Chapter 27 – A Path Walked by Two

Laterano never had stark seasons. But today, the air was slightly warmer than usual. The sun peeked out from behind the white towers with a soft glow, making the whole city look like a painting. Not ominous. Not exactly peaceful either. But… enough.

Exu stood in front of a narrow corridor leading to the outer edge of a small chapel in the eastern district. Behind her, Fiammetta double-checked the recording device they had brought. Her bag held spare batteries, small wires, and two meat-filled buns.

"You sure this place is safe?" Fiammetta asked.

"Nope," Exu replied honestly. "But it's accessible. And not sealed off—yet."

They moved quickly. Not sneaking—just efficient, planned steps. The corridor was narrow but clean, its stone walls mossy and lit by a small window above.

"This is a service space, not a sacred one," Exu explained quietly. "But it's acoustically linked to the central altar room."

Fiammetta attached the recorder to the ceiling. She didn't say much—worked with precision—and Exu appreciated that.

When they finished, they sat for a moment on the back stairs.

"You've been... really calm these days," Fiammetta said, opening one of the buns.

Exu took a bite before replying. "If we panic, we can't think. And if we can't think, we'll get dragged by someone else's plan."

Fiammetta chewed slowly. "So you'd rather walk the path alone?"

"Not alone," Exu said, turning to her. "You're here. Lemuen's here. Mostima… I don't know, but she hasn't walked away."

"What if Mostima suddenly said, 'I'm out'?"

Exu nodded without hesitation. "Then I keep going. I'm not waiting for permission anymore."

Fiammetta looked at her for a long moment. Then she nodded, quietly.

They took a different route back, passing a small park where a few children were practicing folding sacred paper. One winged child waved at Exu. She waved back casually, nothing suspicious in her gesture.

Outside of Laterano, people wouldn't believe someone that age could map a hidden surveillance network in a week. But here, that wasn't something anyone talked about.

At home, Lemuen was reading documents in the living room. He glanced at Exu when she entered, then looked back down at his papers.

"Did you stop by the eastern district?" he asked casually.

"Yeah. Had something to check," Exu replied, not bothering to hide it.

"There were reports of strange sounds from the altar's acoustic system last night. Some of the monitors logged it as 'delayed echo.'"

Exu tossed her jacket onto a chair.

"What do you think it was?" Lemuen asked.

"I think… someone replayed a recording of a ritual chant in reverse."

Lemuen lowered his paper and looked at her for a long moment.

"You're starting to think like a Laterano official."

"I don't want to work for the Council," Exu answered quickly.

Lemuen smiled. "I know."

That evening, Mostima appeared again. But not at the usual place.

Exu found her standing at the edge of a stone bridge leading into the western district. She leaned against the railing, watching the water flow below. Her wings looked dimmer than usual—but not worn.

"Out on patrol?" Exu asked as she approached.

"Waiting for you," Mostima replied, not turning around.

"Oh."

They stood in silence for a moment. The breeze blew Exu's hair slightly against Mostima's wing. No one made a big deal of it.

"I know you heard something from the altar," Mostima finally said.

"Yeah."

"I also know you've been digging through back channels."

"Yeah."

Mostima turned, locking eyes with her.

"I'm not going to stop you."

Exu didn't reply right away. She simply gave a small nod.

"Because you know... this isn't just about me anymore, is it?" Mostima continued.

"No. It's about the people who don't yet realize they're going to be affected."

Mostima gave a soft laugh. "You've always been like that. Even as a kid, you'd think first before anyone could ask."

Exu stared down at the water. "I just hate being dragged into things I don't even understand."

"So you'll keep digging?"

"Yeah."

Mostima stood up straight. She patted Exu once on the shoulder. "Then we'll meet again. Somewhere off the map."

And she walked away. Not vanishing—just out of sight.

That night, Exu sat in her room, replaying all the sound clips from their devices. Nothing unusual this time. But at the end of one file, there was a whisper.

Not mystical. Not creepy.

Just… a name.

"Exusiai."

She stared at the screen. Rewound. Listened again.

"Exusiai."

Then silence.

A message came from Fiammetta:

"One of the three points might be open. I'm checking it tonight."

Exu replied:

"Stay safe. No more than 15 minutes."

Then she grabbed her notebook, opened to a blank page, and wrote:

Next step: Open the altar. But with witnesses.

No solo moves. No hiding.

We move as three.

She closed the notebook and turned off the light.

Nothing changed in Laterano that night.

But three people had decided not to stay quiet.

And that… was enough to start shifting something.