Alucent opened his eyes to grey light filtering through the arched windows and lay still as the hum of the drive shaft overhead blended with the dull ache in his ribs. The pain was manageable now, a reminder rather than a warning. He sat up slowly, the railway suspension creaking beneath his weight while his gaze found his father's cane resting against the wall and the pouch sitting on the desk beside the drawer. He reached in and pulled out the Journal, placing it on the table where the dark leather cover remained still and the micro-runes gave no sign of activity.
He looked at it and spoke softly. "Today is the day we continue."
Then he stood and walked to the bathroom, where the water from the copper tub was warm and the soap smelled of sandalwood. When he finished he dried himself and dressed in the new suit from Heaven's Fabrics; dark grey with simple lines that fit well across his shoulders. He picked up the cane and felt the familiar weight settle into his palm, the red gem at the top catching the morning light through the window as a faint warmth pulsed through the wood, barely perceptible. He slipped the Journal into the pouch at his belt and turned toward the other bed.
John Irvilous was already dressed and standing by the window, his brown suit neat and his posture straight. He had slept in the same bed as Gryan and had risen before any of them, his hands clasped behind his back as he watched the street below.
Alucent nodded to him and then moved to Gryan's side of the bed, tapping the mechanic's shoulder gently. Gryan stirred and opened his eyes, blinking once before he sat up while his mechanical arm clicked through its calibration sequence, the rune-lines along the brass surface flickering once before steadying into their usual amber glow. Without speaking he stood and walked to the bathroom, his footsteps heavy on the floorboards and the joints of his arm whirring softly with each swing.
Alucent waited by the window with John beside him, neither speaking as the turquoise moon finished its descent and the sky beyond the glass shifted to pale blue. The rooftops of the Hinter Villages stretched below, peaceful in the morning stillness, and Alucent found himself rubbing his thumb over the Valerius Signet without thinking.
Gryan emerged fifteen minutes later dressed in his own new suit, dark blue with brass buttons and rolled his shoulder as the mechanical arm whirred and the rune-lines brightened for a moment before dimming. The three of them stood ready.
Alucent glanced toward the door and rubbed the back of his neck. The ladies should be done by now. He decided not to voice the thought and simply waited, shifting his weight from one foot to the other while the drive shaft hummed overhead.
After fifteen minutes, a knock came.
John reached the door first and opened it to find Joy standing in the passage with Raya beside her. Joy wore her deep forest green dress and her blonde hair was pulled back from her face, the faint lines at the corners of her eyes visible in the morning light. Raya wore the burgundy gown she had admired at the shop, her chestnut hair tied in a loose knot, and she was smiling with the kind of satisfaction that came from wearing something new and feeling seen in it.
Joy looked past John, her gaze finding Alucent and Gryan. "John. The cart. Where is it?"
"I brought it to the hotel garage last evening before I slept," John said, his hands clasped in front of him. "It is ready."
Joy nodded. "Good."
She turned and began walking down the passage, her boots clicking against the floor while the others fell into step behind her. John took the room keys from Alucent and Gryan and dropped them at the reception counter as they passed through the lobby, where the young woman in the wine colored suit smiled and wished them safe travels, her voice bright and practiced in the way of someone who said the same words a hundred times a day.
Outside, the morning air was cool and carried the faint metallic smell of the city. Alucent breathed it in and felt the ache in his ribs ease slightly as the freshness cleared his lungs. They stood on Gauls Avenue and waited while John walked to the hotel garage. After several minutes the cart rolled into view, the white horses moving at a steady pace with their green barding catching the light, and John sat on the driver's perch with the reins in his hands, his expression calm but watchful.
The cart stopped before them. Joy climbed in first and settled on the cushioned bench, smoothing her skirt beneath her with a practiced motion. Alucent followed and sat beside her, placing his cane between his knees while his thumb found the Signet again. Raya and Gryan took the bench opposite them, Raya's shoulder brushing against Gryan's mechanical arm as she settled in.
The moment Alucent's back touched the seat, a pressure bloomed behind his eyes. The same position. The same bench. The turquoise moonlight had fallen through these windows the night Tyranix spoke from the darkness, his voice drifting from everywhere at once while Alucent swung at empty air and bled from his nose. The Signet seemed to warm against his thumb, a faint pulse of something that might have been warning or might have been memory.
