Page 113 of Axis of Fire

Which was ironic, considering I should’ve been the angry one.

After all, nobody had held a dagger to his throat yesterday.

Slowly, we approached a small gray building crowned with gleaming golden domes.

Unfamiliar blue flowers grew all around it.

The closer we got, the more details I noticed—

angel wings carved on either side of the entrance, golden mosaics shaped like flowers decorating the lower walls.

“What is this place?” I finally asked, realizing we were heading straight for the entrance.

“The Temple of Nereida.”

Another brief answer.

Airis headed for the doors, and I reluctantly followed.

“And why exactly are we here?” I asked before adding, unable to stop myself, “Feels a little late for you to start repenting for your sins.”

“You’re right, Fireling,” he replied smoothly.

“So I decided to give you that honor instead.”

The moment I crossed the low threshold, my mouth fell open at the sight before me.

Inside, the temple looked far larger than it had from the outside thanks to its towering painted ceilings.

I’d never seen artwork like this before, despite being familiar with paintings from countless eras. After my younger sister was born, my parents became obsessed with family trips across different countries.

But this...

This was different.

Darkly beautiful.

As if Renaissance art and surrealism had merged into something haunting.

As my gaze slowly lowered, I noticed four gilded columns rising from the center of the temple.

They shimmered—not from light, but from moisture.

Water streamed down them from above.

At first, I thought it was some kind of illusion until I noticed that the base of each column stood within an enormous decorative pool shaped like an angel’s wing.

So the water was real.

“Is water actually pouring over them?” I asked, instinctively reaching toward one of the columns.

Airis’s voice stopped me instantly.

“Don’t touch them.”

The sharpness in his tone made me realize just how close he was.

“Why?” I turned toward him, meeting his serious expression.