The restaurant Brad chose was only a couple blocks away from the training facility.
It sat on the corner of an older street in the industrial zone, where the buildings leaned a little closer to each other than the main streets of Aurelion. The windows were fogged slightly from the heat inside, and a small neon sign blinked right above the door.
It was just the place for people who wanted a hot meal without putting any mental effort behind it.
Eli climbed out of the car and immediately felt how much more sore his body had gotten just during the ride here.
He made a mental note to never let Tomas warm up on him again. Then immediately remembered he had no say in that.
Now that the adrenaline from the day had worn off, everything hurt.
His ribs ached when he breathed too deep. His shoulder felt like someone had tried to twist it clean off.
Brad noticed the way he walked stiffly towards the door.
"You look like you just got hit by a truck," he said.
Eli pushed on the door and stepped inside.
"Tomas threw me around like a piece of luggage," he muttered.
"Yeah. That's Tomas," Brad replied giving a small shrug.
The inside of the diner was warm but loud in a comforting way. A few people sat at the counter watching the small TV mounted in the corner, while families filled in the booths on the edges.
There was someone behind the grill shouting orders through a small window, at another waitress who was trying to balance 3 plates stacked on her arm.
Brad slid into a booth in the corner and Eli followed behind, lowering himself into the seat carefully.
The cushion didn't help very much.
A laminated menu sat on the table between them. Eli picked it up, but mostly so he could have something to do with his hands.
Brad relaxed himself back in the booth and watched Eli for a second.
"You held up better than I expected today," he said.
Eli glanced over the top of the menu.
"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" he said sharply. "I didn't have time to quit. The guy kept flipping me onto the floor."
Brad huffed a small laugh.
"That part was intentional."
Eli gave him a flat look.
"No kidding."
A waitress stopped by the table and filled two glasses of water before asking for their order. Brad answered without even looking at the menu like he'd been there a hundred times. Eli ordered whatever the house sandwich was supposed to be and a soda.
Once she left, Eli leaned back against the booth and let out a slow breath.
The crow ring tapped lightly against the table edge when he shifted. He adjusted the chain slightly without thinking about it.
For a moment, neither of them said anything.
Just letting the noise of the restaurant fill the awkward space between them.
Then Brad spoke again.
"I know I pushed you harder than I probably should have today."
Eli looked up.
Brad didn't sound dramatic about it. Just like a matter-of-fact.
"You were already exhausted before the last rounds," he continued. "Could've given you a break earlier."
Eli shrugged a little.
"You did give me a break."
"Eventually," Brad replied.
Eli let out a small breath through his nose.
"Honestly I thought that whole thing was just you trying to see how far Tomas could throw me before I passed out."
Brad shook his head once, "No."
He folded his hands in front of him on the table.
"Stress forces the carrier field to react sometimes. If the connection is there, pressure can trigger the first response."
Eli's mind immediately jumped back to the moment on the mat.
Tomas's punch. The pressure that he felt in his arms. And the strange feeling of it snapping outward instead of crushing him like it did before.
"I still don't understand what happened," Eli said quietly.
Brad nodded.
"That's pretty normal," he said.
Eli looked down at his hands for a second.
"I didn't even try to do anything."
Brad reached for his water glass.
"Most people don't the first time. Your field reacted before you knew what it was doing."
The waitress came back with their food, sliding two plates onto the table between them.
Eli hadn't realized how hungry he was until the fresh grilled meat smell hit him.
He picked up a handful of chips.
Then paused.
"You knew that might happen today," he said.
Brad didn't deny it.
"I had a suspicion."
"That's why you kept telling Tomas to keep going."
Brad took a bite of his food before answering.
"I needed to see how your field behaved under pressure."
Eli stared at him for a second.
Then shook his head and finally started eating.
"I think that's a terrible way to run a test."
Brad smirked slightly.
"Maybe, But it worked."
For a few minutes the conversation paused while they ate.
