⟁ Chapter 35: The Vasted Farewell
The cold was gone.
In its place, warmth, not from fire, but from the soft glow that spilled across the opulent floor. That room—the room that hadn't changed since they left—was still watching them. Still smelling of snow, glass, and the faint perfume of jasmine and silence.
And in the middle of it all, sprawled lazily across the curved velvet chair, was Approcajjot, Lady of the Vasted, smiling like she'd just watched a good drama.
Her eyes sparkled when she saw them return.
"Oh… look at you three," she cooed, folding her hands like a mother watching her children come back from a very bad school trip. "So adorably ruined."
Havella said nothing.
Vexi glared, dragging her feet across the glass floor.
Jio blinked slowly. His hair was messier than usual, and the bags under his eyes could've carried groceries.
None of them spoke at first.
Approcajjot stood. Her dress shimmered like frozen silk over fire, and her presence filled the room like laughter after grief.
"You survived," she said with a playful clap. "Well done. Not many do."
Jio's lips moved. "Barely."
"That's the spirit," she grinned. "As promised, rewards."
She moved closer, step by weightless step. The air shimmered behind her as if reluctant to let her pass.
"You were inside a real piece of the Vasted," she said. "A reality of creation. Which means—yes, what you did won't collapse worlds." A pause, then her smile twisted slightly. "But it was real enough that those you touched… will remember. In whispers, in dreams. In shifts too small to notice but too deep to undo."
She reached toward each of them, brushing the space just above their hearts. Her fingers didn't touch skin—but warmth surged through their veins anyway.
"I've expanded your cores. Magic and soul alike. You'll know what that means soon."
Jio stood a little straighter. Vexi's brow twitched. Havella crossed her arms tighter.
Then the Lady of the Vasted raised her hands.
The entire palace seemed to tilt, to open. A line of golden wind and ink tore across the far wall, parting reality like a curtain. It wasn't a door. It was a passage. Long, endless, soft at the edges but terrible in its depth.
"There," she said. "That leads to the End of the First Realm. The next step in your little climb. Enjoy it. Curse it. Survive it."
Then, she turned to Jio.
Her expression softened—not mockingly, but almost sincerely.
She cupped his face with one hand, leaned down, and kissed his cheek—barely a breath of contact. Then winked.
"Don't lose that fire, little Bright Call."
Jio blinked.
Havella blinked twice. Then turned away abruptly.
Vexi stared. "...Really?"
Approcajjot giggled.
"Oh don't be dramatic," she teased. "A kiss never hurt anyone. Especially not one from the one who named kisses."
Jio didn't say a word. His face was blank but red.
Havella muttered something no one caught.
Vexi grumbled, "Let's just go before she names our future children too."
Approcajjot gave a last wave.
As they passed through the passage, her voice echoed behind them like the wind curling in an empty cathedral:
"Remember—this realm is but the beginning. And beginnings are named by those brave enough to continue."
Then she was gone.
And the light beyond the passage swallowed the three of them whole.
---
End of Chapter 35
---