Chapter 23: Debt to the Deathless

The musty smell of ancient architecture, the incessant creak of well-trodden boards, the almost painfully ostentatious ornamentation on every single wall and door, and the passing looks of forced reverence. No matter how many times Kaya walked through the halls of Orzhova, she could never quite get used to it. She would rather be anywhere else in the city right now, but she had her mission, and no matter how much every sight and sound within the church made her want to find the nearest window and vault through, she would see it through to the end.

Her eyes listlessly fell on the cowled back of Madame Blaise, her guide within the hallowed halls of the church. The old woman shuffled before her, robes jingling as her myriad gold adornments bobbed with her small strides, filling the otherwise silent corridor with an almost ironic levity. She had come to greet Kaya and Teyo at the front door, followed by an entourage of thrulls that were to dispose of the guards' bodies. When Kaya told Madame Blaise of her business here, the elderly servitor readily offered to escort the two planeswalkers through the labyrinthine floors. She was not much for conversation, but Kaya was grateful that she was helping at all.

She's probably just glad I'm not here to free any more souls… Kaya indignantly thought. Besides the sensory overload from the old building, the other thing to which Kaya still could not acclimate was the thick smog of animosity that the Orzhov had for her. Even Madame Blaise, her chief assistant, seemed to only help her perfunctorily. She did not give off the air of resentment that the high priests and advokists did, but Kaya could always feel that, were Blaise given a choice in the matter, she would have surely refused to serve.

By the Light, I cannot wait to be done with this plane.

Kaya heaved an internal sigh. As her shoulders rose and fell, she felt the weight of it all bearing down on her, both mentally and physically. She had struggled to climb the uncountable number of steps in the church, and she had to work to keep her breathing under control. There was something about being in Orzhova that amplified the crushing force of her Guildpact connection. She did not know if it was proximity to the souls, or simply her mind reacting to the hostile environment. It hardly mattered. She continued to put one increasingly tired foot in front of the other, scuffing the polished floors in the process.

Noticing that her neck was dipping from the ghostly weight, Kaya took a moment to stretch it out. As she slowly rotated it, reveling in the satisfactory pops of her vertebrae, she caught sight of Teyo just behind her. The young mage's face was the same as it had been when they first stepped through the threshold of the church and into the grandiose foyer. Head held high and constantly moving, mouth slightly open, and eyes wide with amazement. It seemed that, no matter how many new things this boy saw today, he could still be surprised. Kaya could hardly imagine what Teyo's home must have been like to be impressed by the downright gaudy decadence of the Orzhov. A tiny smirk flashed across her face, accompanied by an odd dose of envy.

At least someone's excited to be here…

Her attention pulled away from her naïve accomplice, and as soon as she returned to her present surroundings, the slight smile on her face vanished altogether. The walls had grown more ornate, if it were possible, the twisted golden accents now choking the life from the purple walls and beams. The lighting was growing more and more diffuse, the ancient chandeliers overhead having grown opaque with age. Worst of all, the corridor was now festooned with portraits of the former leaders of the Orzhov Syndicate. Images of the Obzedat, in both their living and ghostly forms, stared down at her from all angles. She might have suspected that they were haunting her, had she not put a swift end to that herself. To Kaya's disdain, this knowledge did little to soothe the ulcer being drilled into her stomach by the infinite pairs of painted eyes.

Gotta look on the bright side, this means we're finally almost there.

Not a moment after this thought crossed Kaya's mind, Madame Blaise paused her steps and turned to face them. Without thinking, Kaya held out a hand behind her. Not missing a beat, Teyo ran straight into her hand. He immediately went about righting himself, trying his best to appear presentable in the face of the servitor. It took a good deal of restrain for Kaya's eyes to keep from rolling at Teyo's predictability.

With everyone at attention, Madame Blaise gestured with a withered hand to the imposing door beside her, a gleaming piece of ancient Ravnican craftsmanship adorned with the opalescent sun of the Church.

"Mistress Karlov has already been alerted to your presence," Blaise explained, voice low and professional. "She should be waiting for you in here."

Kaya offered the Madame a shallow bow. "Thank you for the assistance."

"My pleasure, Mistress." The old woman's stony face remained unmoved.

"Will you be waiting out here until we're finished?" Kaya asked.

"I can, Mistress, if that is your request."

Despite the even tone, Kaya could tell the Madame Blaise had more important things to do than wait around to escort her back outside. Luckily, Kaya agreed with her. "There's no need for that. I'll be sure to ring for you if we need anything." Though she knew that this would not happen, Kaya still felt it necessary to add this last sentence.

The Madame nodded sagely. "Very well. In that case, I shall fetch the cleaners. It seems that someone has been tracking sand throughout our halls. Excuse me, Mistress."

With a surprisingly spry heel turn, Madame Blaise left Kaya and Teyo standing in front of the towering purple door. Once the servitor was out of sight, Kaya cast a glance at Teyo. Just as she expected, the young man's tanned cheeks were now a steaming pink. She clapped a reassuring hand on his back.