The restaurant started to fill in more as they ate, a couple people in business clothes were talking in the booth directly behind them. While an older man argued to nobody about something on the news broadcast.
Eli leaned back in the booth again once he'd slowed down a bit.
"So what happens now?" he asked. "More training or something."
Brad wiped his hands with a napkin.
"Tomorrow you're coming with me to work."
Eli frowned slightly.
"Really? Doing what?"
"Security detail."
"Where at?"
Brad nodded toward the window.
"Fixed Star Cathedral."
Eli raised an eyebrow.
"The big one I've been seeing?"
"Yeah."
The capital cathedral of the Church of the Fixed Star was one of the largest buildings in Aurelion. Eli had noticed it a couple times when driving around. It was hard to miss a structure of that size.
"Why do they need security there?" Eli asked.
"Supposed to be a really large service there tomorrow," Brad said. "High attendance means the need extra eyes around the place."
Eli leaned his head back against the booth.
"I thought the church handled most of their own stuff."
"They do," Brad said. "But the cathedral's a different story. Too many people moving through that place every day."
He took another drink of water.
"And sometimes things get a little hectic around places where people gather with strong beliefs."
Eli nodded slowly.
He already knew the basics of the church. It was pretty hard growing up in the Somatic Republic without hearing anything about the Fixed Star.
But Brad added a little more anyway.
"Most people treat Alcyone like a symbol of stability," he said. "Center of the universe. The grand order holding everything together."
Eli thought about the street preacher at West Pier back home. The cardboard sign. THE STAR HOLDS. THE REST DRIFTS. He'd ignored it at the time. Standing here now, looking at a building this size, he understood better what kind of weight that idea carried for people who actually believed it..
"Yeah. We learned that in school, and I heard about it a little at home," Eli said.
Brad nodded.
"Just keep that in mind when people talk to you tomorrow."
"Why would anyone talk to me?"
"You'll be standing around in a uniform at a public service," Brad said. "Someone's going to ask you something eventually."
Eli sighed.
"Great."
Brad smirked.
"Relax. Mostly older folks wanting to chat about their younger days."
Eli stabbed another piece of food with his fork.
"I think I'd rather fight Tomas again."
Brad laughed once at that.
They finished eating not long after.
When they stepped back outside, the evening air had cooled down and the sky over Aurelion was starting to fade into deep blue between the city lights.
Eli stretched carefully beside the car.
Every muscle in his body complained immediately.
Brad walked over to him and unlocked the doors.
"Make sure you get some sleep tonight," he said.
Eli climbed into the passenger seat.
"That was the plan anyway."
The crow ring tapped lightly against his chest again as he settled into the seat.
Tomorrow was apparently going to involve standing around a cathedral full of strangers.
Which at least sounded easier than getting thrown across a gym for two hours straight.
***
The morning air in Aurelion was cool and bright when Eli stepped out of the car.
Brad had parked the car along the outer security lane that wrapped the entire cathedral grounds. Even from the distance they stood at, the building dominated the entire skyline of the district.
Eli had seen it from a distance a couple times before now, but seeing it in person was something else entirely.
The structure rose in wide sweeping curves of pale stone that all pulled upward toward the central tower. At the very top, far above the rest of the city, a massive star-shaped crown caught the sunlight and threw it back across the sky.
It was the kind of building designed to make you feel small on purpose. Not threatening exactly, just a very deliberate reminder of what it represented. The Somatic Republic hadn't built this to be a place of worship. It had built it to be a landmark.
A wide staircase led up from the plaza to the main entrance. People were already climbing the steps in an orderly fashion, most dressed in their normal church attire. Families, older couples, groups of students. The quiet hum of voices drifted across the plaza.
Brad stepped around the hood of the car and looked Eli over once.
The security jacket fit him better than Eli expected. Dark, clean, and just formal enough that people would assume he belonged there.
"Try not to look like you're about to rob the place," Brad said.
Eli adjusted the stiff collar slightly.
"I still feel like I'm wearing someone else's clothes."
"You'll get used to it."
