When the kiss ended, Kleo stared at him, her eyes alight with an emotion mirroring feelings of wonder and fear.

  “Jack,” she whispered, her hand resting against his cheek. “I don’t know what all this means. But I know we were meant to be here—we were meant to find each other.”

  Jack drew back, his eyes meeting Kleo’s with a steady, serious gaze.

  “I have questions,” he began, his tone gentle but resolute. “A lot of questions. It feels like you’ve dropped a thousand puzzle pieces before me, and I must figure out how they fit together to see the whole picture. Is that okay?”

  Kleo was silent for a moment, her eyes searching his face.

  “Yes,” she replied at last, “I expected this. I want you to understand—no, I need you to understand. But there are some things I can’t answer… not yet. If I tried, you’d end up with a thousand puzzles instead of one.”

  She hesitated, then added, “Jack, I need you to trust me.”

  Jack took a deep breath. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  He started with the most straightforward question. “First… Astiria is real?”

  Kleo gave a small, tight smile. “Yes, it’s real. It's complicated, but it's real.”

  Jack sighed, already sensing what a long night it would be.

  “All right. Astiria exists. And you and Rugr are from Astiria?”

  Her face brightened. “Yes, we’re from Astiria.”

  “And were you and Rugr planning to take me to Astiria?”

  Her expression clouded. She bit her lip, brushing a stray lock of hair from her eyes.

  “No. We were heading to a port city called Balta. We had something important to deliver, something meant for a ship’s captain.”

  “So,” Jack pressed, “you were taking me to Astiria after a stop in Balta?”

  She winced, drawing in a slow breath.

  “No, Jack. We've never been on a path to Astiria.”

  She looked at him, apology in her eyes, aware of the disappointment her words would bring.

  “So… you and Rugr were lying to me,” Jack said, a touch of hurt creeping into his voice. “And then, after the wagon broke down, you continued lying to me?”

  Kleo’s shoulders slumped, his words striking a chord. She could see the disappointment on his face, and it pained her.

  “Yes,” she admitted, her voice a whisper. “We both lied… and I continued the lie.”

  Jack waited, his silence pressing her to explain.

  “Rugr and I left Astiria for a purpose. There was something we needed to handle, something important.”

  She glanced at him, her eyes clouded with an unreadable emotion.

  “While in the village, Rugr heard about a stranger seeking Astiria. Our people are very protective of our secrets. The usual response to anyone trying to find us is to ensure they don’t.”

  Jack’s voice hardened. “So Rugr planned to lure me away from Astiria? Either kill me or have me shanghaied?”

  “Yes. The original plan was to offer you a ride and turn you over to the shipmaster in Balta. He would… handle you from there. Less blood on our hands.”

  She hesitated.

  “Rugr would have killed you if he’d thought it simpler. But handing you over was easier, less… personal.”

  “At first,” she admitted, “you were just someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. But then… I saw you. And I knewyou. And everything changed. I had to create a new plan—my plan. I had to keep Rugr in the dark as long as I could.”

  She swallowed.

  “Sabotaging the wagon was the only way I could think of to create that chance.”

  Jack frowned, his confusion evident.

  “I don’t understand how sabotaging the wagon would help you—or us, I guess.”

  Kleo raised a hand to stop him before he could continue.

  “Let me explain.”

  She took a steadying breath.

  “Everything happened so fast. I needed a plan but didn’t have time to think it through. If I’d tried to explain things to Rugr, he would’ve expected me to have a solution—and I had none. He would’ve insisted we go to Balta, and I knew that was a terrible idea. I couldn’t tell him everything, so… I sabotaged the wagon.”

  Jack opened his mouth, but she cut him off.

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  “Please, let me finish.”

  “Rugr is smart. He’d know I caused the accident; the only possible reason would be you. To him, you were a random person. But based on my actions and how well he knows me, he’d realize the truth—that I was experiencing something my kind calls Kadas Shadoom.”

  “Kadas Shadoom?” Jack repeated, stumbling over the unfamiliar words.

  “Am I supposed to know what that means?”

  She shook her head.

  “No. It roughly translates to The Unyielding Fate in your language. For Astirians, it’s life-defining. A moment when fate demands something of us—something that redefines who we are and who we’re meant to be. It’s like… a transformation of the soul. When Kadas Shadoom comes for one of us, we can't ignore it.”

  Her gaze dropped. “If I had more time, I could’ve handled things better, but with you and Rugr there, sabotaging the wagon was the simplest way to force a new path. It kept you from questioning anything—as long as I maintained the lie about going to Astiria.”

  Jack rubbed his temples. “I don’t know if I fully get it, but… okay. Let’s move on. Was your plan to bring me here, to this temple?”

  “At first, my only plan was to keep you away from Balta,” Kleo admitted. “It was a trap—for you, me, and Rugr. I didn’t know where we’d go, but then… it came to me. I knew what to do.”

  Jack raised a brow. “If I had to guess, you’ve been here before. You led us straight to the temple, tripped a hidden door, and brought us to this sanctuary. And the storm? Wow. That’s a really nice touch.”

  Kleo sighed. “I’ve never been here before. Last night, I had a dream. I saw this temple. We were here together. We ate fish; I confessed everything; we performed a binding ritual… we made love. That’s how I knew we needed to come here.”

  Jack blinked, his voice rising. “A binding ritual?”

  Kleo blushed. “I shouldn’t have mentioned that. I must sound crazy.”

  “You do sound a little mad,” he said with a small laugh, holding up his thumb and forefinger to emphasize little.

