Her location flickered in my mind in broken fragments.
I tried to veil-walk, but the veil resisted me.
I was still healing. Weeks had passed, but my strength had not fully returned, especially not enough for something as demanding as veil-walking. I tried again, forcing the pull, and pain flared through my body.
My legs gave way, and I hit the ground.
Then, just as suddenly as it had come, the pain vanished.
The pressure eased, and my mind cleared.
Whatever had frightened her might return. And I would not sit idle, waiting to feel that helpless terror again.
I didn't know how I would do it.
But I knew what I had to do.
I had to leave the temple.
Leave my duties.
And go in search of Dana.