A Stillness Too Loud
The dawn broke not with fanfare, but with the soft sigh of wind threading through broken stone and torn banners. Kael stood at the edge of the ruined clearing, the remnants of battle behind him, the echo of a dream still lingering in his chest. Not a dream of war, but of something tender - hands that held, not harmed.
Silence Shared
Selene joined him without a word. Her presence had always spoken louder in stillness than in speech. She stood beside him, arms crossed, eyes scanning the quiet aftermath. The blood on her blade had dried, but her silence felt fresher than any wound.
Not Peace, But Pause
"This isn't over," she said eventually, her voice low. "Just sleeping."
Kael nodded. "Let it sleep a while longer."
For a heartbeat, that was enough.
A Village inShadows
Below the rise, the burned-out village stirred with hesitant life. Survivors combed through debris, salvaging planks and memories with equal reverence. The sky was pale, the kind that made you wonder if it would rain or weep.
Nyra's Arrival
Nyra's cloak billowed behind her as she ascended the path. Her boots were muddied, her knuckles scraped, but her eyes held clarity like polished steel. "Scouts report quiet on the southern ridge," she said. "But quiet has lied before."
A Sword That Waits
Kael's hand hovered near the hilt of the Darksword, but did not touch it. He felt it pulsing faintly at his side, awake even when sheathed. Like a wolf leashed with thread.
Selene's Flame
Selene flicked her fingers, conjuring a thin flame to warm the chill. It danced over her palm, golden-red, delicate. "How long until the others notice he's gone?" she asked.
The Name Unspoken
She didn't say the name, but they all heard it - Talen. Gone into smoke, by blade or by choice, no one knew. Kael had felt something crack the moment he vanished. Not victory, not loss. Just... emptiness.
A Refuge Taking Root
"We stay," Kael said firmly, louder this time. "This place - it matters. If we move again, we're nothing but ghosts with swords." Selene tilted her head, appraising. "You're starting to sound like someone who believes."
Nyra's Smirk
Nyra snorted. "Belief is expensive." She turned back toward the village. "Hope costs more." But she kept walking.
Ashes And Intention
They helped rebuild. No grand speeches, no waving banners. Just hands that lifted stone, mended carts, and stitched wounds. Kael felt something strange beneath his ribs: the possibility that this land could be more than a battlefield.
The Forest Watches
Far beyond the village, the forest watched in silence. Beneath its canopy, unseen eyes observed. Not all who followed Kael had vanished - some merely waited. Some planned.
A Whisper In The Wind
That night, as the fire crackled and sleep tugged at weary bones, Kael stood watch. The wind carried voices he couldn't place - soft, fragmented. A woman's laugh. A child's cry. A sword's sigh.
Selene's Question
"You still think we're worth saving?" Selene asked, stepping up beside him.
"I think we have to be," Kael said. Otherwise... what's left?"
A Sky Without Thunder
Above them, the sky stretched wide and silver. For once, no lightning threatened. No thunder boomed. Only stars, blinking like old memories refusing to fade.