"Don't sweat it, kid. Even if they know it was you, they won't do anything about it."

Teyo ran a hand up his neck and started nervously fidgeting with his braid. "Yeah, I know. I just don't want you getting in trouble for my mistakes."

Kaya quickly stifled a giggle. "You don't have to worry about that. If these windbags were gonna do something to me, they would have a while ago. I don't like being in charge here any more than they do, but it does have its perks. Honestly, I should be thanking you for bringing a bit of irritation into their lives."

The beginnings of a smile appeared on Teyo's face, and the redness in his cheeks subsided. Seeing this, Kaya removed her hand from his back and gestured with her head to the door.

"Well, the sooner we get in there, the sooner this is over with."

Taking another step forward, Kaya took hold of the enormous crystal that served as a doorknob. It was heavy, so it took a considerable effort on her part to turn it all the way. Eventually, she heard the soft click of the tumbler, and she opened the door to Teysa Karlov's private quarters.

The first thing that hit Kaya upon entering the room was the smell. The faint odor of incense-coated decay that permeated the halls of Orzhova was not present in Teysa's office. Instead, Kaya's nose was assaulted by a mixture of ink, parchment, and the tiniest metallic hint of blood. Despite her misgivings about the room, these scents were much preferred to the malodorous corridors on the other side of the door.

After Kaya's installation as leader of the Syndicate, Teysa had gone about renovating her ancestor's office space to her liking. She had not seen what it looked like before, but she doubted either would suit her tastes. Elaborate furniture lined the walls, chairs and tables outlined laced with gold, ivory, and jet, all polished to a mirror-like sheen. The walls were covered with shelves, each seemingly overburdened with all manner of scroll and book. Any free space on the walls was occupied by antique portraits depicting noble-looking individuals resplendent in Orzhov garb. From the few times Kaya had visited Teysa, she assumed these were pictures of the Karlov family, but she never bothered to ask. The only other free space along the stuffed walls held a large window, its thick purple curtains parted only enough to let a sliver of light shine through. Before this window sat an oversized desk, its surface indistinguishable beneath a loose layer of parchment, and seated behind it was the person Kaya had come to see.

In a room so full of reminders of death, the two living beings situated behind the desk immediately drew the eye. Teysa Karlov, the de facto matriarch of the Orzhov guild, was stooped over the scattered documents littering her desk. She rested in the plush leather of the desk's armchair, her chin cupped in a gloved hand that was propped up by an elbow on the desk. She wore her traditional high-collared cowl, framed by a set of matching pauldrons, and a sleek grey robe, whose imprint of the Orzhov's insignia exposed the ghostly pale skin of her upper chest. Had they met under different circumstances, Kaya might have called Teysa attractive, but the scion's image was too tainted by their interactions to allow such niceties. Standing to her side was the familiar face of Tomik Vrona, her chief advokist and personal assistant. Kaya had met the young man on several occasions since arriving on Ravnica, and his balance of calculating guild member and warm citizen left a favorable impression, despite his closeness with Teysa. At present, the young man was leafing through the scrolls along the back wall, picking them out and putting them back in an effortlessly methodical manner.

As Kaya entered the room, however, both Teysa and Tomik instantly changed their positioning. Rather than lean forward, Teysa reclined back into the chair, striking a pose of indulgent importance. Tomik hastily returned the scrolls he was looking at to their original spots and turned to face the visitor, hands clasped before him and a neutral look on his face.

Teysa gestured to Kaya with a leisurely hand. "Ah, Kaya, do come in. I've been told you have something you wish to discuss. I'm rather busy, so please, take a seat and we can begin." Her hand dipped to indicate the chairs in front of the desk. As Kaya walked into the room, Teyo trailing close behind, she put up her own hand in rejection.

"No thanks, I'd prefer to stand."

A seething smirk flashed across Teysa's face, and she slowly shook her head. "How fortunate to have the option." This statement was acutely punctuated by the rap of her cane striking the hardwood floor. With her free hand, Teysa pointed behind Kaya to Teyo. "And who might this be accompanying you? He doesn't look like a church member."

This question surprised the young mage, and he nervously stepped forward and extended his hand over the cluttered desk. "Oh, hi, uh, my name's Teyo. Teyo Verada. It's very nice to meet you, Miss Teysa. Or, I mean, Mistress Teysa, sorry."

Teyo's hand hung in the air for a few seconds, with Teysa making no move to accept the gesture. She merely maintained eye contact with Teyo, her icy stare boring into his skull until he took the hint and retreated to Kaya's side once again. She felt bad for Teyo, since his naïve disposition had been a bright spot in an otherwise dark day, but she had warned him multiple times about Teysa's attitude, so it should have come as no surprise.

"He's a planeswalker," Kaya quickly explained, "from the plane of Gobakhan. He's been helping me out today, so I figured he could come along. That okay with you?"

"Of course," Teysa responded. Her eyes darted up and down, looking Teyo over with obvious judgement. "Another planeswalker in our midst, hmm? Watch out Tomik, it seems your replacement has finally arrived."

