Ophelia's Point of View
Viahar was nothing like the temple.
It breathed. It pulsed. It stank of metal, spices, perfumes, and horse dung. Crowds swirled like rivers through cobbled streets. Carriages raced past glowing lanterns. Street vendors shouted about roasted meat and silk scarves, while nobles paraded by with jeweled collars and empty smiles.
I'd never seen so much life compressed into so little space.
Kael nudged my shoulder, a grin tugging at his lips as he watched me spin in place, wide-eyed. "First time in a real city?"
I nodded, pulling my hood lower. "It's… overwhelming."
"I figured." Hesmirked. "Which is why you're gonna need a guide."
He turned and walked ahead a few paces, then added casually, "Of course, it'll cost you."
I blinked. "Cost me… what?"
Kael stopped and turned back toward me. "Money."
"…Money?"
He tilted his head, clearly amused. "You don't know what money is?"
I hesitated. "I've heard of it… but in the temple, everything was bartered or given in faith. And in Hay—" I stopped myself, cheeks flushing. "In my old place… we didn't need it."
Kael stared for a moment. "Right. 'Cause everyone lives off sunshine and spiritual vibes."
I didn't respond.
Horace meowed on my shoulder, his tail flicking against my back. Kael gave him a quick glance, then stretched lazily.
"Well, sweetheart, here in the city, everything has a price—food, beds, information, me.You want help getting into the palace or the archives, you're gonna need coin."
I looked down at my hands, unsure.
He was right. I had nothing. Not even the satchel anymore—it had been left behind on the trail when the Lurkers attacked.
Then… a terrible idea struck me.
I gently lifted Horace off my shoulder and held him out to Kael.
"Then… takehim."
Kael blinked.
"I don't have gold," I said. "But Horace is clever. Loyal. He'll be worth something, yes?"
Horace looked up at me, completely still. His golden eyes wide. His ears drooped slightly.
He knew.
"Are you seriously trying to sell your cat to me?" Kael asked, raising a brow.
"I—" My voice cracked. "I just… I don't know what else to offer."
Kael stared for a long second.
Then burst out laughing.
"Oh gods, you're serious." He ran a hand through his hair, still chuckling. "You really were raised under a rock."
Horace sulked away and flopped dramatically against Kael's boot, tail flicking in betrayal.
Kael nudged him gently, still grinning. "Don't worry, furball. You're too grumpy for resale."
Then he looked at me again—this time, more gently.
"Keep your cat. And your weird noble-temple-holy backstory. I'll help you. No charge."
I frowned. "Why?"
Kael shrugged. "Maybe I'm curious. Maybe I'm bored. Or maybe… I just wanna see what kind of trouble you'll get into."
I blinked. "…Thankyou."
Horace meowed softly, hopping back into my arms, nose nuzzling under my chin like he forgave me—but only barely.
Kael slung his sword across his back. "Come on, Feather. Let's find you some real clothes, and maybe not look like you just crawled out of a crypt."
I followed him.
And for the first time in a long while…
I didn't feel so alone.
The city of Viahar was beautiful—almost intoxicating in its splendor. But beneath the marble fountains, golden archways, and glistening palace spires…
It breathed lies.
Kael led me through the lower districts first. The part of the city no noble liked to speak of. The streets here weren't clean and cobbled—they were cracked and dirt-worn, lined with rusted gutters and crooked stalls. Children darted barefoot between carts. Women with tired eyes bartered scraps of cloth for bruised fruit. Old men sat silently on wooden crates, watching the world forget them.
This wasn't what I imagined when I pictured the capital.
"This is still Yeneva," Kael said, noticing the stunned look on my face. "Same city. Just depends where you're standing."
I stayed quiet for a while.
Then whispered, "Why does no one help them?"
Kael gave a humorless chuckle. "Help? This city only helps those who shine. Everyone else? You either climb or you sink."
"But… the royal family. The priests. They speak of unity. Prosperity."
Kael looked over his shoulder, one brow raised. "Yeah. They speak it. Doesn't mean they live it."
His words cut deep.
Was this what the Higher Being wanted me to see?
I passed a woman in rags sitting by the wall. Her child clung to her chest, too quiet for someone so small.
