The group exited the Ashen Library in quiet contemplation. The glow of the city lights welcomed them as twilight settled over Nareth'Mir. Along the wide stone streets, lanterns floated on silken threads, casting golden orbs across archways and courtyards. Despite the late hour, life thrived — market stalls offered skewered meats and spiced rice, laughter echoed from taverns, and the scent of sugared nuts mingled with desert blossoms.
As they stepped outside, Selmira bowed lightly to them. "This is where I leave you," she said softly. "The library is eternal, but moments like these are not. May your path forward remain guided."
"Thank you," Kael replied. "For everything."
Selmira nodded once, then turned back toward the library's shadowed gate, vanishing within.
As they walked through the city, marveling at its beauty, Sylvi whispered, "It feels unreal. Like the city itself doesn't sleep."
Ayra smirked. "That's what happens when people feel safe. They forget the world is cruel."
They stopped at a bustling food plaza, where a rooftop diner overlooked the plaza below. They took a table under hanging lights. Plates of roasted lamb, saffron bread, and dates glazed with honey were soon spread before them. Fenric reached for the food quickly — too quickly — and his elbow struck the edge of the low stone table with a sharp crack.
"Skies!" he winced, pulling back with a groan. "I think I cracked something."
Niera stood up immediately and knelt beside him. "You idiot. You always rush like a storm."
Sylvi moved quickly to his side, placing her glowing hands over his wrist. A warm light spread across the bruised skin. "It's not broken," she said after a moment. "But I've dulled the pain. You'll still feel it — and you'll need rest."
Fenric groaned. "I'm not a child."
"Well, someone has to feed you now," Ayra said with a smirk.
Niera blushed. "I'm not— I mean, only this once."
She picked up a piece of bread, trying to feed him. Fenric leaned away stubbornly. "No. Absolutely not. I can eat myself."
"You can't use your right hand," Ayra pointed out.
"Then I'll use my pride."
Sylvi giggled. Niera finally slipped him a bite, and he muttered curses under his breath as everyone else laughed.
"Thought you were tough," Niera murmured.
"I am," Fenric grunted. "Just... bruised, not broken."
"Your ego or your arm?" Sylvi teased.
As they were finishing their meal, Selmira appeared at the foot of their table, brushing her hood back gently.
"I thought I might see you again," she said warmly.
"Selmira?" Kael blinked. "Didn't you return to the library?"
"I left shortly after. Even librarians need to eat," she said, joining them at the edge of the table.
The conversation naturally shifted back to the memory they had seen within the library — the Anvil of Impossible Shape, also known as the Paradox Forge.
Kael leaned forward. "The more I think about it… that forge wasn't just crafting weapons. It was enforcing logic into reality — shaping rules. The very principles of paradox were being set in motion."
Ayra nodded. "Each strike felt like it was stitching a contradiction into the fabric of the world. Like giving the impossible a skeleton."
Sylvi's voice was low. "I felt it too. The way it vibrated through us… like it wasn't meant to be witnessed, but we did."
Selmira listened intently. "The Paradox Forge is whispered in the deeper texts, though most dismiss it as myth. It is said that to strike upon it is to reshape not what is — but what must never be. A paradox forced into form."
Fenric grinned, despite his wrapped arm. "Well, guess we can stop reading. We saw it. Not to brag, but that's twice now we've been tangled with impossible things. Met two Archefracta even."
Selmira blinked. "I know only that they exist. Their names and nature are lost to the records — veiled by time."
Kael gave a faint nod. "One was Velmira. We saw her at the tournament. The Sealed Warden. The other… Zephan. We only know his name, not what he can do."
Selmira took that in with a quiet breath. "Then you're walking threads the rest of us only study. Be careful. The more paradoxes you touch, the less reality might forgive."
After their meal, Selmira stood and offered a polite nod. "May your journey remain whole."
"You're leaving again?" Niera asked.
"I belong to the scrolls," Selmira replied with a light smile. "But I'm glad I got to see you one more time."
She turned and walked off into the lantern-lit street, leaving only the scent of old parchment and dusk behind.
Rather than return to Saerion's estate, which was distant across the noble ring, the group chose to stay at a nearby luxury inn — Niera's insistence. The inn shimmered with polished onyx floors and curtains woven from starweave. The girls were given a spacious room with mirrored lanterns and a hot bath. The boys were directed to the opposite wing.
As Sylvi and Ayra settled in, Ayra gave Niera a sidelong glance. "You know, for someone so concerned about Fenric, you fuss over him quite a lot."
Niera rolled her eyes. "He's hopeless. Anyone would."
Sylvi raised a brow. "Anyone?"
Niera's cheeks flushed. "It's not like that!"
Ayra laughed. "You're easy to read."
"I am not!"
"Blushing again," Sylvi teased.
Niera covered her face with a pillow. "I hope he chokes on his pride."
Meanwhile, in the boys' room, Kael lay on one of the soft beds, staring out the tall window. The statue at the city's heart could be seen from there — unmoving, eternal, silhouetted by silver moonlight. His fingers drifted to the rune near his belt. It hadn't pulsed again. But it was waiting.
Fenric, now lying on his side with a blanket pulled up, spoke lazily, "Close the window, Kael. It's cold."
Kael nodded slowly. "Just… one more minute."
Fenric blinked, then smirked faintly. "You always stare at that statue like it's gonna speak to you."
Kael's voice was quiet. "Sometimes… it feels like it might."
The wind whispered outside, tugging faintly at the curtains. The boys drifted into silence.
Outside, the city of paradoxes slept — as if it had never known ruin.