A light laugh, like a windchime, escaped from Teysa's curled lips. Kaya's eyes darted to Tomik, and she watched him shift uncomfortably in his spot. His hands now twiddled with unease, and he ran his fingers around the red strip of fabric that hung tightly to his wrist.

"Yeah, yeah, real funny," Kaya sighed, crossing her arms across her chest. She fixed her gaze on Teysa once again, trying as best she could to muster an authoritative look. "This shit's between you and me, no need to drag Tomik into this."

"Oh, it's fine, Mistress Kaya," Tomik mutely responded. He offered a slight nod to her, then one to Teyo as he spoke. "Though, if I may say, I'm a little surprised that this young man is the only one accompanying you."

Kaya immediately understood what he meant. The pleading look in his eyes, hidden beneath his bureaucratic shell, told all. He dared not be explicit in front of Teysa, but it was clear as crystal that he was worried about Zarek. She knew of their relationship and of the consequences should two high-profile individuals from different guilds be exposed as such. She attempted to soften her look before answering the young man's silent plea.

"Yes, there's been a change of plans, so to speak. Myself, Guildmaster Zarek, and Lavinia have split up in the face of the new issues today has presented, cover more ground. They should be reporting back to me any minute."

"And what of Miss Hekara?"

Kaya paused, the question catching her off guard. Her voice grew somber. "We had an incident last night while finishing the preparations for the Interplanar Beacon. Hekara didn't make it. Her body is still with the Beacon."

She watched Tomik's pupils dilate at the tragic news, though she knew it was not directly related to Hekara's death. The two had not shared much time, but Kaya understood how the razorwitch's attitude rubbed off on people. What she had neglected was Tomik's unawareness of Bolas' initial attack and how the others might have fared.

"It's all fine now," she quickly reassured. "The Beacon is up and running, and no one else was hurt during the process."

Tomik gave an understanding, understated nod to Kaya's admission. For an imperceptible moment, she saw a look of relief fill Tomik's face before it returned to its professional stoicism. She smiled inwardly, glad to help one of the few people on this plane that did not seem to hate her guts.

"So," Teysa impatiently piped up, clearly eager to get this affair over with, "why exactly have you interrupted my work today? Or do you simply enjoy wasting my precious time?"

Kaya felt the tendons in her fingers reflexively curl with indignation, but she knew the importance of restraint here. "No, I'm here to ask for your help."

Again, a look of pure derision bloomed on Teysa's face. "Why, my most competent Guildmaster, whatever do you need my help for?"

"Have you looked outside today?" Kaya responded, allowing an inkling of her incredulity slip into her tone. "Zombies from another plane of existence are running through the streets and killing everyone they can!"

Teysa looked over to Tomik with a knowing glance. "Yes, I am fully aware of the situation. We've seen quite the uptick in soul collection today, isn't that right?" Tomik nodded in confirmation as she returned her gaze to Kaya. "Well, these zombies, as you put it, have not breached the Church's security, nor have they killed any of our most devout followers or members. If you're here for my opinion, I do not think this is a matter for the Church. Let the other guilds do what they want, but I would say to leave it be. There's no point wasting our gold on another's problem."

She expected such a response, but that did not stop Kaya's face from creasing further into a contentious scowl. Such brash disregard for life could only be found within these sacred walls. Kaya could feel her ability to maintain decorum slipping, but she needed to press forward.

"We're trying to alert the other guildmasters as well. We have teams on their way now to meet with the Selesnya, Izzet, and I believe Simic and Boros as well. Even with them helping, it won't be enough. The Orzhov need to help protect this plane, no matter the cost."

There was a pause once Kaya finished, as the two women stared each other down. Kaya hoped that this might persuade Teysa even a little, but the scion's eyes lulled in disinterest as soon as she fell silent.

"Well, it seems to me that you've already made up your mind, then. I don't know why this required meeting with me. Go on, waste even more of our resources as you see fit, but if you have no need for my service, kindly leave me to work in peace."

Her free hand waved idly towards the door, shooing the two planeswalkers out as if they were a pair of foxes in her gilded henhouse. Kaya stood stock-still, her dark eyes not moving from Teysa's. Her companion, however, did not seem to fully understand the situation. At Teysa's beckoning, Kaya heard the scuffle of Teyo's moccasins as he turned back towards the door, presumably ready to help her with rallying the troops.

"Hold on, Teyo," she called out behind her, "we're not leaving yet."

She heard his footsteps stop midway to the door, then turn once more to face her.

"Oh, sorry," came Teyo's embarrassed voice as he reapproached them. "I figured you didn't want to spend too much time here, and Miss Teysa said you can do what you want, so…"

Kaya let out a sigh, hoping it would be quiet enough to spare Teyo's feelings. "Unfortunately, we can't go anywhere yet."

"And why is that?" Teysa asked, her unassuming tone now undercut with a tinge of disgust. "I have much work to do with all these new souls coming in, you know. It'd be much simpler for everyone if you let me be."

