Veyle's chest heaved as Halrun's boots faded down the hallway. The echo lingered, sharp and hollow, reminding him that nothing had ended.
He turned to Seren, eyes sharp despite the shakiness in his limbs. "Stay close," he whispered. His voice was tight, but steady. "Don't let him catch you alone. He… he's not someone you can reason with."
Seren's hands moved deliberately, signing clearly. "I know. I'll stay close. Don't worry."
Veyle gave a small nod. Her composure steadied him, even as his heart still hammered. "Good. Keep alert. That's all I need right now."
She stepped beside him, her posture straight, calm. Her eyes scanned the hallway methodically, not a flicker of panic in them. She signed again. "We'll get through this together. Just follow my lead if you need me."
Veyle allowed himself a faint smile. "Right. Together."
He crouched slightly, checking the room. Shadows stretched across the floor like dark fingers. Dust floated lazily in the thin shafts of light, indifferent to the danger that had just passed.
He went to his cloak and sword, feeling the weight of them in his hands. Every muscle in his body screamed to move, to flee, to escape before Halrun returned.
A draft whispered through the hall, carrying the metallic tang of blood. Veyle swallowed, forcing himself to stay calm. He peeked toward the doorway, then back at Seren.
"If he comes back… don't hesitate. Keep moving. Understood?"
She gave a small nod, signing without hesitation. "Understood. I won't leave your side, but I won't stop. Let's go."
They moved.
Each step was careful, measured. Every creak of the floorboard echoed through Veyle's mind, but Seren's steady presence kept him grounded.
They reached the stairwell. Veyle glanced down, the dark descent yawning like a pit. The smell of damp stone and old metal seeped up. He hesitated for a moment. One misstep and—
"Not now," he muttered. "We keep moving."
Seren followed without a word, her steps quiet but sure. Her hands signed again mid-step, deliberate and controlled. "Stay with me. You can do this."
Her confidence bolstered him. For the first time since Halrun had attacked, Veyle felt a flicker of control.
The hallway stretched ahead. Every corner seemed darker than the last. Every shadow felt like Halrun waiting. Veyle's pulse thundered, but Seren's calm grip on his wrist reminded him that he wasn't alone.
A faint sound—metal scraping stone—drifted from behind the columns.
Veyle froze. Seren's hand tightened slightly around his. She signed calmly, her eyes meeting his. "Keep moving. We've got this."
"Right," he whispered. "We move together."
Their backs pressed against the wall as they crept forward, passing a series of closed doors, each one a potential threat.
Veyle led them to the main hall, the large double doors looming ahead. The room was quiet, but Seren remained unshaken. She signed, calm and precise. "Watch the doors. We'll go when it's safe. I trust you, Veyle."
He clenched his sword a little tighter. Whatever.
Veyle and Seren moved quickly through the winding streets, the shadows of the city stretching long beneath the late afternoon sun. The distant clatter of Halrun's pursuit had faded, leaving only the sound of their own boots against cobblestone.
Veyle exhaled a shaky breath, glancing at Seren. "I think… we're clear. For now."
She smiled faintly, calm and collected. Her hands moved swiftly, signing: "Don't relax too much. Keep moving. We're not safe yet."
He nodded, gripping his sword tighter. "Right. Not safe."
The outskirts of the city came into view—walls crumbling in places, gates long abandoned, the distant hills just catching the sun's last rays. For the first time in what felt like hours, Veyle allowed himself to hope.
They slowed as they reached a hill overlooking the city. Seren took a knee, scanning the horizon. Her hands moved in another quick series of signs: "We made it. We're out. But… something's wrong."
Veyle frowned. "What do you mean?"
Before she could respond, a distant rumble shook the ground beneath them. The hairs on Veyle's arms stood on end. Seren's eyes narrowed, calm but alert.
"That… that's not normal," she signed.
Veyle's heart began to hammer. "What… what is it?"
Then it came.
