Doran’s POV

  I adjusted my collar, glancing around as I followed Naja through the narrow, winding streets. This part of the city was unfamiliar to me, tucked away behind the bustling trade districts and the polished buildings of the upper wards. Here, the air was thick with the scent of spices, herbs, and something vaguely metallic—magic, I realized.

  The market stretched out before us, a lively sprawl of stalls packed close together, their canopies bursting with color. The people moved fluidly, bartering, laughing, exchanging goods with an ease that spoke of deep familiarity. Unlike the rest of the city, where magicals were tolerated at best and feared at worst, here they were free, uninhibited. I had never seen this side of their world before, and it was… mesmerizing.

  Naja walked with purpose, her silver-glowing hands hidden beneath the folds of her cloak. Every few steps, someone called out to her—an elderly woman selling healing stones, a young alchemist offering freshly brewed elixirs. She greeted them all warmly, her presence a welcomed one. Meanwhile, I kept my head on a swivel, aware of the way some eyes lingered on me—a non-magical in their space. I wasn’t unwelcome, exactly, but I was out of place.

  “You’ve never been here before, have you?” Naja asked, stopping at a fruit stand where a vendor handed her a small bundle of dried berries.

  I shook my head. “Didn’t even know this place existed.”

  She smirked. “That’s intentional. This market isn’t advertised. Too many people in the city wouldn’t want it here.”

  I frowned, watching as a young boy—his hands flickering with faint embers—helped an older merchant lift a heavy crate. No one flinched at his magic. No one whispered or glared. It was a stark contrast to the rest of the city, where magicals had to hide even the smallest display of power.

  “And yet, you bring me here?” I asked, raising a brow.

  “I trust you,” she said simply, popping one of the dried berries into her mouth. “Besides, you need to see it. Really see it.”

  Before I could ask what she meant, the market’s lively chatter took a sudden dip. A hush rippled outward as figures moved into the space—slow, deliberate, predatory.

  The Sovereign Order had arrived.

  The Sovereign Order moved through the market like a slow-rolling storm, their presence suffocating, oppressive. Conversations died, merchants stiffened behind their stalls, and customers averted their eyes. No one dared challenge them, but the fear was palpable.

  Naja tensed beside me, her silver hands curling into fists beneath her cloak. I had seen her heal wounds in seconds, perform miracles that should be impossible, but here, she was still just one person against a force that operated without consequences.

  A man wearing the silver band of the Sovereign Order stopped at a stall selling enchanted fabrics, his expression twisted with disdain. “Illegal goods,” he muttered, loud enough for those nearby to hear. He lifted a shimmering length of cloth between his fingers and sneered. “Selling enchantments in the open now? You lot are getting bold.”

  The merchant, a woman barely past middle age, kept her chin high despite the way her hands trembled. “There’s nothing illegal about it,” she said evenly. “The council has no bans on woven magic.”

  The Order member scoffed. “The council might be too weak to act, but we aren’t.”

  With a casual flick of his wrist, he tossed the fabric onto the ground, grinding his boot against it. The woman’s mouth pressed into a thin line, but she didn’t protest, not openly. The threat lingered between them, unspoken but heavy.

  My fists clenched at my sides. I wasn’t magical, but even I could see this wasn’t about enforcing the law. This was intimidation, a show of force meant to remind everyone who held the power.

  Naja caught my expression and, with a warning glance, gripped my wrist before I could step forward. “Not here,” she whispered. “Not now.”

  My teeth ground together, but I let her pull me back into the flow of the market. The Order was still moving, their presence infecting every part of the space, but the people of the market had learned to endure. They swallowed their anger, their fear, and continued on, pretending as if nothing had changed.

  But something had changed. I felt it in the pit of my stomach. The Sovereign Order wasn’t just here to make a statement. They were looking for someone.

