Dawn arrived reluctantly in Teluk Jati, the sun's light filtering through a haze that wasn't quite fog but something thicker, heavier. From Old Man Reza's window, Saguna watched the village slowly materialize from darkness. The black frost covering the buildings seemed thinner in the morning light, but still present—a network of dark veins spreading across once-familiar structures.
"The shadows retreat at daybreak," Old Man Reza confirmed, joining him at the window. "But they don't vanish. They merely... wait."
Saguna nodded. He'd spent the night studying the journal entries about the previous incursion, trying to memorize every detail that might help them. Sleep had come in short, restless bursts, each dream filled with whispers and glimpses of Sahara, her voice clearer but her words more urgent.
"We need to move as soon as the sun reaches its peak," he said. "How long will it take us to reach the center through the underground passages?"
"If they remain as I remember them, perhaps thirty minutes." The old man unrolled a crude map on the table, weighted at the corners with small stones. "But much may have changed in recent months. The shadows transform what they touch."
The map showed a network of narrow tunnels beneath the village, drainage channels built generations ago to protect the stilted houses from flooding during monsoon season. Many converged near the village center, not far from what had once been Saguna's family home.
"Here," Old Man Reza pointed to a spot marked with a faded X. "This entrance remains hidden behind my tool shed. The shadows have never found it."
Professor Nyala examined the map carefully. "And this passage leads directly to the center?"
"Not directly, no. There will be turns, places where we must choose." Old Man Reza traced a path with his gnarled finger. "Follow the flowing water where channels merge. Always choose the path where water still runs. The shadows avoid moving water."
Radji frowned. "Water conducts cold efficiently. Logically, they should be drawn to it, not repelled."
"The water here carries something they fear," the old man explained. "Salt from the bay, yes, but also remnants of old protections. My grandmother blessed these channels decades ago."
"Empirical evidence supersedes logical expectations," Radji conceded, adjusting his glasses. "If water repels them, we should utilize it."
"We will," Osa said, joining them at the table. He had spent the morning practicing with his water abilities, pulling moisture from the air to form increasingly complex structures. "I've been thinking about what you said, about moving water." He opened his palm, revealing a small sphere of water that rotated continuously, its surface rippling with tiny currents.
"A shield," Saguna observed.
Osa nodded. "Constant motion. If they avoid moving water, this should help keep them at bay."
"Good thinking, Mr. Hann," Professor Nyala said with approval. "But remember, our goal is observation, not confrontation. We need to understand the breach before we can seal it."
Saguna touched the jasper stone hanging from his neck. It had grown warmer overnight, its glow visible even through his shirt. He knew without checking that Radji and Osa's stones would show the same increased activity. The Trifold Seal was responding to the breach's proximity.
"What exactly are we looking for?" he asked Professor Nyala.
"The nature of the breach, its size, shape, and behaviour," she replied. "Elder Reza's grandmother's journals describe a 'pulsing tear' that expanded and contracted rhythmically. But each breach manifests differently."
"And if we encounter shadows?" Radji asked.
"We observe them as well," Professor Nyala said. "Note their numbers, their forms, their movements. All of this will inform our strategy for the ritual." She turned to Saguna. "You, especially, may sense things the others cannot. The whispers may grow stronger as we approach."
Saguna nodded, trying not to show his apprehension. The prospect of intentionally moving toward the source of the whispers that had tormented him for twelve years was daunting. But if it meant finding Sahara...
"I'm ready," he said simply.
They spent the remaining hours before noon preparing. Professor Nyala mixed powders from her supplies with ingredients from Old Man Reza's stores, creating protective pastes that she applied to their foreheads in sigils that matched their elemental affinities. Radji studied the map until he could recite every turn from memory. Osa filled small pouches with water, attaching them to his belt for emergency use. And Saguna practiced controlling his fire in smaller, more precise forms, not just flames, but heat directed exactly where he intended.
As midday approached, they gathered at the tunnel entrance behind Old Man Reza's tool shed—a narrow opening barely visible beneath overgrown vines and fallen timber.
"Remember," Professor Nyala instructed, "stay in triangle formation, even in the tunnels. Maintain awareness of each other at all times. If one feels the Seal weakening, alert the others immediately."
"Do we know what Sahara's room looks like now?" Saguna asked Old Man Reza. "You said the shadows avoid it."
The old man's weathered face tightened. "I've not been inside your family home in years. Too dangerous. But I've observed from outside, that room remains untouched by frost, while the rest of the house is consumed by it."
"If we can reach it, it may provide a safe position to observe the breach," Professor Nyala suggested.
"Or a way for me to try reaching Sahara directly," Saguna added quietly.
Professor Nyala gave him a sharp look. "Do not attempt Veil Walking without proper preparation and support. What you experienced at the banyan tree was passive—your sister reached for you. Active crossing is far more dangerous."
"I understand," Saguna replied, though in his heart, he knew he would do whatever was necessary to find his sister.
"It's time," Old Man Reza announced, looking at the sun now directly overhead. "The shadows will be at their weakest."
He pulled aside the rotting timber, revealing a narrow shaft descending into darkness. Iron rungs embedded in the stone wall created a ladder leading down at least fifteen feet before disappearing from view.
"I can't accompany you," the old man said. "These old bones wouldn't make the climb back up. But I'll maintain wards here, create a safe return point."
Professor Nyala nodded. "We'll return before sunset."
Osa peered down into the darkness. "So... who goes first into the creepy tunnel under the shadow-infested village?"