[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/MEEvh6i.png[/img][/center] [hr][hr][sub][b]Location:[/b] Eye of the Beholder > Seluna Temple[/sub] [hr][hr] [color=DC561E][i]Keep moving.[/i][/color] Kira slipped from the tavern without a glance back, her pace deliberately casual. [color=DC561E][i]Keep. [b]Fucking.[/b] Moving.[/i][/color] Venom laced every corner of her mind. Despite the turmoil searing her from the inside, she kept her expression carefully neutral. Hidden within coat pockets, her fists curled into tight fists—nails digging painful crescents into her palms. A relief. Something that demanded focus. Something to erase the feeling of [i]Katherine’s[/i] fingers sliding against hers. Something to keep from turning back and snapping her neck. Beyond the town square, free from the suffocating weight of the tavern, a shaky breath escaped past her lips. Pain splintered through her chest, burning white hot inside her lungs. She gasped—sharp and short—then clamped her mouth shut. Another gasp threatened to tear apart her composure, but she strangled it down, pressing a hand to her chest. [color=DC561E][i]Weak.[/i][/color] Her steps faltered, the hand over her chest gripping into the fabric of her coat. Stopping in the middle of the road, she turned to look down the torchlit path she’d come. The tavern loomed far in the distance. Bright, warm and welcoming. Her jaw clenched. She bit back the urge to think of Katherine—of what was to come, of everything she’d ever lost. Anger surged in time with her breath. She leaned into it. Let it wrap its familiar arms around her. Let it clear her mind and strengthen her backbone. Releasing the grip on her coat, she turned her palm over and examined the shallow cuts where her nails had bit. Blood welled within the gouges. For a few beats, she stared—eyes glazing over, expression hardening. A plan forming. Reaching inward, she tugged the invisible thread that bound her to the Lunarian guard. Followed it until she felt his emotions, heard his thoughts—saw through his eyes. As expected, he’d done exactly as she’d instructed. Waiting like a dog, pathetically sat on her doorstep, snow-dusted from the time he’d mindlessly wasted there. She wrapped herself around his psyche, sinking poisonous claws into all the frail parts of his subconscious. His mind sparked—pain registered, a flicker of confusion, a twitch of fear, and then… relaxation. Submission. A single silent command pulsed down the thread. He rose. She tossed their bond aside, snapping back into her own body—and tried to ignore the echo of his uncertainty lingering like a parasite in the back of her mind. Lifting her gaze, she studied a fork in the road. One path led further west, into quiet neighborhood streets. Another diverged south, toward the temple of Seluna. She exhaled slowly, forcing her nerves to calm with each drawn out second. An eerily quiet minute passed—choices weighed. Then, she turned south. Each step fed the fire in her chest until it no longer burned. It stabilized. Fury had often been an ally. It gave purpose. A path made clear within the chaos. A home to tuck herself away in. But as the temple neared, Kira’s stride slowed. Awareness rippled through her—a group of heartbeats in the distance, a scent standing far above the rest. Familiar. Tempting. Dangerous. Her pupils dilated. Thoughts fractured between desire and discipline. Elara was close. As the group came into view, Kira locked her gaze forward. The handmaiden stood off the main path, flanked by two guards and two women Kira didn’t recognize—one unmistakably blight-born. For the briefest moment her gaze flicked to Elara, but she wrenched it forward again, refusing to stray from the path. If fury could not overcome the curse of her rebirth, then distance would be her shield. The doors to the Seluna temple loomed ahead, dark, barely touched by the moon's light. By the time she reached them, the fire in her chest had cooled into something quieter—sharper. She pushed them open and slipped inside. Across the inner chamber, the moon pool shimmered beneath the open dome, swallowing each snowflake that drifted onto its surface. The air inside was frigid and damp, carrying the mineral tang of still water—and the stench of death. Kira’s gaze swept the room. Two bodies lay to the far left, hidden beneath a dark sheet. Otherwise, the temple appeared to be empty. Stepping forward, her gaze flicked back to the moon pool. In front of it, Kira gracefully lowered herself onto her knees, tucking her legs beneath her. She rested her hands atop her thighs, posture straight, gaze fixed on the still water. [color=DC561E]“May she strip us of the shadows we carry.”[/color] she whispered, barely audible despite the silence. Expressionless, she began to unbutton her coat. When finished, she folded it neatly and set it to her right. Then her shirt, laid on top. From her waistband she withdrew a dagger, placing that carefully over top. Each motion unhurried and deliberate. Rising to her feet with ritual grace, she began removing her boots. Then her pants. Another dagger hidden at her ankle. Lastly, her undergarments. Each item folded neatly beside the other stack of clothing and weapon. Completely naked, her skin prickled as the cold bit into her pale skin. Tilting her head back, she gazed up through the dome. The moon lingered high above, a pale blur behind thick cloud cover. [color=DC561E]“Grant us the strength to endure what has come… and what is yet to pass.”[/color] Her eyes lowered back to the pool. Her reflection stared back, the glow of her fire-bright eyes haloed by the temples surrounding candlelight. Once, Seluna’s temples had been sacred to her. When Aelios offered her no salvation, this became her refuge. A sanctuary to clear her mind and center herself. At times she still yearned for the vast temple in the capital. But now… Her tongue ran over the sharp edges of her fangs. Elara’s face intruded her mind. She shoved the thought down. Seluna would undoubtedly deny her entry now. Priests and Priestesses’ would beg for their lives or command her to end her own life if she sought to honor their Goddess. Or turn her over to the bounty hunters. Kira had not come to the temple since arriving in Dawnhaven. Out of respect. Out of fear. But now… Without hesitation, Kira stepped forward and submerged herself into the pool. Ice swallowed her whole. She stifled the gasp that tore at her throat, forcing herself to sink until the water brushed her chin. Pain speared every inch of her body, needles stabbing deep as her muscles contracted. Her body screamed to escape, but she fought against instinct. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to focus on the rhythm of her breath. Inhale through the nose. Hold. Exhale slow. Again. And again. Until the panic waned and the shivers steadied. Only then did she open her eyes. Calmer—numb—she leaned back against the stone rim and tilted her head back. Gazing up, she watched the snowflakes descend to meet her. And waited.