Kaya's fists balled, and she struck a heavy stance. "I'm not going anywhere until the Church is helping to fight these zombies and keep Ravnica from burning to the ground."

"I don't think I quite understand, Kaya," Teysa evenly said with an devilish smirk. "If you want the Church to fight pointlessly in the streets, then by all means, command them to do so. After all, you are the guildmaster here, aren't you?"

There it was. The words, the tone, the reprehensibly smug look on Teysa's face. It was the culmination of everything Kaya had dealt with since killing the Obzedat that made her just want to punch Teysa square in the face. Her restraint already wearing thin, Kaya could feel her fingers inching towards her belt and her magic pressing against her mental barriers.

"You know damn well that I can't do that," she glowered, taking a contentious step forward. "I may hold the title, but no one in this place will listen to me. They only listen to you, and you know that."

Teysa waved her hand in feigned confusion. "I haven't the foggiest idea what you're implying, Kaya. The members of the Church are not beholden to me by any means. I merely offer suggestions. If they choose to follow my words, well, I can't really do much about that, can I?"

"Cut the crap already, would you!?" The levee was starting to crack, raw emotion trickling out at an ever-increasing pace. She tried to plug it, to keep things civil, but Teysa's dynamitic words were steadily wearing her defenses down. "It's been the same damn story since I became the guildmaster. I want to help, you get in my way, and then you play it off like a fucking joke. I never even wanted to oversee this idiotic guild, but since my only options are to lead or die, I'm going to keep leading. So, could you put aside the petty bullshit for once in your life and help keep the city from getting annihilated? Is that too much to ask!?"

The room dropped into deadly silent, broken up only by the sounds of Kaya's heavy panting. She had not realized how out of breath she was until she finished the unintentional tirade, but now her chest felt particularly tight. She wanted to sit down and catch her breath, but now was no time to back down. She kept standing, a look of determination masking her exhaustion.

Her focus remained on Teysa as she waited for a response, and it seemed to Kaya that hers was not the only façade with visible cracks. There was no more smirk, no more superiority or condescension. Now, there was only a deep-seated bitterness etched into her pale face.

"How dare you." Teysa's free hand dropped to her chair's armrest, and her fingers clenched into the shaped wood. She pushed herself up into an intimidatingly straight posture, the end of her cane scraping on the floor from the effort. "How dare you speak of the Church in such a way! You think that your title allows you to insult my family's legacy? Forgiving the debts that were mine to collect, wearing the armor that was mine to wear. You're nothing but a witless usurper. You know nothing of this guild, so you would be wise to bite your tongue."

As this final declaration flew from Teysa's pursed lips, Kaya was suddenly overcome by a harsh, deep-seated dread. It felt almost otherworldly, a primordial gloom flooding her conscious mind.

Wha…what the hell is this feeling? Is this coming from her? This is…unnatural. Maybe this is what she means by her family's legacy. Those spirits never did me any good, but for their favorite descendent…

Kaya swallowed hard, trying to keep it discrete against Teysa's wrathful gaze. She tried to shake off the fearsome aura as best she could, but its effects lingered even in the silence. It took some doing, but her building frustration eventually breached the surface of her mind, past the suffusing malevolence, and she returned her full focus to the woman sitting before her.

"You know, Teysa, I didn't expect anything else from you after all the shit I've put up with here. But I figured, maybe this once, with the apocalypse incoming, you'd be willing to put it aside and help. You talk about me wasting your time, and yet you're the one who's wasting mine."

Much to Kaya's surprise, Teysa let out a low chuckle at this, accompanied by a slight swivel of her head.

"Even now, your obliviousness astounds me," she pointedly stated, each word punctuated by an impatient drumming of her fingers against the top of her cane. "You say you knew that I would not help you, and yet here you come anyway, empty-handed as usual. You sought my help, knowing where I stand, and what did you offer me? Nothing but meaningless platitudes of guild strength and Ravnican unity. All worthless. We do not call this The Church of Deals for nothing, Kaya. As the supposed leader, you should have learned this by now."

Kaya flung a hand forward in exasperation. "Well, what the fuck do you want, then?"

Teysa swiftly responded, puffing out her chest in a near-animalistic show of intimidation. "I want what is rightfully mine!"

"And this is why I didn't offer you anything, because the only thing you want is the one thing I can't give you!" Kaya's arms gesticulated wildly, accentuating her uroboric irritation. "Before, even if I could have, I didn't want to give you the power because you're nothing but a cold, heartless bitch. Now, I'm desperate enough that I would if I could, but too fucking bad for both of us, right?"

Despite Kaya's assertion, a chilling smile appeared on Teysa's face. "I'm so glad to hear you say that," she practically cooed. "If you're willing to give up your seat as Orzhov's guildmaster, then I'm sure we can work something out."

Kaya stopped moving, a clear look of confusion crossing her face. "I already told you, I'm not giving this up if it means I die. I still have plenty of life left in me, even if I'm stuck here for the interim."

"Yes, yes, I'm well aware of that. You needn't worry, that should not be an issue."

