Black Star City

The days following the Reckoning were quiet, but Ria couldn't shake the lingering thoughts from the grand hall. She had felt an unexpected surge of recognition for the brown-haired young man, and the unease that had settled in her chest was still present, simmering just below the surface.

Sia seemed to sense it, her gaze sharp when Ria didn't quite meet her eyes.

"You've been distracted," Sia said one morning as they prepared for a quieter, private Reckoning. "I think it's time for you to undergo yours."

Ria froze, the cloth she had been folding slipping from her hands.

"My Reckoning?" Ria echoed, her voice tinged with surprise. "I thought... I thought the Reckoning was only for the city's youth."