God's Blessing is a Curse

Chapter 43: The Search for the Guide, III

Chapter 43 - The

I turned.

She looked at me with an expression I couldn't quite read. "If your memories begin to shift again—if the thread pulls—you know where to find me."

I nodded. "I do."

The street outside had grown darker since we entered. Fog crept in along the gutters, soft and pale. We walked in silence until the clinic faded from view.

Clara spoke first.

"She didn't lie."

"No," I said. "But she didn't tell us everything either."

Konrad's hand rested on the strap of his rifle. "She knows more than she's letting on."

"She wants to be needed," I said. "And right now... we need her."

Ahead, the lamps flickered in the distance.

We turned toward the university.

The walk was slow. The city had grown quieter than I remembered, even for this hour. Our footsteps echoed in a way that made me feel exposed.

Clara walked beside me, hands in her coat pockets. Her gaze moved between the street signs and the people we passed—few, but present. She was watching for something. Or someone.

"I'm not sure how we approach him," she said finally.

"We'll figure that out after we find him," I replied.

Konrad walked just behind us. "Direct," he said. "He won't respond to shadows."

Clara glanced back. "And what if we're wrong."

"Then we move on," he said. "But we need to see."