She met my gaze.
And smiled.
A soft, worn-out smile, as if to say It's all right. This is life now.
I felt something cold slip into my chest. Kael introduced with different people, Surprisingly he knows a lot of people and one of them offered me to stay in their inn for free.
By the third day, I saw the other side of the coin.
Kael took me to the upper tiers of the city—where fountains spilled wine, not water. Where laughter was loud and hollow. Where people wore gold on their teeth and looked down on the hungry below like ants.
Here, the city was a dream.
Lavish and sunlit.
Servants bowed. Musicians played. Masks were worn—not just on faces, but in hearts.
I listened to a noblewoman talk about silk while a child begged just beyond the gates.
I watched a merchant pour out food because it didn't look perfect enough to sell.
And I began to understand something that no lesson in Hayva ever taught me.
The world is not divided into light and darkness.
Sometimes, they exist in the same breath.
Later that evening, I sat with Kael on a rooftop, watching the sun melt behind the towers of Viahar. Horace curled beside me, tail tucked beneath his chin.
Kael tossed me a small pouch of bread and dried fruit. "Eat. You haven't said a word in hours."
I turned the pouch over in my hands, quiet. "How do you live in this?"
"In what?"
"In a world where so much… hurts. Where people walk past suffering like it's furniture. Where kindness is rare, and justice is bought."
Kael shrugged, leaning back on his elbows. "You learn to find the little things. A good meal. A real laugh. A soft place to sleep. You don't expect the world to be kind—you just try not to make it worse."
His voice turned quieter.
"And when you find something or someone that makes it better… you hold on."
I looked at him.
Really looked at him.
Kael didn't smile. But his eyes said enough.
That night, I dreamt of Hayva.
Of white skies and golden halls.
And when I awoke…
I didn't miss it.
Not the way I thought I would.
Because this world—flawed and broken as it was—wasreal.
And for the first time in my life…
I wanted to stay in it.
The square was crowded that morning.
Kael and I had only meant to pass through, heading toward his guild. But we stopped the moment we heard the voices—shouting, murmuring, the crackle of banners in the breeze.
Then we saw the raised platform.
Two iron posts.
And a man in chains.
My blood ran cold.
"What is this?" I whispered, eyes wide.
Kael didn't answer right away. His jaw tightened, his eyes fixed forward with something unreadable in them.
"A public execution," he finally said.
My breath hitched.
"Why?"
"He was caught stealing from a noble house," Kael muttered, voice low. "Bread, they said. And some silver."
I turned to him, horrified. "Bread? They're going to kill him for bread?"
Kael didn't meet my eyes. "It's not about what he stole. It's about who he stole from."
The crowd shifted with anticipation. Some looked solemn. Others—disturbingly—eager.
Children sat on shoulders.
Vendors sold fruit just meters away.
The air felt... wrong.
The guards read out his crime. His name was lost beneath the roar of voices.
I couldn't move.
I couldn't breathe.
The man on the platform looked no older than thirty. He had a bruise across one eye, and his hands trembled as he tried to speak—but they gagged him.
When the blade was raised, the wind grew still.
And I—powerless in the sea of faces—could only bow my head.
"Higher Being…"
I pressed my palms together in prayer, the way I used to when I sat beneath the silver trees of Hayva.
"Do you see this? Do you weep for them as I do? For your children killing your children?"
Tears slipped quietly down my cheek.
"I thought I was sent here to restore balance. But the scales are drowned in blood. What balance can I bring… when mercy no longer lives in their laws?"
The sound of the blade echoed through the square like a thunderclap.
I flinched.
The crowd didn't.
Some even applauded.
I opened my eyes and looked to the sky.
It was painfully bright.
As if the world refused to mourn.
Later, I sat alone on the edge of a quiet rooftop.
Horace climbed into my lap and curled against my chest. His warmth was the only thing keeping me from unraveling.
Kael sat beside me, not saying a word. He didn't need to.
I whispered again—not a prayer this time, but a vow.
"Even if I can't save them all… I will do everything I can to make this world gentler than I found it."
And somewhere deep within me…
I felt the divine spark flicker.
Dim, but unwavering.