Silence.
It crashed down, thick and heavy, after Cesara's words. No sound came from the leaking roof, the creaking tavern below, or the two figures in the cramped room. Only the frantic beat of Corvus's own heart seemed to echo in the stillness.
Eventually, he sighed, a harsh exhalation that made his shoulders slump. He ran a hand through his messy brown hair, sweeping it back from his forehead. When he looked up, weariness etched deep lines around his sharp yellow eyes.
"Listen, Lady, I'm not sure if you're delusional or what, but I'm not signing up for some suicide mission. And the Ocean's Wall? Seriously? Last I checked, there aren't any handy doors punched through eight hundred feet of stone. How exactly do you plan to just... go past it?"
Cesara didn't flinch. Calmly, she reached into her cloak and withdrew a scroll. Its wax seal glowed crimson in the dim light. She held it out.
Corvus took it hesitantly. His brow furrowed instantly. Pressed into the wax was the distinct impression of a stag – the official seal of the Kaaraore Royal Family itself. So she wasn't just a powerful nutjob, he thought, a flicker of genuine surprise cutting through his skepticism.
"Open it," Cesara instructed. "Your answers are inside."
Corvus broke the seal with a thumbnail, his movements quickening with anticipation. He unrolled the parchment. His eyes scanned the formal script, widening with each line.
THE ELYGAR EXPEDITION
Sanctioned by His Majesty, King Alistair IV of Kaaraore.
Participants shall receive:
Ten (10) Velmora upon acceptance of commission.
Forty (40) Velmora upon successful return.
Corvus's hands trembled. The figures burned into his mind. In Kaaraore, currency was simple, yet vast:
Nerel: Crescent-shaped copper coins. Basic survival.
Terren: Silver half-moons. Twelve Nerel made one Terren. A month's frugal living costs two or three. Velmora: Solid gold full moons. Twenty Terren equaled one Velmora. He hadn't seen a Velmora since fleeing the capital years ago.
Fifty Velmora. A fortune beyond imagining for a dockside drudge.
"So?" Cesara's voice cut through his daze. She tapped her foot impatiently, a subtle sign of the urgency beneath her icy calm. "Are you coming?"
An opportunity like this? Normally, Corvus would have snatched it without a second thought. But the sheer scale, the suddenness... the location... screamed danger. He stood up, meeting her gaze squarely this time.
"Why?" he demanded, his voice tight. "Why would the Crown risk an expedition beyond the Wall? It's forbidden land! By royal decree and the Eight Churches! Fishermen don't even sail near it. The Wall is the edge of the world for us." He gestured vaguely, encompassing the immense barrier that sealed off the continents of Austara and Orenya from whatever lay beyond.
"There are reasons," Cesara stated, her expression unreadable. "Reasons I cannot share."
Corvus scoffed, a sound of pure frustration. "You expect me to sail off the literal edge of the world, but you can't tell me why?"
Cesara turned her head slightly, her gaze drifting towards the rain-streaked window. "You will learn everything upon joining. Until then, it is classified." Her voice softened, just a fraction, carrying an unexpected weight. "Know this, Corvus: it is not born of greed. If we fail... Kaaraore itself may fall."
Corvus froze. The utter conviction in her tone banished any thought of jest. This was deadly serious. "Then why me?" he pressed, bewildered. "For something this... apocalyptic? Shouldn't you be rounding up an army of Mages? Ascendants like yourself? I'm not talented. You know that."
Cesara nodded slowly. "I do. I know you left the capital at fourteen after... an incident. I know you survived alone in the wilds beyond the kingdom's borders with nothing but a dagger." Her icy blue eyes locked onto his. "Where we are going, brute strength or magical prowess may not be enough. Those walls were built for a reason, Corvus. They are not natural. We need soldiers, yes. But more than that, we need survivors. People who know how to crawl into the darkest hole and cling to life when every shred of hope is gone. People who understand that failure is not an option."
She extended her hand again, not in command this time, but in invitation. "I have personally selected most of the recruits, Corvus Fuller. I believe you can be invaluable."
A slow, familiar smirk touched Corvus's lips. The challenge, the sheer absurdity of it... and the fifty Velmora. He grasped her hand. "Alright, you've got me. But what exactly are we doing out there? What are we looking for?"
Her grip was firm. "We are searching for something vital. But we do not know precisely what it is."
Corvus blinked, the smirk fading into stunned disbelief. "We're sailing into the absolute unknown... looking for... something? How do we even know it's there?"
"A seer," Cesara replied simply. "Her prophecy named the land beyond the Wall: Elygar. She foretold we would find the answer there."
She released his hand. "So, Corvus Fuller. Can I count you in?"
He scratched the back of his head, the familiar gesture belying the turmoil within. "Well," he said, forcing a grin, "can't be much worse than scraping fish guts all day, right?"
For the first time, a genuine, if fleeting, smile touched Cesara's lips. "Good. Then let me introduce myself formally. I am Captain Cesara Vale, commanding officer of the Third Expeditionary Division. I will be your superior on this mission. Report to the military harbor east of Thalara." She turned towards the door, cloak swirling. "We set sail at dawn..."
She paused, hand on the frame.
"...in two days."
Corvus stared. "Two days?"