They didn't ask his name immediately.
Not because they weren't curious.
But because something about him suggested—
Names mattered.
The three of them moved through the Borderlands in silence, the fractured terrain shifting subtly beneath their feet as if aware of their presence. The further they went, the less stable the world became. Floating fragments of land drifted without pattern, gravity bending in places where it shouldn't, and the air itself felt thinner—like it was being stretched between realities.
Liora walked slightly ahead this time.
Not leading.
But not following either.
Her mind was elsewhere.
Still caught on one thing.
Aetheris.
She clenched her hand slightly.
"…Say it again."
The man glanced at her.
"…Which part?"
"My name."
A pause.
Then—
"…Aetheris."
The reaction was immediate.
Not explosive.
Not uncontrolled.
But deep.
Like something in her core had just been acknowledged again.
Her breath slowed.
Her steps steadied.
And for a moment—
