"You're describing heresy," someone whispered, Kairo met their gaze. "I'm saying the truth". Seris stepped forward, "How long have you known?", the lead observer closed their eyes, "Long enough to learn that some things should not be said"
Kairo felt something settle in the chamber, a final alignment that had nothing to do with magic. "The gods give power," the observer said, "and they do it to control outcomes". No one corrected him.
The chamber felt different now, exposed. "Why?", Seris asked quietly. The observer replied, "Because unlimited intervention collapses belief, because too many miracles create expectation, because hope unmanaged becomes demand". "And people die while you pace it," Kairo said. Kairo said that remembering The Witness. "Yes", the observer replied, no defense, no apology. "Your magic is within the acceptable variance".
The phrase landed like a verdict. Kairo looked at Seris, her expression wasn't shocked, It was grimly depressing. "So that's it", Kairo said, "Magic isn't about strength or skill. It's about permission". The observer nodded, "And alignment."
Kairo's lips curved, not in humor, "Then you've built a system that collapses the moment someone starts asking questions". Silence stretched again, heavier this time. Seris gains her composure, she places her hand lightly on Kairo's arm, not to stop him, to anchor him. "You understand what this means", the observer said carefully, "If you act against alignment, you won't just fail. You'll be noticed."
Kairo thought of the child that died from the fever, of the archive's margins, of spells that unraveled politely while lives slipped through them. "I already have", he said. The observer studied him for a long moment, then inclined their head, In recognition. "Then this chamber will never deny you", they said. "But neither will it protect you".
Kael nodded. "I wouldn't trust it if it did". As they left the Threshold Chamber, the air outside felt thicker, heavier with unspoken consequences. The city's bells rang in the distance, marking another perfectly scheduled hour.
Seris walked beside him in silence until they reached the courtyard. "You just named the thing everyone failed to see", she said. Kairo exhaled slowly, "Someone was always going to."
She looked at him, really looked at him, as if recalculating the shape of the world around his presence.
"Be careful," she said. "Once you stop asking permission…",
"…every spell becomes an accusation," Kairo finished. Above them, the sky remained calm, parchment-toned and orderly. For now, but somewhere beyond sight, beyond that calm sky, thing's vast had just noticed a one variable was acting up.