Salome gasped in surprise but could not tear her eyes away from the girl—even if she'd wanted to.

  It felt as if those eyes had captured her, dragging her into their depths with an irresistible pull, swallowing her whole. A flood of emotions erupted within Salome, lasting merely the fraction of a heartbeat—short enough to doubt whether it had happened at all.

  The girl tried to say something, opening her mouth, but only a dry, raspy sigh came out. She began coughing, drawing everyone's attention to her.

  "She's awake!" Erin cried, astonished. Master Lom turned away from the shelf, staring in amazement at the girl still shaking with coughs.

  "What did you do?" he asked Salome, as though it were obvious she had something to do with this.

  She touched her head, confused. "Nothing," she said uncertainly. "She woke up by herself!" What, by the pillars, had that just been? Was her imagination running completely wild today?

  Slowly, the girl calmed down and tried to sit up.

  "Nyor, water!" Master Lom ordered quickly as Erin moved to help support the girl. Nyor hurried off and returned shortly with a half-filled clay jug, carefully handing it to the girl. When she saw the water sloshing inside, she grabbed the jug with both hands and drank greedily, nearly emptying the whole thing before another coughing fit forced her to stop.

  When she finally regained her composure, she looked around with wide eyes and asked innocently in a weak voice, "Is there something on my face? You're all staring at me so strangely. What's wrong?" She looked around again. Her eyes settled once more on Salome, but this time her gaze was different. Much... more ordinary. The look of a regular person. Salome saw surprise there, but also curiosity.

  The people standing around the bed in a semicircle were indeed all staring at her incredulously, until Master Lom composed himself and cleared his throat, somewhat embarrassed.

  "Your face is perfectly fine," he said calmly. "And in case you were wondering: You're safe, and among friends."

  The girl looked up in surprise at the large, round-bellied man, as if noticing him for the first time. "Oh," she merely said, her hand going instinctively to her neck, a habitual movement she apparently performed unconsciously. She searched for something, and when she couldn't find it, she looked down at herself anxiously.

  "Perhaps you're looking for this?" Lom asked, holding out the small necklace with the mirror. In a flash, the girl snatched it from his hand, pressing the jewelry tightly to her chest, visibly relieved. Her eyes darted nervously around, as though she feared someone might take the necklace from her again. Her bright, lively gaze contrasted starkly with her pale skin and hollow cheeks.

  "What is this place? And how did I get here?" she asked, pointing to the other beds. "Am I ill?"

  "As far as I can tell," Master Lom replied kindly, "you're perfectly fine. Perhaps just a bit weakened, but that's easy enough to fix. Still… to be absolutely certain, I'd like to examine you." He pulled a stool from beneath the bed and sat down.

  "My name is Lom, and these are Kiran, Salome, Van, Erin, and Nyor," he introduced them one by one.

  "I'm Sori," the girl said, smiling broadly. "Nice to meet you!" She looked again at Salome with her big eyes.

  "Nyor, Erin, please go check on the others," Lom said. "I'll attend to our new guest in the meantime. And you two—" he indicated Salome and Van—"go downstairs and inform Sileil that the girl has awakened. Oh, and tell her to prepare something to eat. Kiran, you stay here. It's a good opportunity to teach you something. Far too long has passed since your last lesson!"

  "Yes, Master," Kiran answered solemnly and stepped closer to the bed.

  "Oh, food sounds wonderful," said Sori cheerfully. "You can't imagine how hungry I am!"

  Nyor and Erin bowed silently to Master Lom and hurried off to resume their duties. Everyone suddenly seemed so absorbed in their tasks that Salome and Van had no choice but to obey Lom's indirect order. Hesitantly, they stepped back a few paces and headed for the exit, though Salome couldn't help repeatedly glancing over her shoulder. What was it with this girl? Was that how someone acted when waking up in a completely unknown place? Wasn't she afraid? And the way she had looked at her—the gaze that had latched onto her face, memorizing even the smallest detail as though her life depended on it...

  Sileil was delighted by the good news and immediately vanished into the kitchen to prepare a warm meal for Sori. It wasn't long before she returned, balancing a fully laden tray on one hand. Almost as if on cue, Erin came rushing down the stairs, took the tray from Sileil, and hurried back upstairs.

