The words about the nameless lingered long after the knock faded, settling into the chamber like a second, invisible presence. No alarms followed, no collapsing wards or screaming sigils, only that unsettling calm that came when systems older than reason adjusted themselves without asking permission.
"I will come along," Selene said, but the person on the other side of the door sighed.
"My lady, the royal family is taking a look into it themselves, but they request your presence, they wanted to discuss something," he added, and her brows furrowed in confusion as he left without another word.
Selene dismissed the projection with a sharp gesture, the crystalline shard dissolving back into inert glass in her palm. She closed her fingers around it as if containing more than light, then turned to the girl, her expression already locked back into command.
"We are done here," Selene said. "For tonight, I will go and tend to my duties."
"For tonight," the girl echoed, though the words tasted strange. Tonight felt like something that should have marked an ending, but instead it had carved a deeper beginning and she could not understand why she felt weird.
They did not speak as Selene guided her through a series of corridors that bent subtly in ways the eye could not track, passages meant to confuse intruders and comfort those who belonged. The deeper they moved into the headquarters, the quieter the world became, until even the distant hum of the city felt muted, as though the stone itself were listening.
The girl's thoughts refused to settle. Every step echoed with the names Selene had spoken, with the image of the priestess bound between life and sealing, and with the presence that had noticed her not from below, but from somewhere unclaimed. Her core pulsed steadily now, no longer resisting, and no longer flaring, simply… waiting.
Selene stopped before a reinforced door etched with personal wards rather than institutional ones. With a brief gesture, she unlocked it.
"We added a few touches to your room, the room is shielded independently from the lower networks," Selene said. "Nothing beneath the city can hear you here. And nothing outside the city can see in."
The girl studied her. "That's supposed to make me feel better?"
"It should," Selene replied honestly. "Because it means this is the last place where you are not being measured."
The door opened soundlessly and she looked around to see what changes they made.
The room beyond was sparse but not cold, stone walls softened by low, steady illumination, the window was now smaller, cut impossibly into the depth of the structure, showing not the streets but the sky above the city, distant and hazed by wards. Her bed wss switched to a larger one and was rested against one wall, simple but well-kept.
Selene paused at the threshold. "Get some rest," she said. "Whatever shifted tonight will not move openly until it understands you better. And neither will we."
The girl tilted her head slightly. "You're afraid of making the wrong move."
"Yes," Selene admitted without hesitation. "And so should you be."
She turned to leave, then hesitated. "Tomorrow changes things," she added. "Whether you're ready or not."
The door closed behind her, seals sliding into place with a muted finality.
Alone, the girl exhaled slowly and crossed the room, sitting on the edge of the bed. The silence pressed in, heavy but not hostile. For the first time since the relay chamber, the whisper did not stir. The presence from beyond did not brush her awareness. Even the nameless weight beneath the city seemed distant, as if restrained by something other than chains.
She lay back, staring at the ceiling, tracing faint hairline fractures in the stone with her eyes. Sleep came reluctantly, broken and shallow, filled with fragments rather than dreams: the priestess's gaze turning toward her without accusation, a city burning without flame, a hand reaching for hers through layers of light and restraint.
When morning came, it arrived without ceremony, she jolted awake when a soft knock broke through the last remnants of restless sleep.
She sat up immediately, her senses sharp.
The door opened at Selene's command, and she stepped inside already armored, her presence filling the room with quiet authority. There was no tension in her posture now, only resolve.
"I went to visit the royals. After last night's incident, it seems like they learned a little bit of you, not too much, just what I wanted them to and they have made their decision," Selene said.
The girl swung her legs over the side of the bed and wiped her eyes, trying to wake up. "That was fast."
"They've been deciding since the relay responded to you," Selene replied. "Last night only removed their excuses."
She studied the girl for a moment, eyes assessing not her power but her steadiness. Whatever she saw seemed to satisfy her.
"You're being summoned," Selene continued. "Not as a prisoner. Not as an asset." A pause. "As a subject of interest."
"That's supposed to be reassuring?"
Selene allowed herself a faint, humorless smile. "It means they don't know what to do with you yet."
She turned toward the door. "Come. The royal authority is convened. The king and queen will be present. So will the inner council."
The girl rose to her feet, her core stirring in quiet anticipation rather than fear. She grabbed a few new pieces of clothing and went to freshen up, while Selene leaned against the wall, her eyes trailing the girl's body.
Her eyes lingered on the girl's tail, and when she turned and saw Selene staring, her cheeks went slightly red and she threw her towel at her.
Selene chuckled as she caught it, a smirk playing at her lips. "I am just appreciating the view."
Hearing her shameless words, the girl scoffed and went to freshen up and Selene smiled. After a little while, she finished getting ready, both of them left her room, heading to the throne room.
Whatever had noticed her, whatever waited beneath or beyond the city, this was another threshold, one she could not avoid by staying still and this meeting could decide her fate if she does not play her cards right.