Nord's eyes snapped open as a deluge of ice-cold water drenched her face and upper body. Blinking against the shock, she locked eyes with Baal, standing at the foot of their bed with an empty bucket.

"Rise and shine, Morningstar! Time for training," Baal announced, his voice soaked in overloaded enthusiasm, “No more excuses, no more slacking!”

Nord shook her head, water droplets flying in an arc around her. "What the hell, Baal? Normal people use words. Why don't you use words?" She squinted toward the window; it was still pitch black outside, "What time is it, even?"

Baal dropped the bucket onto the floor with a clatter and gripped the corner of her sheet. With a quick yank, he pulled it away, exposing her legs to the cold air. "Normal and words aren't working for you. There are three ways I know to boost your dopamine. First, there's drawing and tattooing. You've been doing that, and it's clearly not doing the trick."

Nord shivered, her nightgown sticking to her skin as she sat up. "And the second?"

"Food. But you've been pushing your plate away more than you've been eating, so that's out."

"And the third?" she asked, becoming aware that her wet gown had become rather revealing.

For a moment, Baal's face lost its usual confidence. He looked away, hiding his red face, his jaw tightening. "Just get ready. I'll wait for you outside," he said, turning toward the door, his hand already on the knob.

"Wait, what's the third?" Nord pressed, her voice tinged with curiosity and a little vulnerability.

Baal hesitated, his fingers tightening around the doorknob. Finally, he looked back, his eyes meeting hers. "The third," he said softly, "is something neither of us is ready to deal with right now. Get dressed. We have training to do. I'll wait... outside."

And with that, he stepped out, leaving Nord alone in her room, pondering the unsaid as she felt the cold water on her skin slowly begin to warm.

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The winter air was sharp, each breath a blade that cut through them as they sprinted through the forest. Dew-draped branches and frosted leaves bore witness to their exertion, their footfalls crunching over the wintry terrain.

Baal led the way, but Nord matched him step for step. Her face was a blank slate, her eyes distant, as if her thoughts were somewhere far removed from the frozen earth beneath her feet. Yet, her body seemed attuned to the landscape—each leap over gnarled roots or sudden swerve to avoid low-hanging branches executed with fluid grace.

Baal glanced over at her, his eyes narrowing slightly. She looked so detached, yet so utterly in control, as if she were dancing rather than running through a forest dense with potential pitfalls. It was unsettling and fascinating in equal measure. Memory muscle was indeed a thing.

Baal felt a twinge of something—was it pride? Was it possible to fall in love again with the same person when you never stopped?

Baal's boots skidded to a halt, sending a spray of frosty earth into the air. He whipped his head around just in time to see Nord coasting into the clearing, her movement so fluid it seemed as though the forest had simply made way for her. The blank mask she'd worn throughout their run finally cracked, revealing a cryptic smile that danced on her lips for a fleeting moment.

Baal found himself grinning back. "You move like the forest is a part of you," he observed, his voice rich with a respect he didn't easily give.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise as she caught her breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "Really?"

His eyes twinkled, mischief looming. "How about we try something more fun?"

Nord shot him a sidelong glance, her voice tinged with sarcasm. "More fun than running around like headless chickens?"

"Trust me, you're going to love it," he promised, already backing away from her. "Just watch where I place my feet."

With that, Baal bolted, his feet pounding the earth before he took his final leap toward the tall pine tree in the centre of the meadow. Like some kind of forest dryad, he planted the sole of his boot firmly against the bark and then, unbelievably, ran vertically up the trunk to perch himself at the top.

"Come on, your turn!" he hollered, grinning down at her.

Nord stared up at him, her eyes widening in disbelief. "You're insane! That's not human. I can't do that!"

His voice dropped an octave, tension rippling through it. "Morningstar, I can't lie, but you can. You can do this—you've done it before."

Confusion and self-doubt clouded her eyes. Was Baal talking about climbing trees? Running? Or lying... And why did he seem to revel in every little thing she did? She felt tainted, as though her motivations were somehow less pure than his.

His voice floated down, almost melodious, "I'm waiting!"

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Grimacing, Nord inhaled deeply. "This is ridiculous. I'm going to smash straight into that damn tree."

Taking a few steps back, she steeled herself and then bolted toward the tree. Yet, as the thick trunk filled her peripheral vision, she faltered, hesitated—and then collided with the tree with a thud that echoed in the otherwise silent forest.

"Try Again!"

Nord felt a mix of humiliation and frustration boil within her, her cheeks flushed red in the cold air. "Baal, I can't do it!" she yelled upward, straining her neck to see him.

Silence. No response.

Grimacing, she backed up even further this time, giving herself more space to gather speed. She sprinted toward the tree, but just like before, as the solid trunk loomed large in her field of vision, her nerve broke. She slowed down, colliding with the tree—yet again. She tried once more, twice, thrice, each time ending with the same thud of her body against the unforgiving bark. "I give up, Baal! I'm tired."

Suddenly, his voice broke through the silence. "No!"

"Oh, so now you decide to talk?"

"You don't give up. Try again!"

"I told you, I can't do it!"

His voice turned serious, almost menacing. "You've done it before; you can do it again. I'm not coming down until you come up here."

Her eyes narrowed. "What, you're going to spend the entire day up there?"

"Or a week, a month—however long it takes. I told you, I don't lie, Morningstar. You want me to starve?"