  Salome wondered briefly why Sileil didn't bring it up herself, but a quick glance at the sharp horns on her head answered her question. She imagined her own reaction had Sileil instead of Alin been the first person she'd seen here—she probably would have died of shock.

  After a while, Master Lom came down the stairs, followed by Kiran, seemingly deep in thought.

  "How's the girl?" Sileil asked, snapping Lom out of his musings.

  "Ah. What a lively child. Someone like her won't be easily subdued," Lom replied with a gentle smile. "Whatever brought her here, for now she seems to have found her inner equilibrium. Soon she'll regain her full strength. Yet there's something about her I can't quite place. Very mysterious." He looked toward Salome and Van.

  "Forgive me for making you wait," he said. "You've traveled far to come here, only to receive less than my full attention. It's time to remedy that."

  Salome swallowed. Finally, she'd find out what the old man wanted from them. But instead of speaking further, Lom turned toward the door.

  "Come, follow me. These matters are only meant for your ears," he added quietly, gesturing subtly with his thumb toward a horned man who appeared to be dozing by the fireplace—or at least pretending to.

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  "But Master...!" Kiran began suddenly, yet Lom turned away with a playful grin and exited the inn. Salome heard Kiran mutter a suppressed curse before hurrying after Lom. Curious, she and Van followed outside.

  “Master!” Kiran called out, trying to catch up to Lom. His voice echoed repeatedly off the tall walls surrounding them. “You can't do this! They’re strangers! You mustn't allow them into your—”

  “It's all right, Kiran,” Lom interrupted calmly. “These two are an exception.” The stout man glanced over his shoulder at Salome and Van, who were following him uncertainly.

  “But, Master…”

  “Enough.” Lom's tone remained gentle, but Salome noticed a subtle sharpness beneath it. Apparently, Kiran noticed it as well, as he immediately shut up. However, the intense glare he cast in her—and especially Van’s—direction spoke volumes.

  “Besides,” Lom continued, “these two aren't strangers; they're our honored guests. Didn't I teach you courtesy, Kiran, or am I mistaken?”

  Kiran stared at the robed man incredulously for a moment before lowering his gaze humbly. “Forgive me. I didn't mean to question your decision.” While walking, he turned toward Salome and Van, offering them an apologetic nod.

  “Exactly, Kiran, we're your guests—so behave,” Van mocked with a superior grin. Salome jabbed him in the ribs with enough force to make him groan.

  “It's fine, we're not upset with you,” she sighed.

  Master Lom, observing them from the corner of his eye, laughed aloud. “I see you're getting along splendidly!”

  Van rubbed his side, grumbling under his breath.

  Lom led them along the cobblestone street for a while until Salome glimpsed the tower she'd climbed recently with Sileil. It loomed above the city as if aiming to pierce the distant stone ceiling. Abruptly, Lom changed direction, entering a narrow alley Salome hadn't noticed before.

  As she followed him, a strange gloom enveloped her, as if a silken veil had been drawn around them.

  With every step, it grew quieter.

  Even the distant flapping of pigeons' wings seemed increasingly surreal, as though she'd imagined the gentle fluttering all along.

  The ornate facades gradually turned into bare stone walls; instead of welcoming entrances, there were only inconspicuous back doors and scarce windows. Salome began glancing around nervously, searching for a broader street. It felt as though she were no longer in Adamer, but in some place... behind the city.

  The evening-colored light barely penetrated this forgotten realm of twilight. Frequently, they had to clamber over rubble, skirt around collapsed arches or ledges, and duck beneath crumbling walls clearly gnawed by the tooth of time. As everywhere in Adamer, there were no plants here—no weeds sprouting between cracked paving stones, no moss climbing walls in damp shadows. It felt as though they were wandering through the memory of a city, through the slowly crumbling image of a reality long past. A petrified moment, anchored in the present by an unseen force.

  Eventually, Van broke the silence. “Master Lom, may I ask you something?” He hesitated briefly before continuing, “It's been on my mind for a while now, but… there are stories. Tales of spirits of misfortune, devils who look like humans but with horns and pale skin. Those people in the inn... these stories are about them, aren't they? What are they exactly? What's this curse? Sileil mentioned you might know something about it.”

  The Master gave Van a thoughtful look, stroking his pointed beard. “Hmm,” he murmured, “I wondered when you'd finally ask me that. Of course, it's an obvious question. The answer, however…” Salome strained to listen, eager for an explanation herself. Had Van not asked, she would have.

