Kazimir didn't know for how long he had been unconscious.
When he awoke, he was drenched in sweat, his body trembling.
He could feel steel against his head, and muscular arms holding him.
He was lying in Selis's arms.
He could feel her calloused hands placed gently on his head.
Her grip was firm but gentle, as if ensuring he wouldn't slip away again.
She hadn't moved him. She held him in her arms and waited.
Noticing his return to consciousness, she placed a hand over his chest, her pale silver eyes looking concerned.
"What happened?" she asked, her voice composed yet edged with something else, something close to worry.
Kazimir struggled to gather his thoughts. His breathing was unsteady. His mind still reeled from the things he had seen, things he wished he hadn't.
"I… I don't know," he murmured, his voice weak.
Selis remained silent, waiting.
Finally, in a shivering, uncertain voice, he continued.
"When you gave me the bow, my shadow sense expanded. I could feel everything, not just inside the castle, but outside it."
He swallowed hard, recalling the terror that had gripped him.
"I sensed… something colossal. A shadow unlike anything I've ever known. So, I tried to reach out to it."
He hesitated. The memory was still too raw, too alien to describe.
"The moment I did, my mind was flooded with images I couldn't understand. I can't even begin to describe them. It was as if my very existence was unravelling."
Selis studied him in silence.
Then, brushing a few strands of white hair from her scarred face, she spoke, not in anger, but in solemn authority.
"I told you not to look outside without my permission."
Kazimir's stomach twisted.
He had been warned. He knew what lay beyond the castle was dangerous. And yet, he had still reached into the unknown.
He lowered his gaze, shame creeping into his expression.
Selis sighed, her voice softening.
"Just promise me you won't do it again," she said. "You frightened me."
Kazimir looked up, surprised.
She didn't sound angry. She didn't scold him.
She had been… worried.
He nodded slowly. "I won't," he said, his voice still shaken.
Selis helped him to his feet, her grip steady.
Once he was standing, she reached beneath her armor, pulling out something small, silver, and beautiful.
A necklace.
The pendant was shaped like a crescent moon, but at its center, an unblinking silver eye stared outward, eerily lifelike.
Selis held it in her palm for a moment, gazing at it with a rare, distant expression, as if lost in memory.
Then, she handed it to him.
"Here," she said in a solemn voice. "This will guard you against things better left unseen."
Kazimir hesitated before accepting it.
The pendant felt cool against his palm. Unlike his cloak, armor, or bow, it carried no sense of power, no connection to the shadows.
"It won't save you from attacks," Selis continued. "But if you ever make contact with something like that again… it will sever the connection immediately."
Kazimir swallowed hard and clutched the necklace tightly.
"Thank you," he murmured, his voice still unsteady.
Selis gave a small nod, then gestured for him to follow.
"Come," she said, her voice returning to its usual regal calm. "I will show you the arrows for your bow."
Kazimir exhaled, steadying himself.
With one last glance at the silver pendant in his hands, he followed Selis deeper into the armory.