The woman studied Darius carefully, her gaze unwavering.

  She had no fear.No hesitation.No confusion.

  Because she knew.

  Not what had been erased—but that something had been erased at all.

  Darius exhaled, his pulse steady. "Who are you?"

  The woman smiled slightly. "No one important."

  Ais scoffed. "That's a lie."

  The woman chuckled. "You're quick."

  Darius clenched his fists. "You knew what happened to Vaelmoor, didn't you?"

  The woman tilted her head.

  "I knew that something was rewritten."

  Her voice was calm. Too calm.

  Darius narrowed his eyes. "You mean you don't remember what it was before?"

  The woman's expression didn't change. "No."

  Ais frowned. "Then how do you know something was erased?"

  The woman exhaled softly.

  "Because I remember the space it left behind."

  Darius' breath caught.

  She didn't remember what had been erased.

  She didn't remember who had vanished.

  But she remembered that something was missing.

  That should not have been possible.

  The Thanatarchy rewrote everything.

  People.Pces.Memories.

  But this woman—she had somehow resisted.

  Not by holding onto what was lost.

  But by remembering the absence.

  Ais's fingers curled. "Then you're different from us."

  The woman's smile was small. "You could say that."

  Darius kept his voice even. "How long have you been able to do this?"

  The woman turned her gaze toward the sky, as if looking at something distant.

  Then she said, quietly—

  "As long as I can remember."

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Darius and Ais exchanged a gnce.

  This wasn't an accident.

  This woman had lived through multiple rewrites.

  She had survived, unseen, while the world continued to reshape itself.

  And yet, she was still here.

  Darius exhaled. "What's your name?"

  The woman chuckled softly. "Names are fragile things, aren't they?"

  Darius' jaw clenched.

  Because she was right.

  Names were the first thing the Thanatarchy erased.

  And yet—he was still holding onto his.

  Finally, the woman met his gaze.

  "You can call me Elya."

  Ais crossed her arms. "You're being vague on purpose."

  Elya smiled. "Of course."

  Darius exhaled sharply. "What do you know about the Thanatarchy?"

  Elya's expression didn't change.

  But the air did.

  The stillness around them grew heavier.

  The sky felt dimmer.

  As if just speaking the name of the Thanatarchy had drawn its attention.

  Darius and Ais both felt it.

  And from the way Elya's expression darkened—so did she.

  Her voice was lower now.

  Measured.

  "The Thanatarchy is not what you think it is."

  Ais narrowed her eyes. "Then what is it?"

  Elya's gaze flickered toward Darius.

  And when she spoke—her words carried weight.

  "It is not simply a force of erasure."

  She took a slow step forward.

  "It is a force of order."

  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Darius' pulse quickened. "Order?"

  Elya nodded.

  "The Thanatarchy does not erase because it is cruel. It does not erase because it is mindless."

  Her gaze sharpened.

  "It erases because it must."

  Ais's expression darkened. "That makes no sense. Why would anything need to erase entire histories?"

  Elya studied her for a moment, as if debating how much to say.

  Then, she answered.

  "Because without it, reality itself would colpse."

  Darius' breath froze.

  The words did not make sense.

  And yet, they did.

  Something about them felt true.

  As if, deep down, he had always known.

  Ais's voice was sharp. "That's a lie."

  Elya's smile didn't fade. "Is it?"

  She gestured toward the city around them.

  "Look around. You've seen it firsthand."

  Darius and Ais turned their gazes toward Vaelmoor.

  The buildings had shifted.

  The streets had changed.

  The very fabric of the city was still settling, still rewriting itself.

  Because the Thanatarchy was restoring order.

  Elya's voice was calm.

  "You think the Thanatarchy destroys."

  She shook her head.

  "But what if it is simply repairing?"

  Silence.

  Darius' mind raced.

  The Thanatarchy had always been an absolute force.

  It erased without emotion.

  It rewrote without hesitation.

  But now, for the first time—

  Darius was forced to consider something terrifying.

  What if the Thanatarchy wasn't the vilin?

  What if he was?

  Ais's jaw was tight. "Then why are you here, Elya? If you believe all that, why aren't you helping them?"

  Elya chuckled.

  "Because just because something is necessary—"

  Her eyes met Darius'.

  "Doesn't mean it's right."