He pressed his thumb harder against the bone ring and looked out the window.
John flicked the reins and the cart began to move.
---
The journey continued smooth and quiet as the road stretched ahead through open land and the morning sun climbed higher. Alucent watched the landscape pass and felt the rhythm of the wheels against the packed dirt while the ache in his ribs pulsed with each bump. The sky was clear and the air coming through the window grew warmer as the day settled in.
Then Raya broke the silence.
She turned to Gryan and leaned forward slightly, her hazel eyes curious while her fingers traced the edge of her Weaveblade's hilt without her seeming to notice. "Gryan. If we reach Runepeaks and find that other Threadweaves are available there, what would you choose."
Gryan was quiet for a moment. He looked down at his mechanical arm and flexed the metal fingers, watching the joints move with a soft clicking sound as the rune-lines pulsed once, dimly. Alucent glanced at him and then back at Raya.
"Answer her," Alucent said with a small chuckle.
Gryan cleared his throat and looked up. "Anything that concerns steam. Or machinery." He paused and tapped his metal fingers against his knee in a slow rhythm. "I feel like my soul is already attuned to such things." He flexed the fingers once more and then let his hand rest while the rune-lines faded to a faint amber. "But I am not even sure if such a Threadweave exists."
Raya leaned back against the seat and crossed her arms, her fingers still resting near the hilt of her blade. "Well. If there is a Rune Threadweave then something pertaining to steam should exist. It makes sense."
Joy turned to Raya, her blue eyes thoughtful but carrying something else beneath the surface, something that flickered and was gone. "And you. What would you choose."
Raya thought for a while. She lay back further and stared at the ceiling of the cart, her fingers drumming against her arm before drifting to her Weaveblade again, settling on the hilt as if testing its presence. "Anything that pertains to speed. And durability. And maybe strength." She looked at Joy and her hand dropped away from the blade. "Even with speed, if there is no strength in my attacks it would not make sense. So that is what I would choose."
Joy nodded, and a small smile crossed her lips before fading. "That is clever." She folded her hands in her lap and smoothed a fold in her skirt, her gloved fingers pressing the fabric flat. "But I do not know any Threadweave apart from Rune." Her voice grew quieter and she looked down at her hands, turning them over slowly. "And I hope the Etch ritual for whatever you choose is easy for you." She paused and her fingers curled slightly, the leather creaking. "It is never easy. That is not including the other three phases."
She looked at Raya and then at Gryan, her gaze steady but her hands still curled in her lap.
"Even if I find nothing in the archives, you can continue as Rune Scribes. I would guide you through the early Threads."
Raya nodded, and her expression brightened as she sat up straighter and tucked a strand of chestnut hair behind her ear. "That would be even better than starting fresh."
Gryan grunted and rolled his shoulder, the mechanical joint clicking softly while the rune-lines flickered once. "Better to walk a known path."
The cart rolled on and the conversation eased into comfortable silence. Alucent watched the landscape through the window and listened to the steady rhythm of the horses' hooves while his thumb rubbed slow circles over the Signet.
Then John's voice called out from the driver's perch. "We are approaching the border between Shadow Vale and Iron Vale."
The words cut through the cart. Raya's hand went to her Weaveblade and her fingers curled around the hilt with an instinct that needed no thought, her knuckles whitening. Gryan's mechanical arm clicked as the joints tightened and the rune-lines pulsed once, bright and sharp, before settling into a steady amber glow. Joy straightened in her seat and her gloved hands pressed flat against her knees, the leather stretching taut over her knuckles.
Alucent felt the Signet grow warm against his thumb. A faint pressure built behind his eyes, the same pressure he felt when the Journal activated, when Record of All stirred without his consent. He pressed his thumb harder against the bone and breathed slowly.
"We should not aim for a fight. Not yet." He looked at each of them in turn, meeting their eyes. "First we stay calm. Then we talk. Only after that do we think of anything else."
He turned to Joy, and she met his gaze while her hands remained pressed against her knees.
"Is there anything we should know about this border."
