The Watchfires burned through the night.
Silver flames stood atop distant peaks, unmoving against the darkness.
Adrian couldn't stop looking at them.
Every time he thought they would fade, they remained.
Watching.
Waiting.
The same way the Sanctuary seemed to be.
Their camp was quiet.
Too quiet.
A small fire crackled between them, but even that felt insignificant compared to the glowing signals stretching across the mountains.
Kai sat on a fallen log, staring into the flames.
"I officially hate this."
Adrian glanced at him.
"You hate most things."
"Not true."
Kai pointed toward the horizon.
"I specifically hate ancient organizations that know my location before I arrive."
"That's fair."
Veyr remained standing near the edge of the clearing.
He hadn't sat down once.
His eyes stayed fixed on the Watchfires.
Like he was remembering something.
Or dreading it.
Adrian noticed.
Again.
"You've seen them before."
It wasn't a question.
Veyr was silent for several seconds.
Then—
"Yes."
Kai looked up immediately.
"When?"
Veyr's gaze never left the mountains.
"A long time ago."
Adrian folded his arms.
"The Sanctuary again?"
"Yes."
That answer made the air heavier.
Because Veyr rarely spoke about his past.
When he did—
The memories were never good.
Adrian poked the fire with a stick.
"So what happened?"
A long silence followed.
Then—
"I failed."
That wasn't the answer either of them expected.
Kai blinked.
"You?"
Veyr finally turned.
His expression was calm.
But there was something beneath it.
Old regret.
"Yes."
Adrian frowned.
"Failed what?"
"The Sanctuary's trial."
The clearing fell silent.
Even the fire seemed quieter.
Kai stared.
"You never mentioned that."
"There was no reason to."
Adrian watched him carefully.
"There's probably a reason now."
Veyr considered that.
Then nodded once.
"The Sanctuary does not simply give answers."
Of course it didn't.
Nothing ever did.
"What does it do?" Adrian asked.
"It tests whether you deserve them."
Silence.
Adrian sighed.
"Why is everything in my life becoming a test?"
"Because you keep surviving the previous ones."
That was annoyingly reasonable.
Kai groaned.
"I liked life better when mysteries stayed mysterious."
The conversation ended there.
But Adrian couldn't stop thinking about it.
A trial.
Another one.
The Threshold had measured him.
Now the Sanctuary apparently planned to do the same.
He wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or worried.
Probably both.
Eventually the camp settled into sleep.
Kai fell asleep first.
As usual.
Veyr remained awake on watch.
As usual.
Adrian tried sleeping.
He failed.
As usual.
The mark on his wrist pulsed softly beneath his sleeve.
Not enough to hurt.
Just enough to remind him it existed.
With a sigh, he stood and walked away from the camp.
Only a short distance.
Just enough to think.
The forest was quiet.
Moonlight filtered through the trees.
The Watchfires glowed beyond the mountains.
And for a few minutes—
Everything felt peaceful.
Then he heard footsteps.
Adrian froze.
Not because footsteps were unusual.
Because Veyr and Kai were both behind him.
These footsteps were ahead.
Slow.
Measured.
Approaching.
His hand instinctively moved toward the mark.
The sound stopped.
Silence.
Then a voice emerged from the darkness.
"You've changed."
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
That voice...
He knew it.
Not personally.
But he'd heard it before.
Somewhere impossible.
Somewhere beyond pillars and endless darkness.
The Threshold.
A figure stepped into the moonlight.
Silver-threaded hair.
Dark coat.
Calm eyes.
Veyr's brother.
The man Adrian had met in the Threshold.
Adrian took an involuntary step backward.
"You."
The man smiled faintly.
"Good. You remember."
Adrian stared.
"How are you here?"
"That's a complicated question."
"That usually means a bad answer."
The man laughed quietly.
"Still sounds like Veyr."
Adrian's expression hardened.
"Veyr doesn't know you're here."
"No."
The smile faded.
"He doesn't."
Silence stretched between them.
The forest felt different now.
Less real.
Like reality was thinning around the edges.
Adrian noticed immediately.
"So this isn't actually happening."
The man nodded.
"Not physically."
"Thought so."
A pause.
"Then why are you here?"
The man's gaze shifted toward the distant Watchfires.
"The Sanctuary knows you're coming."
"Yeah, I figured that out."
"You haven't figured out why."
That made Adrian pause.
The man stepped closer.
Not threatening.
But serious.
"The Sanctuary didn't call you because of the bond."
Adrian frowned.
"Then why?"
The answer came quietly.
Directly.
"Because of what happened when you passed the Threshold."
Silence.
The mark pulsed.
Hard.
The man's eyes dropped briefly toward it.
Then back to Adrian.
"Something changed that day."
"I know."
"No."
The man shook his head.
"You don't."
For the first time since appearing—
There was genuine concern in his expression.
"You think the Threshold judged you."
Adrian frowned.
"It did."
"Yes."
A pause.
"Then it made a choice."
The forest suddenly felt colder.
Adrian didn't like where this was going.
"What choice?"
The man looked toward the mountains.
Toward the Sanctuary.
Toward the waiting Watchfires.
Then he answered.
"The Threshold has never allowed someone like you to leave before."
Silence.
Adrian's pulse quickened.
"What does that mean?"
The man's expression turned grim.
"It means the Sanctuary isn't waiting to judge you."
A long pause.
Then—
"It's waiting to find out what you've become."
The mark flared.
A sharp pulse of silver-black light.
The vision shattered instantly.
The forest disappeared.
Reality snapped back.
Adrian stumbled.
Cold sweat covered his skin.
The campfire burned nearby.
Kai was still asleep.
Veyr was still standing watch.
Nothing had changed.
Except Adrian.
Because the warning felt real.
Terrifyingly real.
Across the mountains, the Watchfires continued to burn.
And for the first time—
Adrian wasn't sure he wanted to know what was waiting at the Sanctuary.
But it was already too late to turn back.