It was already close to noon when Nyu and Elara reached their destination, a small landing among ragged stones below the steep cliffside, only a few feet above the heaving waves that splashed against the sharp rocks and dissolved into glistening mist.

They had stopped by the breakfast buffet on their way out to stuff their pockets with fruits and wrapped sandwiches, before Elara took them on a climb to one of her favorite spots on the grounds of the Great Library. It wasn't secret per se, and a steep staircase bore witness to that fact, but not many people decided to come here anymore. In ancient times, there had been a small quay right where the waves now met solid rock, which pilgrims from distant lands would use as an efficient means of travel, or merchants supplying the Great Library with all sorts of goods.

Eventually, however, the treacherous cliffs had taken too high a toll, both in terms of sunken ships and bodies washed ashore. Transportation had diverted to the roads, and the harbor of the nearby fishing village Tavira proved to be a more reliable access point to the open sea.

Where once stood a wooden pier now reigned the unyielding forces of nature, and they had made quick work of the old structure over the course of one too many harsh winters. Once it was gone, no one bothered to come down here anymore — no one except for Elara, when she needed quiet time.

Kaelen had joined her a few times, and he probably would've done so today, but they hadn't seen him in the dining hall, and when they knocked at his door, they had only heard a dismissive grumble. Elara hadn't pressed the matter, though. In secret, she didn't mind spending the morning with Nyu alone.

"This place is more to my liking," Nyu muttered in between bites.

She was working on a sandwich stuffed with eggs and bacon, and would occasionally toss escaping crumbs back into her smacking mouth. At first, Elara was put off by her display of crude manners, but then she realized that Nyu was just being herself, without caring much about appearances — it was a quality she deeply admired in the other woman, and one she sought to adapt herself one day.

"I used to come here a lot," Elara commented, while letting her gaze drift over the open sea. Sharp stone walls closed in from both sides, sheltering the small outcropping from the cold breeze that was omnipresent up above. Still, they both hid inside their fuzzy robes as they sat next to each other on top of a smooth boulder.

Nyu grumbled approvingly and took another big bite. Elara fetched an apple from her bag and twisted it in her fingers.

"It's ironic, you know?" she mused, looking at the ripe fruit in her hand, "The world is coming undone, and at the same time I feel better than ever. Seems like an odd mood of fate."

Nyu stopped, her mouth only an inch away from her dripping sandwich, then swallowed loudly and put her food off to the side.

"You sure think a lot of deep thoughts," she said casually, then cleaned her teeth with her fingernails.

Elara shrugged and bit into her apple. "Maybe," she murmured.

Nyu chuckled. "Well, I like your brains just as much as the pretty package it comes in."

Elara could feel her cheeks mimicking the bright red color of the apple she was holding.

They were quiet for a moment. In the distance, a small ship with white sails slowly made its way through the heavy sea. It rocked back and forth like a swing, dipping behind bulging waves only to rear up victoriously the very next second. The small vessel was most likely headed for Tavira, carrying goods and travelers from far-away lands, maybe even a returning Fateweaver.

"It's funny," Elara whispered into the quiet. "When we first met you, I thought you were the rudest person I'd ever met."

Nyu gently bumped her shoulder into hers.

"I very well might be," she quipped with a cheeky smile, and combed back a strand of orange hair.

When she lowered her hand, Elara grabbed it gently with her fingers.

"I think that's just what you want people to believe."

Their eyes interlocked for a long moment, then Nyu sighed.

"You're probably more right about that than you think," she whispered with a hint of bitterness.

"You don't always have to be tough, you know. Not with me, anyway."

"I appreciate the offer," Nyu said earnestly. "But don't take it personally if I'm not going to turn into a softie right away."

"Well," Elara responded with a playful voice. "You better keep some of your tough girl charm anyway."

They both smiled and gazed at the open water. The sky was slowly starting to fill up with fluffy clouds, and in the far distance, a deep blue haze moved along the horizon. Ships would avoid the brewing storm if they could, especially now that the sea's temper was getting more unpredictable with winter fast approaching.

"Do you ever wonder what could've been?" Elara asked pensively, and her gentle words almost got lost in the cacophony of waves smashing against solid rock. "Like, had things been different."

Nyu didn't respond right away, but instead leaned forward and rested her cheek on her one fist.