They started walking toward the steps.
The stone plaza stretched out in front of the cathedral like an open courtyard. A long reflecting pool ran down the center, the surface perfectly still except for a few ripples where a breeze skimmed across it.
Eli glanced at the water as they passed. The reflection of the cathedral tower stretched across the surface, the star at the top flickering in the moving light.
He followed Brad up the steps.
Closer to the entrance, the crowd started to thicken. A few ushers stood near the doors greeting people and handing out small printed programs for the service.
Brad slowed slightly near the main security station.
Two other guards stood there already, both wearing the same dark jackets Eli had on. One of them nodded briefly to Brad as they approached.
"Morning."
"Morning," Brad answered.
They exchanged a few quiet words about the day's crowd and the service schedule before Brad gestured for Eli to follow him inside.
The cathedral interior opened up all at once.
Eli stopped for half a second without meaning to.
The ceiling soared upward in massive stone arches that curved toward the center of the building. Sunlight filtered through tall windows along the walls, but most of the light came from the enormous stained glass star above the altar.
It filled the far wall like a second sunrise.
Rows of wooden pews stretched down both sides of the central aisle. People were already settling into their seats while quiet music from the choir drifted through the air.
Brad leaned slightly toward Eli as they walked along the side aisle.
"Just stay loose and keep your eyes moving," he said quietly. "Most of the job here is standing around."
Eli nodded.
They took their positions along the side corridor near one of the interior entrances.
For a while nothing unusual happened.
People continued filing into the cathedral. A group of older women passed by chatting quietly while a young couple tried to keep their toddler from wandering down the aisle.
Eli shifted his weight slightly against the wall.
Standing still turned out to be harder than he expected. Every muscle in his body still felt sore from the day before.
He rolled his shoulder once and scanned the room again.
From this angle he could see most of the nave without being directly in the way of the congregation moving through the doors.
People continued filing into the rows of pews in slow waves. A few late arrivals hurried down the center aisle while ushers quietly guided others toward open seats.
Closer to the side entrance, a small group of kids had gathered near one of the benches built along the wall.
They had clearly been told to sit still.
They were not doing a very good job of it.
One boy was spinning a small object between his fingers while another leaned halfway over the back of the bench trying to grab it. A third kid laughed so loud that an older man two rows ahead of them turned around with a quiet shushing gesture.
Eli watched them for a moment without meaning to.
Then he noticed one of the kids sitting slightly apart from the others.
A girl in a wheelchair.
She was leaning forward in her seat watching the chaos with a look that suggested she'd already decided the whole thing was stupid.
One of the boys dropped the object he'd been playing with. It clattered across the floor and rolled a short distance toward Eli's side of the aisle.
The boy jogged over to retrieve it before Eli could even move.
He slowed down when he realized he'd run right up to the security position.
The kid looked up at Eli's jacket for a second.
"You work here?" he asked.
Eli shifted his weight off the pillar.
"I'm just helping today."
The boy nodded like that answered everything.
Two of the other kids wandered over behind him, curiosity winning out.
One of them pointed at the earpiece.
"Does that thing actually work?"
"Yeah, most of the time," Eli said.
That seemed to satisfy them.
The girl rolled her chair a little closer, maneuvering around the bench with practiced ease.
"You guys are bothering him," she said.
The boy immediately defended himself.
"We're just asking."
Eli lifted a hand slightly.
"It's fine."
The girl studied him for a second, clearly judging whether he actually meant that.
Then she leaned back in the chair.
"You look too young to be real security."
"That's what I keep hearing."
That earned a small grin.
Behind them, a woman sitting a few rows back glanced over the top of a program she'd been reading.
"Sorry about them," she said.
Eli turned toward her.
"They're fine."
She smiled politely and went back to watching the kids.
The boy who had dropped the object earlier held it up again.
It was a small gold-colored pendant shaped like a star.
"They gave these out earlier," he said.
"Souvenir?" Eli asked.
"Something like that."
The girl in the chair rolled her eyes slightly.
