The square emptied slowly.
Life returned to its usual rhythm.
But Lira didn't feel calm.
"Cost us something…" she whispered.
"I don't like how that sounds."
Kael felt her unease through the bond.
Grayhaven doesn't take lightly, his intent replied. Neither should we.
The scarred woman led them away from the square, deeper into the city.
The streets here were quieter.
Older.
They stopped in front of a low stone building with no signs.
"This is where disputes end," the woman said.
"Not with blades. With choices."
Inside, the air felt heavy.
Two people stood in the center of the room.
A man and a woman.
Both angry.
Both tired.
The Seer leaned close.
"This is not about right or wrong," he murmured.
"It's about consequence."
The woman spoke first, voice shaking.
"He took my brother. Sold him to the Empire."
The man snapped back.
"He was already gone! I just survived!"
Lira's chest tightened.
She felt both of them through the bond
fear, guilt, anger tangled together.
The scarred woman turned to Kael and Lira.
"You will not judge," she said.
"You will decide what Grayhaven does."
Lira froze.
"Us?"
"Yes," the woman replied.
"You carry a bond that balances force and care.
We want to see if you can balance people."
Kael felt the weight immediately.
If we choose wrong…
People would suffer.
Lira closed her eyes for a moment.
She didn't search for answers in fear.
She listened.
To the bond.
To the space between the two people.
Then she spoke.
"No punishment," she said softly.
"But no forgiveness yet."
The room stilled.
She continued, voice steady.
"He works to repay what he broke.
She decides when the debt is paid."
The scarred woman studied her.
"Hard," she said.
"But fair."
The man lowered his head.
The woman didn't smile
but she nodded.
The tension eased.
Outside, Lira's hands shook.
"That felt worse than fighting," she admitted.
Kael took her hands.
Because people don't heal cleanly, his intent replied.
The scarred woman watched them closely.
"You didn't choose power.
You chose responsibility."
She turned away.
"That's the cost of staying."
Lira leaned into Kael as they walked back into the noise of the city.
Grayhaven hadn't asked them to win.
It had asked them to carry weight.
And now
They were bound to more than just each other.