Aurelion stopped walking without warning.
Then—
he ran.
Not fast enough to look like panic.
Not slow enough to look casual.
Just sudden.
Iris swore. "—What the hell?!"
Elayne reacted instantly, boots striking the dirt as she followed. "Contact?"
"I don't know!" Iris snapped, already moving. "But he doesn't do that for nothing!"
They chased him off the road, past low grass and scattered stones, until Aurelion abruptly skidded to a stop beneath a wide, old tree.
And then—
he dropped.
Flat on his back.
Arms spread.
A laugh escaped his chest, quiet but genuine.
"Ahh…" he exhaled. "That's better."
Iris arrived first.
She stared down at him.
Once.
Twice.
"…You idiot."
Elayne slowed behind her, sword half-drawn—then froze.
"…Aurelion?"
He glanced up at them, eyes half-lidded, completely relaxed. "I was tired. Thought I'd lie down for a moment."
Iris' eye twitched.
"You ran," she said slowly, dangerously. "Like there was a monster behind you."
"Yeah," Aurelion replied. "So you'd follow."
Silence.
Then Iris stomped her foot into the dirt.
"You—!" She cut herself off, grinding her heel into the ground instead. "I thought you were about to get ambushed!"
Aurelion laughed again, softer this time. "Relax. The city's right there. Nothing's going to—"
He tilted his head slightly, peering up through the leaves.
"…Huh."
Elayne exhaled and sat down beneath the tree, back straight but posture easing. "If we're stopping… then a short rest is acceptable."
Iris clicked her tongue, then dropped down heavily beside them. "Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable."
Aurelion smiled, eyes closed. "See? You wanted to rest too."
"Tch."
For a few seconds, there was only wind and rustling leaves.
Aurelion stood, stretching his arms overhead. His gaze caught on a cluster of fruit hanging just above reach.
"Oh," he said. "That looks good."
He stepped closer and reached up—
FSSHHK.
Something tore through the air.
The fruit exploded into dust midair.
Sand scattered like shrapnel.
Aurelion staggered back instinctively.
Iris was on her feet in an instant. "—Contact!"
Elayne's sword cleared its sheath, stance snapping sharp.
Another hiss cut through the night.
This time, the sand struck the tree trunk where Aurelion's head had been moments before.
A figure stepped out from the shadows.
Tall.
Wrapped in layered cloth the color of dusk and dry earth. A hood shadowed his face, but his eyes gleamed pale gold beneath it.
Sand shifted unnaturally at his feet, spiraling as if alive.
He inclined his head slightly.
"Well done," the man said. "Most targets don't notice the first shot."
Iris bared her teeth. "Who the hell are you?"
The man's gaze slid past her—past Elayne—
and settled on Aurelion.
"Name's Kharis al-Zahir," he said calmly. "Assassin of the Southern Courts."
The sand around his hand condensed into sharp, needle-like shards.
"I was contracted by a kingdom that would rather not see its… new king continue walking freely."
Silence crashed down.
Iris' head snapped toward Aurelion.
"…King?"
Aurelion sighed. "We'll talk about that later."
Kharis smiled faintly.
"Oh, don't worry," he said. "You won't have time."
The sand behind him surged—
—and the night shifted from quiet to lethal.