The small boat cut through the dark waters, carrying them steadily away from Meridian. With immediate danger behind them, questions began to surface, as numerous as the stars appearing overhead.
As the city lights receded behind them, Saguna's mind raced with everything that had happened in a single day. This morning, he had been just another student, reluctantly attending the Academy because his mother insisted. Now he was fleeing Meridian City with two strangers who somehow felt like extensions of himself, pursuing a destiny he barely understood, with the fate of his sister — and possibly the world — hanging in the balance.
"You should rest," Professor Nyala said, breaking into his thoughts. "We have a long journey ahead, and you'll need your strength."
"I don't think I could sleep if I tried," Saguna admitted.
"Then perhaps now is a good time for questions," she offered. "I know you have many."
Radji and Osa moved closer, equally eager for answers.
"What exactly are we?" Saguna asked the question that had been burning in his mind since the marks first appeared. "How were we chosen?"
Professor Nyala's expression turned thoughtful. "The Triumvirate is not random. The Trifold Seal appears on those with natural affinities for the elemental domains, but also on those with the strength of will and character needed to bear the burden. It seeks balance, three individuals whose abilities and natures complement each other."
"But why us specifically?" Radji pressed. "I have no history of elemental affinity, no family connection to previous Triumvirates..."
"Don't you?" Professor Nyala raised an eyebrow. "Your analytical mind, your methodical approach, these are qualities of earth. Steady, reliable, grounded. The Seal doesn't always follow bloodlines, but it does follow nature."
She looked at Osa. "And you, Mr. Hann. Your adaptability, your natural charisma that flows in any situation, water recognizes water."
Finally, her gaze settled on Saguna. "In your case, there may indeed be a bloodline connection. Your sister showed remarkable fire affinity. In the records of previous Triumvirates, siblings occasionally appear, particularly in the fire position."
"So Sahara might have been meant to be part of this Triumvirate?" Saguna asked, the implications staggering.
"Perhaps," Professor Nyala admitted. "Or perhaps she was simply a carrier of the potential, passing it to you. The Seal works in ways even the Academy has never fully understood."
"What exactly are we supposed to do once we reach Teluk Jati?" Osa asked. "You mentioned repairing the Veil, but how? We barely understand our abilities."
"That is why I will train you during our journey," Professor Nyala replied. "The basics, at least. The elemental manifestations you've already achieved are merely the first step. Each of you has greater potential within the Trifold Seal."
She looked at each of them in turn. "The earth-marked becomes the Binder, capable of creating contracts with spirits and anchoring energy across realms. The water-marked becomes the Speaker, able to communicate across the Veil and facilitate exchanges between worlds. And the fire-marked..."
"Becomes the Walker," Saguna finished, remembering Sahara's words. "Capable of physically crossing the Veil."
"Yes," Professor Nyala confirmed. "Though such abilities require extensive training and come with great risks. Walking the Veil without proper preparation can be... fatal."
"But Sahara did it," Saguna insisted. "She's survived there for twelve years."
"Your sister was exceptional, even among those with fire affinity," Professor Nyala said carefully. "And she was pulled through forcibly, which is different from an intentional crossing. To attempt a rescue, you would need to master not just Veil Walking, but the ability to return, bringing another with you."
"How long will that take?" Saguna asked, his impatience evident.
"Under normal circumstances, years," Professor Nyala admitted. "But these are not normal circumstances. The Veil thins rapidly, and your connection to Sahara provides a unique advantage. She's reaching out to you, creating a tether between worlds. That may accelerate your training significantly."
Saguna nodded, hope and determination flaring in his chest. The marks on his neck pulsed in response, as if confirming Professor Nyala's assessment.
They sailed in silence for a time, the shoreline of Meridian City becoming a distant line of lights on the horizon. Saguna's thoughts turned to what awaited them in Teluk Jati — the village he'd been so desperate to leave, with its painful memories and suspicious glances. Now he was returning as something other than the traumatized boy who talked about shadow monsters.
