The Celestial Heist

Chapter 228: Shadows of Deception

Naya moved quietly along the western path, each step measured, her senses heightened. Unlike the others, she hadn’t felt a direct pull toward any particular place. Instead, there was a subtle, almost imperceptible tug—a whisper at the back of her mind that guided her steps. The Crossroads seemed to shift around her, the mist curling in strange, hypnotic patterns that made it difficult to distinguish one path from the next.

But Naya trusted her instincts. She had always been the quiet one, the observer. While Kael, Vira, and the others burned brightly with their power, Naya moved through the shadows, attuned to the undercurrents that so often went unnoticed. And right now, those undercurrents were leading her deeper into the maze of the Crossroads.

She could feel it—something just ahead, just out of reach. A presence, faint but distinct, lurking at the edge of her awareness. The mist thickened around her, and the temperature dropped sharply, the chill biting into her skin. Naya’s eyes