For a moment, Kaya thought she heard wrong. She blinked rapidly, attempting to reset her senses and remove any doubt. "Wait, are you telling me that there's a way to transfer the guildpact connection without killing me?"

Teysa took a moment to lean back comfortably in her chair, a clear sign of her emerging dominance in the exchange. "That is precisely what I'm saying."

"Then why the fuck didn't you say something sooner?" Kaya accused, both hands reflexively throwing her skepticism straight at Teysa. "This seems a bit too convenient for my tastes."

Teysa's enjoyment in having the upper hand quickly evaporated, replaced with her trademark disdain. "This is not some mere convenience. What do you think Teyo and I have been doing since your arrival, hm? What do you suppose all of this is for?" She held her hands wide, encapsulating the mess of papers on her desk. "We have been searching, tirelessly, for the proper transferal ritual. I knew it must exist somewhere, and we only recently uncovered the outline in the archives. We would have alerted you earlier, but you were a bit preoccupied with your little schemes with Guildmaster Zarek and company."

Kaya suddenly felt overwhelmed. Her head started to swim, as the indignation of Teysa's dismission of her and Ral's efforts battled against the intrigue of Teysa's news. It took a moment to regain control of her senses, at which point, a cautious optimism emerged as victor.

"So, you're saying there is a way to transfer the Guildpact link without killing me, but you haven't found the whole thing just yet?"

Teysa nodded. "It would appear so, though I cannot guarantee you would come out of it completely unscathed. From our initial research, the process does appear to be rather time-consuming and quite draining, but this has yet to be confirmed. Once we are finished here, Tomik is off to the archives again to follow whatever leads we have."

"Well then," Kaya mutely added, putting her hands on her hips in contemplation, "that sounds like exactly what both of us are looking for, but I can't exactly wait around here until you finish your research. We need boots on the ground now, otherwise there may not be a Church to lord over after today."

Teysa's shoulders heaved as another small laugh escaped her lips. "Your well of pessimism never dries, does it? Very well. I will put my full support behind this needlessly wasteful plan of yours, on the condition that you sign this."

Teysa snapped her fingers, and Tomik immediately produced a scroll from his satchel. He delicately placed it in her free hand, then moved to take hold of her cane. Wordlessly, Teysa removed the black string from around the piece of parchment and unfurled it on top of the mess currently occupying her desk. She smoothed the edges down with both hands before turning it over for Kaya to see.

The off-white parchment was nearly black with ink, as sprawling clauses and stipulations lay before Kaya's startled eyes, all written in an ornamental, nigh-unreadable font. She scanned the document for a moment or so, and the only thing she managed to understand were the two lines near the bottom where signatures would go. Her face must have conveyed her confusion, as Teysa eventually spoke up to explain.

"You're free to keep reading, of course, but it's a fairly simple Church contract. It merely stipulates that, upon both of us signing, I will agree to whatever commands you put forward as the ruling party of the Orzhov until such time that the transferal of power can be performed. If either of us decide to disobey the contract, then our soul is forfeit to the other. I hope that condition is acceptable, as I have no plans to relinquish my spirit to you."

Kaya lifted her eyes from the cryptic page and saw no inkling of deceit on Teysa's face. This did little to settle her wariness, as she knew by now how adept the scion was at masking her true intentions. Instead, she turned her gaze to Tomik.

"Have you read through this thing?" she asked him, ignoring the insulted look that briefly flashed across Teysa's features.

"Yes," he answered with a purposeful nod, "I assisted Teysa in the drafting of this document. Everything is in order, just as she said. Once you sign, your only obligation will be your participation in the transfer ritual, which will be some other day. You'll be free to return to your mission right after this."

"Well said, Tomik," Teysa added with a slight huff, "though I'm a bit insulted that you felt the need to make him repeat what I've already said."

Finally, it was time for Kaya to offer a smirk of her own. "You can never be too careful with these kinds of things, right?"

"I suppose I can't argue with that. So, does that mean we have an agreement?"

Kaya took one last look at the contract before her, the twin columns of words staring back at her like a pair of mysterious monoliths. She could feel something in the back of her mind nagging at her, telling her she should reconsider, but at the forefront of her mind, she knew there was no time to waste on such caution. Pragmatism, she knew, always came at a cost.

"Yes," she answered, trying hard to reinforce the timbre of her voice, "we have a deal. I'll sign this, and the Orzhov join the fight."

Teysa clapped her hands together in what Kaya could only assume was an expression of genuine excitement. "Excellent! Then, Tomik, please fetch the ceremonial quills."

"Right away, Mistress," Tomik said with a slight bow. He quickly stepped out from behind the desk and moved across the room to the left wall. Kaya watched as he opened a small box on one of the high shelves, retrieved something from within, and shuffled back to his position by Teysa's side. Once there, he extended his hands, offering a feather-tipped quill to each of them. While Teysa readily took the pen from Tomik, Kaya hesitated for a moment before following suit.