A sudden, roaring boom tore through the air. The ground beneath them quaked violently. Veyle stumbled, catching himself on his sword.
The city behind them exploded. Flames surged upward, a wave of fire and smoke stretching into the sky, black clouds twisting as the heat carved the horizon. The sound was deafening, a roar that seemed to reach the clouds themselves.
Veyle's breath caught, chest tight. His knees threatened to buckle as he stared at the devastation. The entire city—gone.
Seren stayed calm. She rose to her feet, brushing ash from her clothing. Her hands moved quickly, signing: "We survive. We keep moving. Don't look back too long."
Veyle swallowed hard, shaking his head. "I… I can't believe it. It's… everything…"
"Yes. Everything's gone. But we're alive. That's what matters," she signed again, steadying him. Her voice, even without words, carried authority.
The sky above the city was a churning canvas of smoke and ash. Heat waves rolled outward, distorting the horizon, carrying with them the echo of the explosion.
Veyle stared at the burning city, his breath locked in his throat. The heat shimmered all the way to where they stood, tiny flecks of ash drifting past like black snow.
His mind raced— Halrun. The priests. The mirrors. The loops. The sigils. Everything converged at once, squeezing around his skull like a vice.
Seren turned to him, signing firmly again, "Veyle. Hey. Look at me. We're leaving. Now."
He didn't react.
Not at first.
His eyes were still glued to the horizon—watching towers collapse one by one, swallowed by orange flame. A long, trembling breath escaped him.
Veyle hunched over, blood dripping from his tongue, taste of iron sharp on his tongue. His hands shook as he pressed them against his mouth, trying to staunch the bleeding.
Seren's eyes were wide, but she stayed close, her hands moving quickly, signing: "Veyle… are you hurt badly?"
He shook his head weakly, but his voice rasped as he spoke, choking on the blood. "It's… it's my fault."
Seren's brow furrowed. "Your fault? What do you mean?" she signed, moving closer, concern sharp in her gestures.
Veyle's shoulders slumped. Blood dribbled down his chin. He swallowed hard, tongue aching from where he'd bitten it. "Everything… everything that happened back there… Seren… it's my fault. I couldn't… I should have—"
He stopped, coughing, tasting his own blood. Seren reached to steady him, hands moving frantically, signing: "Don't say that. You did everything you could—don't carry it alone!"
His lips trembled. He shook his head, forcing himself to look at her. "No… I didn't. I… I should have stopped him. I should've—protected you… all of it. Seren, it's my fault he… he did that to you."
Seren's hands faltered for a moment, then she signed again, more urgently: "No! You don't blame yourself! You—"
Veyle pressed his hands to his head, shaking violently. Blood still dripped from his tongue, and he couldn't stop the panic clawing at him. "I… I failed! He… he—"
Suddenly, Halrun's presence flickered at the edge of their sight. Veyle's eyes snapped toward the distant smoke.
Seren's voice rose, fingers signing frantically: "Veyle! Don't let him see your fear—don't—"
Veyle inhaled sharply, blood trickling down his chin. He shook his head, voice hoarse: "No… it's not fear. It's… guilt. I can't… I can't escape it. It's mine."
Seren's hands hovered in the air, frozen for a moment, before she signed slowly: "We survive. We survive because we're alive. That is not your fault."
Just as he tasted the blood of his tongue he gained an idea... his teeth slowly dug into the organ. As it pierced his tongue he spat it out.
Seren's face froze in shock at that she ran up rubbing veyles back. Signing: "no fathe- veyle do not leave me!"
Veyle spat blood—dark, thick, metallic—onto the dirt.
The piece of his tongue hit the ground with a wet patter.
Seren froze mid‑step.
Her calm composure, the quiet certainty she always carried… it shattered.
Completely.
Her hands jerked upward instinctively, signing before she could think:
"NO FATH—"
She stopped herself mid‑motion, fingers trembling, eyes going wide.
The rest of the sign fell apart.
Her breath hitched.