  Lom stepped off the staircase they'd been ascending and entered a small courtyard. Here, his deep voice seemed to resonate from all directions at once.

  “Tell me, do you know that feeling of being somewhere you don't belong? As if every house, room, chair, plate, table, window and door rejects you, closing themselves against you—as if the world and everything in it turn their backs, silently telling you you're not supposed to be there?”

  Salome almost stumbled at his words but awkwardly tried to disguise her misstep. A quick glance in Lom’s direction, however, revealed he had noticed her reaction. Van appeared contemplative, but Lom nodded knowingly and continued.

  “Many people wrestle with this feeling, though in some ways, it's not always negative. It encourages them to look afar, seeking the unknown, searching for a place where they'll be welcomed. If they possess the necessary strength, sooner or later, they'll move on, toward new horizons. Humans strive. The spirit grows, the heart thrives. That's human nature.” He paused, allowing his words to sink in.

  “However, sometimes this alienation—this feeling of being misplaced—is unnatural.” His voice became grave and hard. “Some call it fate, others a curse, but in the end, those affected are forever doomed to wander. If they linger in one place too long, strange occurrences begin. The longer they remain, the worse it gets. It's as if the world itself rejects them.”

  For a while, he walked silently through the twilight. Van and Salome waited anxiously for him to speak again.

  “You see,” Master Lom eventually continued, “this world is a constant river. It changes continually. But the human soul flows as well, at its own pace, independent from external events. Usually, people adapt their inner worlds to their surroundings, matching their steps to the rhythm of time, fitting in like puzzle pieces.

  But what happens if someone loses control over their inner flow? If they're torn from the world's current, as though they never belonged? Even worse, what if their internal current begins to influence and distort reality itself?”

  Lom sighed deeply. “I've observed this strange phenomenon for a long time, concluding it's an illness—a soul anomaly, an inconsistency of the hidden power inhabiting the depths of all things. All these strange events, this misfortune, are the result of an imbalance between the world's flow and the souls cut off from it. The unnatural appearance of these lost individuals seems to be a side effect of this disease.”

  “How is that possible?” Van asked, visibly disturbed.

  “By all rights, it shouldn't be,” Lom replied. “I searched extensively for the cause of this inconsistency and stumbled upon something one might call… assistance.”

  “Really? So the curse—or illness—can be cured?” Salome asked, astonished.

  “Well, I've yet to achieve a complete cure,” Lom murmured somewhat sadly. “It’s a fairly new phenomenon, barely a century old. But I found a way to delay the symptoms and largely slow the physical transformation process. Unfortunately, this only works here, under this dome.” He glanced upward toward the distant cavern ceiling, framed by the slanted rooftops like a painting.

  “I've arranged things so all who are lost eventually find their way here, though sometimes it takes a while for my call to reach them…”

  “That's why there are Seekers,” Kiran interjected abruptly, having been silent and brooding alongside his master until now. He still looked upset, staring moodily at the cobblestones beneath his feet. “We journey from island to island, finding those who've lost control over their flow, rescuing them before they're condemned to a cruel existence as feared bearers of misfortune.” He tapped the symbol embroidered on his robe, the same one that hung in front of the Wegesend inn. “Whoever bears this symbol acts in Master Lom’s name. You’d do well to offer any of us your full cooperation.”

  Lom chuckled softly but quickly grew serious again.

  “The people you saw upstairs suffer exactly from the symptoms Kiran describes, although the physical changes have only just begun. I'm doing my best to help them, but without knowing the root cause, there's little I can do. They trust me to one day find a cure, and while waiting, they sleep—hoping to evade a life cursed by misfortune.”

  He sighed, a heavy, profound sound reflecting the weight of all those people's hopes. “Fortunately, not everyone arriving here suffers from this illness. There are exceptions whose presence is of an entirely different nature. The girl you met earlier today is a prime example. I'm genuinely curious about what brought Sori here.”

  “But doesn't that also apply to us?” Van asked. “Aren't we exceptions too, here for a specific purpose?”

  “Well observed,” Lom answered with a wink. “Indeed you are. There's a reason you two are here, and I'll explain everything once we're in my chambers.

  Don't worry, we're nearly there.”