She turned the quill over in one hand, examining the colorful implement. The plume was a soft gold at its end, but it transitioned into a vibrant pink as it neared the tip. The colors felt out of place to Kaya, this natural radiance clashing with the garish taste of the Orzhov. She dared not imagine just how many contracts this feather has touched, how many souls it damned.

"Shall we begin, then?" Teysa beckoned from her chair, voice now cool and collected in her natural state of contract arbitration.

"Yeah, sounds good." She raised the quill in her hand but paused as her eyes searched the desk's surface. "Um, do you have an ink well somewhere, or do we need to go get one?"

Apparently, this was not a question Teysa wanted to hear, as she let out an exacerbated sigh in response. "You still haven't learned anything about the organization, have you? A contract such as this cannot be signed with mere ink. It needs something more, something personal to bind the soul of the signer. Magic, after all, has no power without intent."

Before Kaya could ask for an explanation, Teysa opened a drawer in her desk and drew a short dagger from within. Its blade was polished to a mirror shine, and its gilded handle curled and twisted like a thorny vine seeking the sun. Silently, she slipped the glove off her free hand and handed it to Tomik. Then, she delicately pushed the dagger's point into the tip of her middle finger. She withdrew it after a moment, placing the dagger on the table and sliding it over to Kaya expectantly. The planeswalker watched as Teysa pressed at the side of the finger with her thumb until a small bubble of blood coalesced on the tip. As the droplet continued to grow, she seized the quill in her other hand and dipped the point into the blood.

"I got it," she said, holding up a hand in rejection to the offered blade. Teysa shrugged, and Tomik readily retrieved the dagger and returned it to Teysa's desk. As she waited, quill and bleeding finger poised at the ready, Kaya unclasped her own enchanted dagger from her belt. Reticently, she followed Teysa's example, drawing a small reservoir of blood from the tip of her middle finger and dipping her quill in to absorb what it could.

With one final examination of the quill tip, ensuring it was coated with enough blood to complete the job, Kaya stooped over the contract and quickly etched her signature into the awaiting byline. When she finished, she placed the quill on Teysa's desk and turned the contract around for her to add her own signature. She signed with an energy and flourish that comes from years of experience, and Kaya could not help but notice the ever-growing smile on her face.

"Well, there we are," Teysa lilted as she removed her pen from the paper. Tomik moved to take back the quills and return them to their shelf, while Teysa put her pricked finger to her lips. Kaya opted to press her thumb into the small wound on her fingertip, hoping it would be enough to stem the bleeding. After a moment, Teysa removed her finger from her lips, slipped her long glove back over her hand, and folded her arms over her desk.

"There, the deal has been set. Once our signatures have dried, I'll send my thrulls out to inform our members of your call to arms. They should be on the streets within the hour. Now, is there anything else you want from me, or may Tomik and I finally return to our work?"

This was not what Kaya expected. The buildup, the anxiety, the sweat accumulating on the nape of her neck, she expected it all to lead to something big. But there was no blowback from her signing the contract. No ethereal shackle wrapping around her wrists, no ghouls descending to harvest her soul. All she felt was the same dread from earlier, which had receded to a dull pall across her body. It was uneventful, a curiosity considering today's events, and the only thing she could do was accept it.

"No, that's all. C'mon Teyo, let's head out."

She turned on her heel and started for the ornate doorway. Teyo walked by her side, silently marveling at the office's interior one last time. Before Kaya even opened the doors and left, she could hear Teysa and Tomik getting back to work.

The hallway outside Teysa's door was vacant as they stepped out. Kaya mentally noted that Madame Blaise must still be cleaning up, and she felt a laugh flutter through her mind.

"So," Teyo spoke up, interrupting Kaya's thought, "we got what we came for, right?"

Kaya shrugged her shoulders, the bronze armor sending rippling clangs up and down the deserted corridor. "I guess we did."

At this news, a bright, relieved smile broke out across Teyo's face. "Thank the Suns. Things got pretty scary in there, and I didn't really follow what was going on, but that's good. I guess that means we need to find Mister Beleren and let him know."

Kaya, infected by the young man's positivity, let her own smile breach her features. "Yeah, but we need to make one more stop while we're here."

Teyo cocked his head in confusion. "Uh, ok, what do we need here?"

With a dramatic gesture, Kaya raised and lowered her hands along the sides of her body. "I need to change out of this stupid armor. I'm tired of it weighing me down."

Kaya emerged from her bedchambers with an unnecessarily enthusiastic swing of the door. The crystal doorknob slammed into the crown molding of the adjacent wall, sending a ruinous noise through the vacant hall. Across from the doorway, she saw Teyo jump with surprise, nearly falling over from her dramatic entrance. The sight of the young monk, eyes bulged and hand grasping at his robes, was enough to bring a light laugh forth.

"Sorry about that, Teyo," she managed to force out in between giggling fits. "Guess I got a little excited."

It took a moment for Teyo to regain his composure, which involved a lot of gasping for air and nonchalantly straightening his clothes. "No, that's all me, I just wasn't expecting it. It's so quiet out here, I kinda zoned out, sorry. I'll be fine. So, how do you feel now?"