"You should try to rest," Professor Nyala suggested again. "We'll take watches through the night. Mr. Hann, you'll take the first shift with me. Mr. Loma second, and Mr. Taksa third, just before dawn."
Radji nodded and moved toward the small cabin at the center of the boat. Saguna meant to follow, but found himself lingering at the rail, staring out at the dark water.
"Something troubles you beyond the obvious," Professor Nyala observed, joining him while Osa took position at the tiller.
"The Soul Drainer," Saguna said quietly. "You said they're just scouts. What exactly are they scouting for?"
Professor Nyala's expression darkened. "There are entities in the spirit realm far older and more powerful than Soul Drainers. Beings that hunger for the energy and vitality of our world in ways that make Soul Drainers seem like insignificant parasites by comparison."
"Do these things have a name?" Saguna asked.
"Many names, across many cultures," she replied. "But in the Academy's oldest texts, it is called the Breathless One. A being of such profound cold and emptiness that it devours not just life, but the very possibility of life."
A chill ran through Saguna that had nothing to do with the night air. "And that's what awaits us in Teluk Jati?"
"If we're fortunate, no," Professor Nyala said. "But the thinning Veil makes its arrival increasingly likely. The Soul Drainers are its harbingers, strengthening breaches enough for it to eventually cross over."
"Like what took Sahara," Saguna murmured.
"Yes and no," Professor Nyala said. "What took your sister was powerful, but still just a Soul Drainer, albeit an unusually strong one. The Breathless One is to a Soul Drainer what a typhoon is to a summer breeze."
Saguna stared out at the dark horizon, processing this new information. Everything he'd learned today only seemed to raise more questions, more dangers, more responsibilities.
"Rest," Professor Nyala said again, more gently this time. "Tomorrow we begin your training in earnest. You'll need clear minds and steady hands for what I'll teach you."
With a nod, Saguna finally made his way to the small cabin. Inside, Radji had already claimed one of the narrow bunks, though he wasn't sleeping—his eyes were open, staring at the low ceiling.
"Quite a first day of school," Radji commented dryly as Saguna took the bunk opposite him.
Despite everything, Saguna found himself smiling. "Not exactly what I expected."
"I had calculated a 97% probability of a standard academic experience," Radji replied, his tone serious but with a hint of humor. "I'll need to reassess my statistical models."
They fell silent for a moment, the gentle rocking of the boat and the sound of waves against the hull the only sensations.
"Do you think we can do this?" Saguna finally asked. "Whatever 'this' is?"
Radji considered the question with characteristic thoroughness. "Individually? No. The variables are too numerous, the dangers too great, our training nonexistent." He paused. "But together? The evidence suggests the Trifold Seal has a purpose in selecting compatible individuals. So perhaps... yes."
It wasn't exactly a rousing declaration of confidence, but Saguna found it oddly comforting nonetheless. Radji dealt in facts, in probabilities—not false reassurances.
"Thanks," Saguna said simply.
"For what?"
"For following me into this. You and Osa both. You barely know me."
Radji adjusted his glasses, a gesture Saguna was beginning to recognize as his way of buying time to formulate a response.
"I don't believe it was a choice," he finally said. "Not really. From the moment the marks appeared, we were connected. I can feel it, like a tether binding us together." He held up his forearm, where his own marks faintly glowed in the dim light. "Earth, water, fire. Balance. It's... logical, in its way."
Saguna nodded, understanding exactly what Radji meant. Despite having just met these two strangers, he felt connected to them on a level that defied rational explanation.
As exhaustion finally began to overtake him, Saguna closed his eyes, the gentle rocking of the boat lulling him toward sleep. Just before consciousness slipped away, the whispers returned, faint but clear:
Coming home, little brother. The triangle forms. But shadows follow.
In his dreams, Saguna saw Sahara again, her form more substantial than before, reaching toward him across a thinning barrier between worlds. Behind her, something vast and cold watched with hungry eyes, waiting for its chance to cross.
The Triumvirate was forming, but so was something else—something that had waited centuries for this moment. The race had begun, and Saguna couldn't shake the feeling that they were already behind.