"It's from the welcome table," she said. "You're supposed to keep it."
The boy looked mildly offended.
"I am keeping it."
The choir's music swelled slightly near the front of the cathedral as the service preparations continued.
One of the ushers along the aisle made a small motion toward the group.
The silent version of settle down.
The kids slowly drifted back toward the bench.
Eli stepped away from the pillar and continued walking the side aisle, letting his eyes move over the crowd again the way Brad had told him to.
The cathedral was almost full now.
Families settling into their rows.
Older couples speaking quietly to each other.
A few late arrivals slipping into open seats near the back.
From somewhere deeper in the building, the choir began the opening hymn.
Eli slowed near one of the interior doors that led toward the counseling wing of the cathedral.
As he stopped there, the crow ring resting beneath his shirt pressed slightly warmer against his chest.
Subtle.
Easy to ignore.
For the moment, Eli assumed it was just the heat of the building.
He almost convinced himself of that.
The warmth faded after a few seconds.
Eli shifted his stance and rolled his shoulder again.
The choir's voices lifted into the opening hymn near the altar. Conversations across the pews quieted as people settled in.
Eli glanced down the aisle.
Brad was farther toward the front now, talking briefly with one of the ushers.
Everything looked normal.
Then the ring warmed again.
Sharper this time.
Eli frowned and touched the chain under his collar. The heat didn't feel like body warmth. It felt reactive.
His eyes moved toward the counseling hallway behind him.
The door there sat half open.
A muffled shout suddenly came from inside.
Several people in nearby pews turned their heads.
Another voice followed, louder.
Chairs scraped against the floor somewhere down the hallway.
Brad's voice came through the earpiece.
"Eli."
"Yeah."
"Stay where you are," Brad said. "We've got something going on near the therapy rooms."
Eli glanced at the open hallway door.
"I think it's right here."
A second later the door burst open.
A man stumbled out, breathing hard and clearly shaken.
"Something's wrong in there," he said.
The lights in the hallway flickered.
Eli felt the ring heat sharply against his chest.
He looked past the man into the corridor.
Something moved inside.
Brad reached him a moment later and followed his line of sight.
"Alright," he said quietly.
Eli looked at him.
Brad nodded toward the hallway.
"You felt it through the ring?"
"Yeah."
Brad stepped aside from the doorway.
"Good."
Eli blinked.
"Good?"
Brad's voice stayed calm.
"Seems like an early stage shade. You can handle it."
Eli looked back into the corridor.
The counseling hallway was a mess.
One of the therapy room doors had been ripped halfway off its hinges and hung crooked against the frame. A chair had been thrown across the hall and splintered against the wall. Papers and pamphlets were scattered across the floor like someone had dumped an entire filing cabinet.
Inside the open room, the lights flickered weakly.
Something stood in the middle of the wreckage.
At first Eli couldn't tell where its body actually started.
It was tall, easily brushing the ceiling of the therapy room, its shape wrapped in long hanging folds that looked like heavy robes made from shadow. Several long arms folded together in front of its chest in a slow, unnatural imitation of prayer.
Its head had no face.
Just a smooth dark surface where features should have been.
Not frightening in the way a face would be. More unsettling than that. Like something that had learned the shape of a person without ever having been one.
The arms shifted slightly, the long fingers tightening together as if squeezing something invisible between them.
Behind it, a man sat collapsed against the far wall of the therapy room. His breathing was shallow, his hands gripping his own head like he was trying to force something out of his mind.
The thing in the center of the room tilted slightly toward him.
Then it turned.
Not with a head movement.
The entire upper body rotated slowly toward the hallway.
Toward Eli.
Even without eyes, the thing somehow focused on him.
The ring around Eli's neck pulsed with heat.
Brad rested a hand briefly on his shoulder.
"I'll be right here," he said quietly.
Then he stepped aside from the doorway.
"Go ahead."
Eli stared at the towering silhouette filling the therapy room.
Then he took a breath and stepped into the hallway.