Kaya looked herself up and down, taking in the new outfit, though she realized that old outfit would be more accurate. Gone was the ostentatious ensemble of the Orzhov, with its gleaming breastplate, gauntlets, and belt, all accented by an impractical black-and-white cape. It was now replaced by a leather jacket, the worn brown of its body and faded black of its hood and pauldrons betraying its age. She twisted her body slightly, letting the three belts that kept it secure around her waist jingle loosely as they flowed, and she heaved a deep sigh.

"I feel like myself again." Kaya wanted to revel in the sensation a bit longer, to really feel the lessened weight of the Church, but she knew they did not have the time. She clapped her hands together to collect Teyo's attention. "Alright, no sense in staying around here any longer. We need to find the others and let them know that we've secured the Orzhov's help."

Having finally composed himself, Teyo nodded in affirmation. "Do we need to wait for Madame Blaise to escort us out?"

"What? Nah, we'll be fine. I know the way out from here. Let's leave Madame Blaise to her other duty. She'll probably need to extra time to pick up all the stray sand grains."

Though Kaya laughed at her own joke, it only brought a fresh shade of rosiness to Teyo's cheeks. She saw this and gave him a strong pat on the back. "Lighten up, kid. We managed to do our job without… too much trouble, and now we don't have to deal with this place again until we've beaten back those Eternals. It ain't over, but I count this as a win, so c'mon."

Without waiting for a response, Kaya started walking away from her office doors and down the echoing corridor. She waved her hand as an indication to catch up, and though it took Teyo a moment to realize what was happening, he eventually sped up to meet her.

"I don't know about 'we'," Teyo said in between pants, "I didn't really do anything in there. You handled everything, Miss Kaya."

Kaya cast a wry look down at the young man and shrugged, deftly turning a corner as she did. "Don't sweat it, Teyo, you did exactly what you needed to do. After all, I don't know if I could've gotten in here in the first place without you and all that fancy shieldwork of yours."

Teyo's face reddened, a clear look of awkwardness present as he processed the unexpected compliment. "Um, well, thank you for saying so, Miss Kaya. That was nothing, though, really. You had to face Teysa head-on. I didn't realize just how terrifying she would be. I wish I could've done more."

"Thanks, kid, but you did more than enough by just sitting there and letting me sort my own shit out. And yeah, Teysa can be a bit overdramatic, but she isn't really that scary. Trust me, I've seen way worse in my line of work."

Kaya heard an audible gulp come from Teyo, just louder than their footsteps as they tromped down a winding set of stairs. "Oh wow," he muttered, half in awe and half in fear, "I can't even imagine that. There were plenty of scary things on Gobakhan, like the diamond storms, or rogue djinns, or dust elementals, but I've never been as scared as I was just now in that office. I mean, I could just feel something bad coming over me. I don't know how to describe it, but it just felt evil, like an angry spirit or something. Even right now, I still kinda feel it."

As Teyo spoke of what he felt, Kaya felt her chest tighten. So, he felt that too, huh? She knew what he was describing, that overwhelming, malevolent haze that she had just experienced. Even now, as far and long away from Teysa's office as she was, the sensation still nipped at her heels, dulled but not truly gone. In truth, she had been trying her best to ignore the steeping wickedness around her, forcing an air of levity into their interaction, but Teyo's reminiscing brought it all back to the forefront.

Dammit, even after all that, Teysa's still got her nails in me, and she got the poor kid too. Ugh, can't fucking wait to just get out of here.

Recognizing the futility of dwelling on it, Kaya let out a breath and offered Teyo a dismissive response. "I'm sure that'll pass. Probably just all the ghosts hanging out in here, so we should be good once we leave."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense…"

Teyo's voice trailed off, which made it hard for Kaya to know what he was thinking. She suspected that he was still unconvinced about whatever this feeling was, so she quickly added:

"Trust me, Teyo, it all comes with the territory. You've been doing great on your first planeswalker outing, so you'll get used to this kind of shit before too long."

Kaya anticipated a verbal response from Teyo, but when none came after a few seconds, she cocked her head to the side to observe her companion. This time, as he walked through the halls of Orzhova, his eyes were not frantically darting about, trying to absorb the fanciful sights around him. Now, his eyes were cast slightly down, and his face conveyed that he was deep in thought. Kaya wanted to press him about whatever was troubling him, but she thought better of it and kept walking forward.

The two traveled the labyrinthine corridors and stairwells of the Church for a few minutes in relative silence, only the clicking of Kaya's boots and the padding of Teyo's slippers generating any sound. It was not until they began descending the grand stairwell that cleaved through the Church's center and into the main foyer, that Teyo's voice popped the placid bubble around them.

"Um, Miss Kaya, can I ask you something?" His voice was unusually shaky, even from what Kaya had heard so far today. She tried her best to keep her voice warm, chasing away any leftover unease.

"Yeah, Teyo, go on ahead. We're almost out of here, if that's what you're asking, just gotta get to the end of the stairs."