Joy's voice was steady but her fingers curled against the fabric of her skirt. "I have passed through it several times. Each time I stated my business and they let me through." She glanced toward the window, toward the road ahead. "With the rumors of Hex-Waros, it may be different."
Alucent nodded and shifted his weight as the ache in his ribs flared. "Iron Vale already deals with these Waros. We barely survived the last time we were there."
Joy did not look surprised. She turned back to him and her expression was calm, but her hands had not uncurled. "I was briefed about that incident." Her voice did not waver. "We will do what is needed to reach our destination."
Raya nodded once, her jaw tight and her grip on the Weaveblade still firm. Gryan grunted and flexed his metal fingers, the rune-lines dimming and brightening with the motion.
Alucent leaned toward the front of the cart, one hand braced against the seat. "John. Move forward as if nothing is wrong. Act normal. Do not seem suspicious."
"I hear you, Sir," John said from the perch, and Alucent heard him adjust the reins with a soft snap.
---
Twenty minutes later, the border came into view.
A tall fence stretched across the road and disappeared into the distance on both sides. It was built from iron and a dark material that Alucent did not recognize, the two materials woven together in alternating bands of black and grey that rose higher as they drew closer. The Signet pulsed against his thumb, a faint warmth that matched the quickening of his heartbeat.
It represents the unity of Iron Vale and Shadow Vale, he thought. He did not know the actual details of Shadow Vale, but the name alone suggested darkness and mystery, and the fence seemed to hum with something just beyond perception.
The gate ahead was made of black iron, its surface rough and weathered with patches of rust that spread like old stains. Two guards stood before it wearing dark uniforms, and they held spears with blades that gleamed in the morning light. Their faces were shadowed beneath their helmets.
John pulled the cart to a stop, and the horses stamped their hooves against the dirt while their breath came in short, visible puffs.
One of the guards stepped forward, his spear planted in the ground with a soft thud. "State your purpose. Where are you headed."
John's voice was calm and even, unhurried. "We are adventurers. Traveling to Runepeaks for vacation. We wish to study the culture there."
The guard nodded slowly, his eyes moving over the cart like a hand passing over a surface. "And where are you coming from."
"Hinter Villages."
The two guards exchanged a look. Alucent watched them and felt his palm grow damp against the cane while the Signet's warmth seemed to spread up his thumb. Then the guards walked around the cart, one on each side, their boots crunching against the dirt. They peered through the windows and saw Alucent and Joy on one bench, Raya and Gryan on the other. Ordinary people in traveling clothes. Nothing more. No glyphs. No visible weapons beyond the Weaveblade at Raya's hip, which could belong to any traveler in dangerous lands.
The guard on Alucent's side nodded to him. "Morning."
"Morning," Alucent replied, and he kept his voice steady while his thumb pressed the Signet until the bone edge bit into his skin.
The guards finished their circuit and returned to the gate. One of them pulled a lever and the black iron doors began to swing open with a low groan of metal that vibrated through the cart's frame. John flicked the reins and the cart rolled forward, the horses' hooves clopping against the packed earth as the shadow of the gate passed over them.
As they cleared the threshold, Alucent heard one guard speak to the other. "That cart looks like one of those noble types. Perhaps from Verdant Vale."
"Yes," the second guard said. "That is true."
The gate swung shut behind them with a heavy clang that echoed across the open land, and then Alucent heard it. Laughter. The two guards were laughing as if they had shared a private joke, the sound carrying through the morning air before fading into the distance as the cart continued down the road.
John's voice called out from the perch. "We have passed through. We are inside Iron Vale now." He paused, and Alucent heard him shift in his seat. "We must follow the main road to reach Runepeaks. We cannot pass through the side streets."
Joy answered him, her voice calm but quiet. "Okay, John. That is good."
Alucent looked out the window. The landscape beyond the border was different, the trees sparse and their branches bare, the ground rocky with patches of dry grass that crunched under the wheels. The sky seemed paler here, washed out, and the road stretched ahead straight and empty while dust rose in faint clouds behind the cart.
The guards' laughter still echoed faintly in his ears. He pressed his thumb against the Signet until the warmth faded and only the cold bone remained.