Elai slowly looked up at him.
"Chief Silas."
Before Jack could say anything, footsteps echoed nearby.
Elai's face changed instantly.
Fear.
Real fear.
He quickly let go of Jack's sleeve and stepped back.
"Wait—"
But Elai had already disappeared between the buildings.
Jack stood there for a moment, silent.
The wind pushed dust across the empty road.
Chief Silas.
That name didn't sit right anymore.
Not after that look on Elai's face.
Something was wrong.
And Jack could feel it getting worse the more he ignored it.
"You planning on standing there all day?"
Jack turned.
Lea stood nearby with her arms crossed.
"How long were you there?" Jack asked.
"Long enough."
Jack glanced once more toward the alley. Empty.
"…It's nothing," he muttered.
Lea narrowed her eyes but didn't push it.
"Go change. We're starting again."
Jack followed her back toward the training grounds.
Training didn't go well.
Jack kept losing focus.
Elai's fear kept replaying in his mind.
Not normal fear.
Not hesitation.
Panic.
Like Silas wasn't just someone important—
but someone dangerous.
By the end of training, Lea clicked her tongue.
"You're distracted."
"Yeah," Jack said flatly.
Lea stared at him for a moment.
"If you keep this up, you'll get yourself killed out there."
Jack gave a short shrug.
"Maybe."
Lea didn't like that answer.
"Go rest."
Jack nodded and walked back through Dustbridge.
But halfway there, he stopped.
His thoughts finally settled into something clear.
He couldn't ignore it anymore.
If Elai was scared of Silas…
then just watching from a distance wouldn't be enough.
Jack needed answers.
And more than that—
he needed to make sure Elai stayed safe.
The only way to do that…
was to stay close to Silas.
Close enough to see what was really going on.
Close enough that Silas wouldn't notice anything slipping.
Jack exhaled slowly.
Then turned toward the center of Dustbridge.
Silas's office stood at the heart of the town.
Old wood. Quiet air.
Too calm.
Jack stopped in front of the door.
Knocked once.
"Come in."
Jack stepped inside.
The room smelled like dust and old paper.
Shelves filled with strange objects and stacked files lined the walls.
Chief Silas sat behind the desk.
Smiling.
As always.
"Well," Silas said, "this is unexpected."
Jack forced a small relaxed smile.
"Thought I should finally talk to you properly."
Silas studied him.
Not reacting.
Just watching.
Jack sat down like it was casual.
"You've been helping me since I got here," he said. "Figured I should understand you better."
Silas gave a soft hum.
"And what do you think you understand?"
Jack shrugged.
"Enough to know you're the reason this place doesn't fall apart."
Silas didn't respond immediately.
Jack kept going, steady.
"I mean… everyone listens to you. That doesn't happen by accident."
Silas leaned back slightly.
"You think I control them?"
Jack smiled lightly.
"I think you lead them."
Silas's eyes stayed on him a little longer than normal.
Then—
"How long have you been thinking like this?" Silas asked.
Jack didn't hesitate.
"Since I got here."
A pause.
Then Jack added casually:
"It's safer to understand the person in charge."
Silas's expression didn't change.
But something behind it shifted slightly.
Jack noticed.
Silas finally spoke.
"So. What do you want to understand?"
Jack leaned back slightly.
"Everything."
A beat.
Then he continued.
"Like… how this place even started. Why people follow you. What's really outside Dustbridge."
Silas listened quietly.
Then gave a faint nod.
"Dustbridge wasn't always like this. When I arrived, there was nothing but scattered ruins."
Jack nodded like he was interested.
Silas continued.
"People were dying constantly. No structure. No safety."
"And you fixed it," Jack said.
"I gave it structure," Silas corrected.
Jack smiled slightly.
"Same thing."
Silas didn't react to that.
Jack shifted the conversation smoothly.
"And outside? The fog?"
Silas glanced toward the window.
Outside, the grey fog moved slowly around Dustbridge.
"It's a barrier," Silas said.
Then added,
"And a gate."
Jack stayed quiet, listening carefully.
"It protects this place from black-soul creatures," Silas continued. "Out there, they exist everywhere—but they struggle to sense anything inside the fog."
He tapped the desk once.
"You already know you can pass through it."
Jack nodded once.
Silas continued.
"It leads to the outskirts… and beyond that, other towns in Nowhere Land."
Jack narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So this place isn't the whole world."
Silas shook his head.
"No."
Jack leaned forward slightly.
"But it's not safe either."
Silas looked at him.
"Nothing here is."
A pause.
Then Silas added calmly:
"Your soul flow determines how stable you are when moving through it. If it's unstable, your perception breaks. You still travel—but not always where you intend."
Jack nodded slowly.
"So it's not the fog trapping people."
Silas's gaze held.
"It's the person."
Jack leaned back.
"Lea mentioned that too."
At her name, Silas's eyes flickered slightly—but only for a moment.
Then he spoke evenly.
"She understands it well. If you need to move through the fog again, she can help you."
Jack nodded.
"I will."
Silas didn't respond immediately.
He just watched Jack.
Longer than before.
Not suspicious yet.
But no longer unaware either.
Jack stood up.
"Thanks for the talk."
Silas gave a calm nod.
"Of course."
Jack turned toward the door, paused for a second, then glanced back slightly.
"I'll be back."
Silas looked at him.
For a brief moment, something unreadable passed through his expression.
Then he simply nodded once.
Jack walked out.
The door closed behind him.
Silas remained still in the silence.
The smile slowly faded.
"…Too interested," he murmured.