Then her hands darted forward again, frantic and sharp:
"VEYLE—VEYLE—DON'T LEAVE ME! Stay awake, stay with me, please—!"
Her voice was silent but desperate, every motion violently expressive.
Veyle collapsed to one knee.
Fresh blood poured from the gap in his mouth, running down his chin in a hot stream. His pupils thinned to pinpoints. His vision warped at the edges, trembling between the burning skyline and Seren's pale silhouette.
He didn't cry out. Didn't groan. Just breathed through clenched teeth, the pain white and blinding.
His body swayed.
Seren lunged to him, gripping his shoulders, shaking him desperately.
SLAP
Her palm hit his cheek—not hard, but enough to shock him.
Her signs came faster, messy, frantic:
"LOOK AT ME! VEYLE—LOOK AT ME! Don't go numb! Don't fall asleep—please—please—"
He blinked sluggishly, the world tilting sideways.
A strangled noise escaped him—half‑gasp, half‑sob.
Blood bubbled at the corner of his mouth.
He tried to speak.
Only a thick, wet gargle came out.
Seren's breath hitched. She pressed her forehead against his, hands cradling his jaw despite the blood, signing with one hand:
"You idiot… why would you DO that…?"
Veyle's fingers twitched.
He signed weakly with his shaking right hand:
"I live even after."
He swallowed, winced, coughed blood again.
His next sign was sloppy, almost unreadable:
"I can't lose you again…"
Seren's expression broke.
Her throat tightened—she couldn't hide it.
Her signing slowed, steadier now, painfully gentle:
"You didn't lose me. I'm here. I'm here. I'm staying. So stop hurting yourself."
She grabbed his wrist, squeezing.
Her eyes glistened—not with fear.
With absolute, burning determination.
"We survive together. Understand?"
Veyle nodded weakly.
His body slumped into her arms.
She tightened her hold, steadying him as ash drifted over them like black snow.
The burning city rumbled behind them, towers collapsing one by one.
A gust of scorching wind blew past, carrying embers and faint, distant screams.
Seren didn't look back.
She hauled Veyle up against her shoulder, signing with one hand even as she supported his weight:
"We leave now. I'll carry you if I have to."
Veyle's gaze drifted back toward the burning ruin.
Something moved in the smoke.
A silhouette.Tall.
Broad.
An axe glinting red in the reflected flames.
Veyle's eyes widened—
Veyle's legs trembled beneath him, every breath a ragged, choking struggle. Blood filled his mouth, dripping down his chin, soaking his hands as he pressed them to his lips. He tried to speak, tried to warn her—but the words came out as nothing more than wet gurgles.
"Seren…" he rasped, the name barely leaving his throat. His vision blurred, red and dark against the burning horizon. He coughed violently, gagging on the blood, his fingers clawing at the air.
She was close. Too close. And yet, she hadn't noticed—didn't see the depth of his injuries, the trembling in his arms, the panic in his gaze.
Veyle's heart hammered. No… I have to—
But before he could do more than flail a hand toward her, a shadow split the space between them.
Halrun moved with terrifying speed, the axe arcing through the air in a single, fluid motion.
The world seemed to freeze for a heartbeat—the roar of the city behind them, the hiss of ash in the air, Veyle's gurgling cries—all held in suspended horror.
The axe struck.
It didn't glance. It didn't stumble.
It cut through Veyle and Seren as though they were nothing more than mist. A clean, brutal slice.
Veyle's eyes went wide in shock, blood bubbling from his mouth as his body was torn apart, half of him sliding against the cobblestones. Seren's hands flailed in the air, signing frantically even as her body collapsed beside his, her lips frozen mid-gesture.
Silence followed.
Except for the faint hiss of smoke, the crackle of distant fire, and the quiet, terrifying echo of Halrun's boots as he turned and disappeared into the horizon.
The hill they had fought so hard to reach was littered with ash, blood, and the echo of lives violently ended.
Veyle's last thought, gurgled and unsaid, dissolved into the void: I tried…