Teyo shook his head in denial. "No, not that. I… I wanted to ask about something that Teysa's assistant mentioned, just before the meeting. He said you were working with someone else, someone named Hekara."

"Yeah," Kaya answered, the single word stretched long with a knowing discomfort.

"She was…" Teyo swallowed hard, obviously struggling to force the words out. "She was the woman I saw in the tower when I first arrived, right? The… the dead one?"

Kaya heaved a sigh, one borne from a tiredness of reliving the events of the previous night. "Yeah, that was her. She was our Rakdos representative from the first time we tried rallying the guilds. She was annoying as all hell, but she was a big help in our efforts, at least until that stupid gorgon messed everything up…"

Kaya's voice trailed off as she realized the bite in her tone. She looked back to Teyo, who now had a tinge of confusion on his face. Kaya did her best to move past it with a wave of her hand. "Don't worry about all that. Now's not really the time. Why the sudden interest in Hekara?"

"I guess," Teyo haltingly began, searching for what to say, "this was the first time someone mentioned her since I got here. You, Mister Zarek, Miss Lavinia, none of you talked about her, even when we had to leave her body in the tower."

Without thinking, Kaya jumped in defensibly, "Yeah, it's been a bit hectic since last night. We've been on the move since you got here, and stopping Bolas is top priority now."

"No, no, no, I get that," Teyo frantically cut in, waving away any blame he had unwittingly foisted on Kaya. She let her shoulders sag, backing down her defenses as Teyo continued. "It's just that, I don't know, she was your friend or ally or something, and now she's dead and… does this 'all come with the territory' too?"

Suddenly, as the two reached the end of the staircase and stood in the lavish Church foyer, a rush of understanding burst into Kaya's brain. Memories of her past flashed before her eyes, and Teyo's emotional shift instantly made sense. She reached out and put a tender hand on Teyo's shoulder, stopping them both mere feet from their destination. "That was your first time seeing a dead body, wasn't it?"

The shieldmage's eyes widened with surprise, then closed as he curtly nodded in affirmation. "Yeah," he practically whispered, "I've never seen anything like that. I've seen plenty of bad injuries when I had to work in the infirmary, and I'd seen all kinds of destruction from, like, diamond storms, but never anything like that. Y'know, with all the blood and everything. And then you all just ignored it, like it wasn't a big deal. I just… I don't know if I'm cut out to be a planeswalker if that's what it's like."

"Listen up, kid," Kaya raised her voice, the assertion clearly catching Teyo off guard. "I'm sorry you had to see all that. I can't even imagine what you're going through, thrust into all this at probably the worst possible time. But that's just it, this may be bad, but after this, being a planeswalker is gonna be great. I know it seems it now, but it's not all wanton death and destruction. I've seen a lot of people die over the years, so it's easy for me to shrug it off when there's something else pressing to do, but that doesn't mean you have to. Don't let it 'all come with the territory'. Caring about others is great, and that alone makes you better than most planeswalkers I've met. You're a good kid, Teyo, and I think you're more than on your way to being a great planeswalker."

As Kaya stared into the young mage's eyes, she could see a thin layer of moisture starting to accumulate. Before any tears could fall, Teyo closed his eyes and gave Kaya an emphatic nod accompanied by a bright, genuine smile.

"Thanks, Miss Kaya," he managed to say through a small quiver in his voice, "that means a lot. Today's just been so much so fast."

Kaya gave him another hearty pat on the back before removing her hand. "Tell me about it, but at least we finished our business here. We'll beat Bolas out of here in no time, and when this is all over, I'm taking you for a drink, my treat."

"Um, I've never really had a drink before, between my age and my monk training…"

"Well, the choice is yours now. Just another perk of being a planeswalker."

With a bounce in her step, Kaya approached the towering double doors that led out of the cathedral. She heard Teyo's light footsteps just behind her, and they too sounded less bogged down than they had. Smiling, she wrapped a hand around the knob and threw open the door, ready to move on to the next mission. Nothing could prepare her, however, for the scene unfolding just outside the Church's walls.

She knew they hadn't been inside for that long, and yet, it seemed that nighttime had already swallowed the plane. Unnaturally dark clouds hung in the sky, cloaking the Church, the square, and the city from her vision. The only thing breaking up the vast panorama of blackness above was a smattering of small, twinkling lights. She thought for a moment that they may be stars, but she realized, with a drip of fear trickling down her back, that stars do not move across the sky nearly that fast. And though her eyes perceived all of this, taking in the scene within a single second, her senses were mostly overwhelmed by a familiar feeling. The deep smog of arcane evil that she had sensed in Teysa's office was back in full force, no longer a thin shroud but a heavy, suffocating blanket. Her mind started to buzz as it tried to process this new, wholly unsettling scene, and only one conscious thought was able to stay afloat: it seemed that, while they were away, the apocalypse had truly started.

"Um, Miss Kaya," came Teyo's uneven voice, his confidence from a moment ago already gone, "this isn't because of us, is it?"

With her mouth agape, Kaya could only force out a small whisper of a response: "Gods, I hope not."