The Celestial Temple rose before Lia like a prayer made manifest in white marble and gold. Today's mission seemed simple: deliver sacred texts recovered from smugglers back to the temple archives. But as she climbed the gleaming steps, an inexplicable nervousness fluttered in her chest.

  "Lady Allura." A temple acolyte bowed. "High Priest Ezra awaits you in the meditation chamber."

  The st time she'd seen Ezra was at a court ceremony months ago, where she'd successfully avoided direct interaction. Now, there was no escape.

  She found him in a circur room bathed in rainbow light from stained gss windows. His brown hair, streaked with gold, caught the colors as he turned to face her. Amber eyes met hers, and she felt a jolt of... something. Recognition? Impossible.

  "Lady Allura." His voice was gentle, melodious. "Thank you for returning our sacred texts."

  She held out the wrapped bundle, but as their fingers brushed during the exchange, Ezra inhaled sharply. His eyes widened, pupils diting as if seeing something beyond the physical realm.

  "Your soul," he whispered. "It's... from elsewhere."

  Ice flooded her veins. First Raven, now Ezra – why could everyone see through her?

  "I don't know what you mean," she managed.

  "Please, sit." He gestured to meditation cushions. "I mean no harm. The divine gift allows me to perceive souls, and yours... it carries echoes of another world entirely."

  Lia sank onto a cushion, exhausted by constant pretense. "Are you going to expose me?"

  "Expose what? That you're not who you appear to be?" His smile was kind. "The temple teaches that souls journey through many lives, many worlds. Who am I to judge where yours has been?"

  Relief made her shoulders sag. "You're the second person to see through me."

  "May I?" He extended his hands, palm up. "A simple meditation technique. It might ease your burden."

  Hesitantly, she pced her hands in his. Warmth spread from the contact, and suddenly she felt... lighter. As if a weight she hadn't realized she carried began to lift.

  "Breathe with me," he instructed softly.

  As they synchronized their breathing, images fshed through her mind – memories of her past life. Hospitals, books, a world of technology and different rules.

  "Fascinating," Ezra murmured. "Your world had machines that think? And carriages that moved without horses?"

  She opened her eyes in surprise. "You can see that?"

  "Only impressions. But enough to understand why you seem so lost here." His thumbs traced soothing circles on her palms. "The loneliness you carry... it resonates with my own."

  "Your loneliness?"

  His expression grew distant. "The divine gift sets us apart. I've touched thousands of souls but never truly connected with any. Until now." He focused on her again. "Your soul speaks to mine in ways I've never experienced. As if we're both strangers in this world, seeking home."

  Tears pricked her eyes. "I miss things I can't even expin to people here. Music from my world, foods that don't exist, concepts that have no words..."

  "Tell me," he urged. "Let me understand."

  For the next hour, she shared fragments of her past life – carefully edited to avoid revealing the novel or System. She described phones as "boxes that let people talk across distances" and cars as "metal carriages powered by refined oil." Ezra listened with rapt attention, occasionally asking questions that showed his genuine desire to understand.

  "Your world sounds both wonderful and terrifying," he said finally. "But I think... I think your soul chose to come here for a reason."

  "What reason?"

  He squeezed her hands gently. "Perhaps to teach us that change is possible. That even those with the darkest reputations can choose light." His gaze held hers. "Or perhaps to help lonely souls find connection across impossible distances."

  The air between them charged with unspoken meaning. Lia felt drawn to his warmth, his acceptance, the spiritual bond forming between them.

  "I should go," she said reluctantly, pulling her hands away. "But... may I return? To meditate?"

  "Please do." He rose with her. "And Lia – that is your true name, isn't it? – know that you have a sanctuary here. Whatever burdens you carry, you needn't bear them alone."

  As she left the temple, her heart felt simultaneously lighter and heavier. Lighter from sharing her truth, heavier from the growing complications of her emotions.

  "Divine connection established," ALICE noted that evening. "Ezra path initiated. Warning: Spiritual bonds may transcend physical limitations. Proceed with caution."

  But caution felt impossible when she'd finally found someone who understood the ache of being dispced between worlds.