"No," she finally said, her voice flaccid.

Elara nodded absently. "Honestly, that's probably for the better."

"Worked out so far," Nyu said and shrugged.

"But … what if you'd not been a Fateless? Do you think you'd still be the person you are today?"

The other woman chuckled and glanced over.

"You think I'd be one of them princesses? Filthy rich and shamelessly beautiful?"

"I'm not sure you'd appreciate the etiquette of the royal court."

"Blasted — I'd hate every second of it."

She kicked a pebble with her shoe and watched it dive into the waves.

"Fateless or not," Nyu mused, "I'd still be a scoundrel. I think that's just part of my identity."

Elara considered her words for a moment.

"I think that's who you chose to be — because it was the path of least resistance for you."

Nyu's expression hardened. "Oh, there was plenty of resistance. I'm not sure you have any idea just how much resistance I had to fight my way through, just to survive."

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"I don't doubt that," Elara said calmly. "Still, I like to think that we can choose our path."

Nyu scoffed. "That's odd coming from someone who believes in the all-mighty God of Fate. After all, your order just dictates people's lives from start to finish. Doesn't exactly leave much room for choice."

"We don't dictate people's lives," Elara retorted. "We just record what is already bound to happen anyway."

"Then why record it in the first place?"

Elara had to admit that she was starting to ask herself the same question when she was left alone with her thoughts for too long.

"It's just what Fateweavers do. It's what the God of Fate asks of us."

"I guess you never bothered to ask your God for reasons," Nyu sneered and started kneading her hands.

Elara thought back to what Master Zerath had taught them — without fate, there was chaos. Only there seemed to be plenty of chaos with fate involved, too. In truth, recording people's fate gave the Fateweavers incredible power over them — and control.

"Look at it this way," Elara tried to explain, "if the Fateweavers know everyone's fate, they can create a society of peace and harmony."

"By culling those who don't fit their pretty vision of a perfect society?"

Elara bit her lip. She wanted to defend her order, but lately she herself was lacking the conviction she'd once felt.

"It's complicated," she murmured, and Nyu raised her sharp eyebrows.

"Is it? I think it's pretty simple," she said quietly. "And since you brought up the question: what if I had not been a Fateless? What if I had been myself, but with a fate tome in my name? Would your brothers and sisters have killed me upon birth? Seeing what kind of misfit I'd turn into."

"Of course not!" Elara exclaimed and looked directly into Nyu's blue eyes.

In truth, she didn't know.

"Where do you draw the line then? Who gets to live and who dies?"

Elara wanted to hurl a punchy response at Nyu, but the words got stuck in her throat like large chunks of food.

"It seems to me," Nyu continued, "that the Fateweavers are not just heeding some God's demands — they act as Gods themselves."

Elara looked down at her half-eaten apple and said nothing for a long time. Eventually, Nyu stopped waiting for a response and turned her attention back to her sandwich.

"I know you're not evil," Nyu said while chewing, "so don't take it personally."

"You know, not all people are like the Fateless," Elara said quietly after some time had passed. "Most of them ask us to record their fates."

Nyu scoffed, and a few yellow bits of scrambled egg flew through the air.

"Because of the stories you've fed them. Because you made them believe their lives are forfeit if they don't."

A part of Elara wondered why she could not come up with good arguments for what she'd been taught her entire life — and a voice in her head started to whisper: "Because there are none."

They fell silent for a long time, listening to the steady beat of the splashing waves. A seagull was mewing somewhere in the distance, and its piercing scream bounced off the smooth walls around them. A small cloud passed the sun on its way towards the ocean, covering the bay in gray shadow.

"Do you think it's going to be fine?" Elara asked pensively, gently pressing her shoulder against Nyu's.

"What is?"

"All of it."

Nyu cocked her head and considered the question for a moment.

"You want my honest opinion?" she asked with a grim voice. "No."

Elara had been looking for reassurance, but she realized that Nyu was not one to talk candidly. But then the orange-haired woman added: "Whatever happens, we will make the best out of it."

She gave Elara a weak smile, then lowered her head and gazed at her hands.

"Worst case, we just go somewhere else, far away from all this mess."

The suggestions seemed to drop a weight on Elara's heart.