  “The binding ritual is meant to protect you,” she said. “But… in the dream, I wanted it for myself. I wanted it with all my heart. And then you agreed to it because you trusted me. I knew it wasn’t because you loved me—how could you? But I wanted it desperately because…because I love you.”

  She trailed off, and her cheeks flushed as she looked away, waiting for his response.

  Jack stared at her, his mind spinning. Of all the strange revelations, this one hit the hardest. Not because it was the most unbelievable but because of the raw vulnerability in her voice. He felt the weight of her words settle over him like a storm cloud, heavy and charged, waiting for lightning to strike.

  “In the dream,” Kleo began, her voice steady but tinged with uncertainty, “I saw the storm and the dark figure—the Sasayaka reta himitsu. When I fell asleep in the dream, it came back. And you drove it away—I think. I don’t know what happened because I woke up when you tumbled atop me.”

  Jack frowned, turning her words over in his mind.

  “So, the binding ritual… is to protect me from the dark figure we saw when we came to the temple? The Sasa-whatever?”

  Kleo let out a nervous laugh. “Sasayaka reta himitsu,” she corrected. “It’s from the original tongue. It means The Whispering Secret.”

  Her smile faded, replaced by a somber expression.

  "But no, Jack, the binding ritual isn't meant to protect you from that creature.”

  Jack’s brow furrowed. “Then what is it for? What exactly are you trying to protect me from?”

  Kleo hesitated, her fingers twisting in her lap as she avoided his gaze. Finally, she looked up, her eyes locking onto his.

  “You’re not going to like this answer, Jack.”

  He nodded, bracing himself.

  “The binding ritual was to protect you from me… and my kind.” She quickly raised her hands as his eyes widened.

  “Not me, exactly. I swear. It’s to protect you from others like me. My kind.”

  Her words were deliberate and heavy with meaning.

  Jack’s voice dropped as he echoed, “Your kind.”

  “Yes,” she said, her tone soft, almost pleading. “Look at me, Jack. You’re not in danger from me. Please believe that. But the truth… it isn’t easy to explain. It's way too much for now.”

  Jack studied her, his expression torn between concern and curiosity. She seemed smaller in this moment, vulnerable in a way he hadn’t seen before.

  “You’ve already told me many things I didn’t expect,” he said. “Why not tell me everything?”

  Kleo shook her head, her golden-brown hair brushing against her flushed cheeks.

  “Because you deserve to hear it when I can explain it well. Right now… It’s too much. I can’t ask you, and you can't expect to understand everything tonight.”

  They went quiet, the storm outside filling the void with its relentless rhythm. Both were lost in thought, their breaths soft and steady as they tried to process everything.

  Finally, Jack broke the silence.

  “When I left Cabal,” he began, his voice low, “it was because I couldn’t see a future for myself. I felt doomed to spend my life shoveling horse shit, drinking away my nights—unwashed, and surrounded by people whose lives were as empty as mine.

  "As a kid on the streets, struggling for food and survival, I turned it all into a game—an adventure. It was the only way to keep going, not to give in. Apart from a few friendships I managed to keep, I had no one. Nothing.”

  He paused, searching for the words.

  “As I got older, life lost its charm. Everything became… mundane. I stopped dreaming. I lost that sense of wonder I’d had as a kid. One day, I woke up and realized I couldn’t live that way. It felt like I was already dead. So I left, not knowing where I was going or what I was looking for. In my mind, it became Astiria. It sounded mysterious and impossible—a myth spun from the ramblings of old storytellers. But it was enough. It motivated me and gave me something to reach for. A purpose.”

  Jack looked at her, his expression a mix of vulnerability and determination.

  “And now, here I am. Sheltering in a ruined temple with a mysterious young woman who says things like Kadas Shadoom. She keeps strange secrets, has prescient dreams, and lies to me.”

  "Not my favorite part, by the way." He gave her a small, teasing smile before continuing.

  “But when I stop and think, What the hell have I gotten myself into? I realize this is exactly what I was looking for. For the first time in years, I'm alive again. And yeah, I’m a little freaked out. But I also feel… right.”

  Kleo’s eyes shimmered with emotion as she listened, but Jack wasn’t finished.

  “And thinking about you and everything you’ve done—even if it seems strange and misguided—I realize it’s all been to protect me. I don’t know many people who would do that for someone they met a few days before. So… I want you to know, Kleo, I trust you. I don’t understand everything happening, but I know I trust you.”

  Kleo choked back a sob, her voice trembling.

  “Thank you, Jack. I’m unsure I’ve earned your trust, but I promise to tell you everything. No more lies. Never again.”

  Jack nodded, his expression resolute. “Also… I want to do the binding ritual.”

  “What?” Kleo gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief.

  “I want to do the binding ritual. You said it would protect me, right?”

  “Oh, Jack,” Kleo whispered, her voice breaking.

  “I promise, I promise I’ll explain everything. But the binding ritual… It’s the only way I can keep you safe once we leave this place. We really should do it.”

  Her voice softened, her vulnerability shining through.

  “And it’s okay if you don’t love me. How could you? You don’t know me. I’ve been so closed off, so afraid. Afraid of what you’d think, of how much I already care about you. I understand if you can’t… or don’t.”

  Her hands trembled as she reached for his.

  “But it’s the best way—the only way—for both of us to survive what’s coming. And Jack—”

  She looked at him, her voice dropping to a whisper.

  “I’m afraid what’s coming has already begun.”