Nord gritted her teeth. "You little..." Muttering under her breath, she took off at a run again, this time not even taking the time to step back for a running start. Her foot connected with the bark, and for a split second, she thought she had it. Then her second step missed its mark, and she tumbled backwards, landing hard on the frosty ground. "Shit," she hissed, gripping the cold earth beneath her palms.

Nord took a deep breath, her lungs inhaling the chill of the forest air. The sheer audacity of Baal's words made her blood sizzle with frustration. "I'm hungry!" he chimed from above, his voice dancing through the treetops as though he hadn't a care in the world.

"You insufferable—," she muttered, shaking her head to dispel the fog of irritation that clouded her thoughts. "I have things to do, you know. I can't waste my whole day doing whatever this is!"

But as she said it, she turned abruptly on her heel, letting the pent-up annoyance fuel her next run. This time, as she neared the tree, she held onto a single image: her fist connecting with Baal's infuriatingly smug face.

Her boot hit the bark, and this time, it stuck. Propelled by a mixture of adrenaline and sheer determination, Nord shot upward, the rough texture of the tree speeding past her. Before she knew it, she had reached the top. Baal's hand shot out, gripping her wrist to steady her as he guided her onto the branch beside him.

His eyes met hers, shimmering with something that looked like a triumph. "Still mad?" he asked, his voice edged with a playful challenge.

Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of crimson. "You—you said—"

"I know what I said," he interrupted, holding her gaze. "And I also know you. And I know how to annoy you."

For a moment, she was speechless, caught between her irritation and the undeniable thrill of her own accomplishment. Finally, she exhaled, her breath mingling with the cool forest air. "You could've just said that from the beginning, you know. Get mad."

"And rob me of the chance to prove a point?" Baal quipped, his eyes gleaming. "Never."

Nord shook her head, half in disbelief, half in reluctant admiration. "You're impossible," she said, but her voice held a note of grudging respect that hadn't been there before.

The forest seemed to hold its breath as Baal entwined his fingers with hers, locking eyes with Nord. "I saw the video. The one where you talk about our contract… our wedding."

Nord felt the blood drain from her face, leaving her skin pallid. She opened her mouth, but no words came.

"You were acting strange a few weeks before the Initiation," Baal continued, his eyes never leaving hers. "Always holed up in your office, on your phone, talking to yourself. Vanishing for hours and lying about where you were. And as long you came back safe home, I wasn't worried. You were about to give up everything for South. How could I... hold it back against you?"

"Baal, I—" Her voice faltered, caught in the tangle of emotions and unknowing secrets she'd been harbouring without remembering what they mean.

He sighed, his gaze softening as he looked away for a moment. "I remember when I first moved into the apartment. No furniture, just an empty space. I tried to make a special date, no table or chairs, I set up a blanket, like a picnic in the kitchen. And I made us dinner. I wish you could remember, I was so proud. Was my first time and followed a tutorial on YouTube. You told me the food was marvellous. You repeated and finished it all."

Confusion flickered in her eyes. "I don't understand, what are you—"

"That food was horrendous, Nord. It was... I tasted it, and it was like chewing on a salt lick. But you ate it all, washing it down with tons of water and making me feel like a fucking king."

A faint smile creased the corners of her mouth as he squeezed her hand gently.

"You lied," he said, lifting his eyes to meet hers again, "but you lied because you loved me. You lied to protect me, to make me happy. That's your way of showing love. And I'm not mad about the lies or anything you said in those videos. What scares me is what you didn't say. The memory you said you hid from me."

Her heart sank. "Baal, I don't—"

He cut her off, gripping her hand even tighter. "You're hiding something big, something that might hurt you. And I can't live with that, Nord. I can't bear thinking of something happening to you because you want to protect me."

As the hues of dawn began to illuminate the lake's surface, Nord's gaze drifted to the horizon, her thoughts scattering like the morning mist. "Baal, I honestly can't help you understand what I was hiding or why I made those videos. All I can say is that whatever it was... it was for you. And—" She paused, the words bottlenecking in her throat.

While her eyes were lost in the panorama of the rising sun and mirrored lake, Baal was looking at her, his gaze as intense as ever. "I know who Nord Morningstar is and what she's capable of," he said softly. "Tonight, we'll go over that contract, and we'll find out just what kind of scheme you, I mean my lovely wife, have been cooking up."

Nord turned back to face him, a mixture of relief and apprehension playing across her features. "You're not mad?"

"Mad at you? Never," he replied as he carefully rose from the branch, moving towards the tree trunk to begin his descent.

She bit her lip, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Isn't this the part where you're supposed to kiss me?"

Caught off guard by her sudden audacity, Baal missed his footing. For a heart-stopping moment, he slipped, tumbling awkwardly down the tree to land with a thud on the forest floor below, cursing softly as he hit the ground.

Nord burst into laughter, her giggles echoing through the silent woods. She quickly shimmied down the tree to join him, her face glowing with the golden light of the morning sun.

"Baal, are you okay?" she asked, kneeling beside him and trying to stifle her giggles.

Rubbing his sore backside, he looked up at her, his eyes locking onto hers. "I've survived worse, trust me. But next time, warn me before you say something that's going to make my heart skip a beat. Are you trying to kill me?"

She chuckled, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. "How's that for a warning?"