"I'm not sure that I could see myself doing that," she said quietly and started fidgeting with her hair.

"You mean unlike me?" Nyu probed.

"That's — not what I meant."

Nyu rolled her neck as if to loosen a tension.

"Believe me: I wish I didn't have to live my life like a flag in the wind." Her voice had gotten sharper, but she wasn't angry.

"I know you don't. I'm sorry."

Nyu sighed. "Don't be. There is nothing to be sorry for. At this point, I'm used to tragedies at every step of the way. As far as I'm concerned, it's a pleasant change to find some beauty in between."

She lifted her head and gazed at Elara with her deep blue eyes, and tiny muscles twitched around the corners of her mouth.

Elara couldn't help but smile.

"For someone living a life full of tragedies, you are surprisingly smooth."

And with that, she leaned in until their lips pressed intimately against each other. Nyu's heated breath felt like a warm blanket on Elara's cool skin, and she could sense tiny hairs on her neck rise up.

With their noses still touching, Nyu whispered: "Or maybe we just stay right here."

"I like the sound of that," Elara breathed, and they wrapped their arms around each other.

Unfortunately, she thought, that wasn't going to be an option.

#

The sun was already reaching its apex when they'd eaten the last of the food they brought and were slowly getting ready to head back to the Great Library. The Master's would be meeting soon, and Elara did not want to be late, even though Nyu made it very hard to leave the serenity of this secluded place behind.

When they got up and stretched their stiff legs, Nyu took a step forward and stopped mere inches away from where the waves licked the smooth surface of the stones. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun that was peaking through the spotty cloud cover, and her expression turned as solid as the cliff surrounding them.

"What's that?" she asked with a sharp voice.

Elara stepped next to her and followed her gaze until she saw a dark streak of smoke in the distance, ominously hovering under the low-hanging clouds. They couldn't see its origin, but she could tell it was coming from the heart of the bay, maybe even further inland.

Only when their eyes met did it dawn on her.

"Do you think that's …?" she asked with a chill creeping up her back.

Nyu's brows narrowed, and her voice had lost all its joyfulness.

"I guess the war has begun."

#

They rushed up the steep stone staircase, pulling themselves up on a brittle rope that loosely followed the trail. Soon, Elara was panting from exhaustion, but they pressed on until they reached the edge of the Great Library's backyard.

Up here, the black smoke was even more noticeable, and it clearly came from the direction of Cylion. A few students were standing along the edge of the cliff, or behind windows in the wall that opened up over the bay, watching the gruesome spectacle like the eruption of a volcano. Elara knew that only a massive fire could've caused this much smoke, and the city of Cylion would've offered just enough kindling.

Surely, the Masters had also noticed — and Elara was certain it would have a severe impact on what they were about to discuss. If Malvorn had truly laid waste to the capital of this part of the world, they had to act. There had to be consequences, and they would have to happen fast, unless …

Concern wrinkled her soft skin. Was it too late already? Was this the beginning of the end? The armies of Cylion had fallen, and Malvorn had triumphed. Such a display of strength and power was hard to ignore and foolish to downplay. Looking at Nyu, she could tell the tough woman was having similar thoughts.

"I hope you don't regret the side you picked," Elara gasped as they scurried towards the portal that would lead them back inside.

It was a bad joke on a good day, and a desperate cry for reassurance in the dire situation they found themselves in.

"I didn't pick any side," Nyu rasped under her breath, "I just don't follow maniacs."

They ran down the dark hallways and took a flight of stairs in stride, almost bumping into a group of startled students. When they reached the chamber that served as the meeting room for the council of Masters, they were surprised to find it practically empty — only Zerath was standing by a window, his back to the door and deep in thought.

When he heard them stumble inside, he lowered his head and slowly turned around. His eyes were serious, and his forehead was covered in deep wrinkles.

"I was looking for you," he said in a somber voice.

Elara opened her mouth in confusion.

"I thought the council meeting was not until noon."

Zerath showed them a pained smile.

"I'm afraid the council meeting has been adjourned."

Elara and Nyu exchanged surprised glances.

"Because of … that?" Elara asked and pointed past Zerath's shoulder at the dark smoke that was clearly visible through the window.

Zerath shook his head. "No," he said, and his expression hardened. "Because Master Oryn is dead."

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