  The tension in the market thickened as the Sovereign Order continued their slow, deliberate patrol. People kept their heads down, stalls that had been bustling moments ago now eerily quiet. Even the air seemed heavier, thick with the unspoken understanding that things could turn violent at any moment.

  Naja and I moved cautiously, weaving between stalls as she pulled me toward an alleyway tucked between a potion vendor and a jeweler. She kept her voice low. “We need to go. Now.”

  I glanced back at the Order members, my jaw tightening. “They’re looking for someone.”

  “I know,” she said, eyes scanning the market. “And we don’t want them to think it’s us.”

  Before I could argue, a sharp cry split the air. A young magical—a girl, no older than fourteen—had been yanked from the crowd by one of the Order’s men. She struggled against his grip, her wide, terrified eyes darting around for help. “Please, let me go! I haven’t done anything!”

  The Order member sneered. “That’s not what our informants say. You’re coming with us.”

  Stolen story; please report.

  Naja inhaled sharply, and I could feel the energy shift beside me. “We have to do something.”

  My instincts screamed at me to act, to shove my way into the situation and stop it, but reason held me back. We were two against too many. Even if we could get her free, what then? We’d be fugitives.

  But I couldn’t just watch.

  Before I could make up my mind, another voice cut through the tension. “Unhand the girl.”

  I turned, startled, as an older magical stepped forward from the crowd. He was tall, his presence commanding despite his simple robes. His hands were raised—not in surrender, but in warning. “She’s done nothing wrong. You have no authority to take her.”

  The Order member holding the girl didn’t let go. “And who exactly do you think you are?”

  The older magical took another step closer, his expression unshaken. “Someone who won’t stand by while you terrorize our people.”

  The moment stretched unbearably thin. The other Order members had noticed, shifting their stances, their hands drifting toward weapons.

  I felt Naja’s grip on my wrist tighten. “Doran, if this goes bad, we need to be ready to run.”

  I swallowed hard. For all my talk about understanding magic, about wanting to help, I had never been in a situation like this. And I had a terrible feeling that whatever happened next would change everything.

  The Order member holding the girl yanked her closer, his grip bruising. “We don’t answer to street magicians playing hero. This girl is coming with us. Any interference, and you’ll be next.”

  The older magical didn’t flinch. Instead, he lifted a hand and murmured something under his breath. The air around us crackled with energy, and a faint, glowing sigil formed between his fingertips. The Order members took a step back, suddenly wary.

  “You can lie to yourselves all you want,” the man continued, his voice unwavering. “But we see what’s happening. You claim law and order, but you come here to terrorize, not to protect. We will not let you take her.”

  A ripple of movement ran through the gathered crowd. People who had once shrunk back now stepped forward. Some murmured spells under their breath, the air tingling with suppressed power. The market, which had been silent with fear, now thrummed with defiance.

  I realized then—we weren’t just witnesses anymore. We were standing in the middle of something much larger than us.

  One of the Order members hissed through his teeth and motioned to his men. “Enough of this. Take the girl.”

  But before they could act, a sudden gust of wind slammed into them with unnatural force, sending them stumbling backward. The older magical stepped forward, his eyes glowing faintly. “You will leave now. Or you will regret it.”

  The Order hesitated. They were outnumbered. Outmatched. They exchanged glances, their bravado wavering.

  Finally, the lead officer spat on the ground and released the girl. “This isn’t over.”

  He motioned to his men, and with stiff movements, they retreated, disappearing into the maze of stalls. The tension in the market didn’t ease immediately, but a collective breath was released as the magicals watched them go.

  Naja exhaled, her grip on my wrist finally loosening. “That was… close.”

  I nodded, my heart still pounding. “Yeah. Too close.”

  The older magical turned to the girl, who was trembling, her small hands still shaking from the Order’s grip. Naja was already at her side, kneeling down and gently taking the girl’s arms in her silver-lit hands. A soft glow spread over the bruises forming on her skin, and within seconds, they faded.

