They left the library in silence. Even the corridors of the Academy felt hostile tonight — the usual warm lantern light seemed pale, shadows stretching too far, too thin.
Liora led them to an unused observatory on the northern tower. Dust covered the floor, but the glass dome above revealed a perfect view of the star-flooded sky.
Kael shut the door behind them. "Alright," he said, "start talking. What was that thing? And what does it mean by 'incomplete'?"
Liora didn't answer immediately. She walked to the center of the room, tracing a sigil on the floor with her boot. The dust shifted, forming a faint protective circle.
"Now we can talk," she said at last.
She turned to Rayan. "You said this was given to you in the Moon Crypt?"
He nodded.
"Then you need to understand something. That orb you carry… it isn't just power. It's a fragment."
"A fragment of what?" Rayan asked.
Her eyes locked on his. "A soul."
The word hung between them like thunder.
Kael scoffed. "That's impossible. Soul magic's been banned for centuries."
"That's what they want you to believe," Liora said sharply. "But some fragments survived. And the one you hold…" She hesitated, glancing at the orb wrapped in cloth. "It belongs to someone — or something — that was sealed away long before our time. A being the old texts call The Bound One."
Rayan's skin prickled. "And I'm… what? The vessel for it?"
"You're not the vessel," Liora corrected. "You're becoming the vessel. That's why it called you incomplete. The more you use its power, the more it will fill you — until there's no room left for you."
Kael stepped between them. "Then we destroy it now before it destroys him."
"You can't," Liora said simply. "Destroying the fragment would tear the soul apart — and take Rayan with it."
Silence. Only the faint hum of the orb in Rayan's pack.
Finally, Liora sighed. "There's more. That hooded thing we saw? It wasn't here for the orb. It was here for you."
Rayan swallowed. "Why?"
"Because," Liora said, voice lowering to a near whisper, "you're not the first Vessel to walk into this Academy. But you might be the last."