The forest was quiet again.
But not safe.
The six knights gathered near the center of the ruined tower. No one slept. No one spoke for a while.
The bodies of the beasts had been dragged outside and burned. Black smoke curled into the canopy, a signal to anything watching: we are still alive.
Phoenix sat slumped against the wall, helm resting in his lap. Sweat clung to his brow. He hadn't moved much since the fight. His ribs burned with every breath, but the worst of it was not the pain — it was the helplessness.
He stared into the fire. Golden eyes, dim in the low light.
Ryliegh sat nearby, blade in hand, slowly cleaning the blood from the grooves. His hands moved with practiced calm, but his eyes never left the darkness beyond the wall.
Vale crouched by the two wounded green knights, checking the arm splint and the makeshift leg brace. The wounded were alert, but dull-eyed — the kind of silence that came after near-death, not with fear, but fatigue.
One of the uninjured green knights leaned back against a stone and finally broke the quiet.
"We're not making it out of here in one piece, are we?"
Vale didn't look at him. "You're not helping."
"I'm not wrong."
"Doesn't matter."
Phoenix's voice cut in, low and steady. "You survived tonight."
The green knight looked over. "We got lucky."
"No." Phoenix's voice didn't rise. "You fought well. You held the line. You earned your survival. Don't insult it by calling it luck."
The knight looked away, unsure how to answer.
Ryliegh spoke without lifting his gaze. "Next time, we won't be lucky. They'll test us again. Harder."
Vale glanced at him. "You think they're learning?"
"I know they are."
Phoenix nodded slightly. "The grunts were coordinated. Moved together. And the soldier — it baited you. Let you see the weak leg."
Vale tensed. "You think it was a trap?"
"I think it wanted you to move," Phoenix said. "And see how you moved. These things are getting smarter."
Silence fell again.
Ryliegh stood. "We rest in shifts. Two up at a time. I'll take first with Vale."
Phoenix stirred. "I can—"
"No," Ryliegh said flatly.
Phoenix didn't argue.
He leaned back against the stone, eyes slipping shut for a moment.
"You're a terrible bedside nurse, Ray."
"Good," Ryliegh replied. "I hate patients."
The wounded knight with the broken leg let out a tired laugh. The other green knight finally sat down near the fire, unbuckling his gauntlets.
"We're still six," he said quietly.
Phoenix opened one eye. "For now."
Ryliegh looked to the fire.
"For tomorrow."
The flames flickered, casting long shadows across the stone. The Darkzone was waiting beyond the wall.
But for a little while, they were only knights — bruised, burdened, breathing.
And still here.