  “You’re safe now,” Naja murmured, offering the girl a reassuring smile. “Go home, child.”

  The girl’s wide eyes flickered between Naja and the older magical before she nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. “Thank you.” Then, without another word, she turned and darted off into the crowd.

  She nodded, her eyes wide with gratitude, before darting off into the crowd. The older magical then turned his gaze to us, studying me in particular. “You’re not one of us. And yet you stayed.”

  I hesitated before answering. “I may not be magical. But that doesn’t mean I’m okay with what they’re doing.”

  A slow, knowing smile crossed his face. “Then be careful. This is only the beginning. The Order won’t stop until they have full control.”

  He turned and vanished into the crowd before I could ask more.

  I looked at Naja. “What the hell did we just step into?”

  She shook her head. “Something bigger than we thought.”

  Zara’s POV

  I walked through the city square, pulling my coat tighter as the late afternoon air carried the distant scent of roasted nuts and fresh bread. Beside me, Malrick moved with quiet focus, his gaze scanning the people around us. He had accompanied me to the hospital that morning to practice working with soul tethers—a skill that required patience, precision, and an understanding of the fragile balance between life and death.

  “You did well today,” I said, glancing at him. “Your control is improving.”

  Malrick exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Feels slow. I still hesitate too much.”

  “Hesitation is better than recklessness,” I replied. “You’ll get there.”

  As we turned a corner into the market square, the hum of conversation and the shuffle of feet filled the air. Vendors called out their wares, carts rattled over the cobbled streets, and the usual mix of magicals and non-magicals wove through the space. Then, the normal rhythm of the market stuttered. A sharp voice cut through the air, drawing my attention.

  Two Sovereign Order officers stood in the center of the square, gripping a young magical man by the arms. He struggled against their hold, his face pale but determined.

  “I didn’t do anything!” the man—barely older than Malrick—protested. “I was just helping—”

  One of the officers shoved him forward roughly, causing him to stumble. “You’re coming with us.”

  My jaw tightened. Malrick stiffened beside me. “They can’t just—”

  “Stay close,” I murmured, stepping forward.

  The officers noticed me immediately. One of them—broad-shouldered and smug—straightened at the sight of me. “Necromancer.”

  The way he said it was almost a sneer, but there was unease behind his confidence. The other, younger officer tightened his grip on the magical’s arm. “This doesn’t concern you, Professor.”

  “It does when you’re harassing citizens without cause,” I said coolly. “You don’t have the authority to detain someone without evidence of wrongdoing.”

  The young man turned wide, desperate eyes toward me. “I was just using a levitation charm to help an old woman carry her bags. That’s it!”

  “Using magic in public isn’t a crime,” I cut in sharply. “Unless the laws have suddenly changed overnight?”

  The older officer narrowed his eyes but didn’t reply. The younger one, emboldened by his silence, scoffed. “Doesn’t matter. Orders are orders. The Sovereign Order is taking over where the Council refuses to act.”

  I stepped closer, my voice like steel. “Are you telling me you’re enforcing laws that don’t exist? Because that sounds like overreach.”

  The crowd around us was growing, eyes flickering between me and the officers. Whispers rippled through the market. Malrick shifted uneasily beside me but said nothing, his hands curling into fists.

  The tension held for several long moments before the older officer let out a slow breath. He shoved the magical forward, sending him sprawling to the ground. “Watch yourself,” he muttered, eyes locked on me. “Next time, there might not be someone to speak up for you.”

  With that, the officers turned and stalked away. The magical man scrambled to his feet, rubbing his wrists, before turning to me. “Thank you. I—thank you.”

  I inclined my head but didn’t look away from where the officers had disappeared. “They’re getting bolder. This was a test. Next time, they won’t back down so easily.”

  Malrick released a breath he’d been holding. “That was… intense.”

  “Get used to it,” I murmured, turning toward the path home. “It’s only going to get worse.”