----Chapter 2----
The night was heavy with sorrow as the knights walked through the forest, their pace slow and burdened.
Rowan and Aven carried Garin's body on their shoulders, the fallen man wrapped carefully in white cloth.
His frame, once strong and alive with laughter, now weighed upon them like the judgment of the gods.
Beside them, Nilda and Eldhar held the reins of Aven's, Rowan's, and Azre's horses, leading them silently through the trees.
Thalia clutched Keela's doll to her chest, her quiet sobs breaking the stillness.
Nilda carried the other victims' belongings the rum bottle, the shawl, the boots, the broken toy sword each item a relic of a life lost.
The moon hung above them, silver light spilling through the branches. Crickets sang faintly in the underbrush, but even their song felt muted, cautious.
A chilling wind swept suddenly through the trees, raising goosebumps along Nilda's arms. She shivered and adjusted her glasses but said nothing, gripping the reins tighter as they pressed on.
Azre walked at the front, her eyes fixed on the stars above, blank and hollow with regret.
She saw Garin's final moments each time she blinked, heard his broken plea in every breath. Her chest felt crushed beneath the weight of failure.
Eldhar noticed her silence. He placed a steady hand on her shoulder.
"It wasn't your fault, Azre," he said gently, his voice deep as the earth.
"We are only human. Weak in our own ways. We cannot save everyone."
Azre shook her head, anger and grief warring in her chest.
"But I swore… I swore I'd protect them all. And I failed."
Eldhar gave her shoulder a firm squeeze. "We may not have saved Garin, but we stopped the cult from taking more.
The villagers are safe tonight because of us. That must mean something."
His words lingered, heavy but steady, a rope to cling to as the darkness pressed in.
By the time they neared the village gates, the forest path opened to a sight that stole their breath.
Dozens of torches flickered in the night, held aloft by the waiting villagers. Faces pale, eyes wide with hope that crumbled into grief as the knights came into view.
When the white-wrapped body was seen, the wailing began. A keening cry spread like wildfire through the gathered crowd, a chorus of sorrow that echoed through Arcaun's streets.
Mothers clutched their children tighter, men bowed their heads, and elders wept openly.
The knights pressed on, their march now part funeral, part confession. They carried not just Garin but the weight of every soul they could not save.
In the village square, the town chief a broad-shouldered man with kind, weary eyes stepped forward.
His gaze lingered on Garin's body, and his lips trembled before he found his voice.
"You brought him home," the chief said softly. "That is no small thing."
At his signal, an elder woman stepped forward with a basket. Inside lay delicate blue flowers, glowing faintly under the moonlight. She raised them for all to see.
"These are Veylora flowers. For generations, we have placed them upon our dead. When touched by moonlight, their glow guides lost souls safely into the afterlife. Let no soul wander in darkness tonight."
The basket was passed to the knights. One by one, they each accepted a bloom with quiet reverence.
Rowan stepped forward first, placing his flower upon Garin's chest. His lips moved in silent prayer, his hand lingering on the man's still form before pulling away.
Thalia followed, her tears dripping onto the cloth as she set her flower down.
"I'm sorry, Garin… I'm so sorry," she whispered, clutching Keela's doll tighter.
Eldhar placed his flower with steady hands, brushing Garin's forehead in a rare show of tenderness.
"Rest well, my brother."
Aven laid his bloom last before Azre, his jaw clenched, eyes stormy. He said nothing, but his silence spoke louder than words.
Finally, Azre approached. Her knees trembled as she leaned forward, holding the glowing flower above Garin's heart.
Memories tore through her his booming laugh, his kindness in the tavern, his plea on the altar. Tears blurred her vision as she whispered,
"Your courage will never be forgotten."
The moment the flower touched his chest, the sky opened, and a soft rain began to fall. Not cold, not harsh just a gentle drizzle that dampened their clothes and kissed the glowing petals.
Gasps rose among the villagers, many bowing lower, believing it a sign from the heavens.
Drops slid down Azre's face, indistinguishable from her tears. The flowers shimmered brighter under the rain, their glow refracting through each droplet like a constellation come to earth.
A sudden cry tore through the crowd. Zian, Garin's wife, rushed forward, her face streaked with grief.
She collapsed against Azre, beating her fists weakly against the knight's chest before breaking into sobs.
"You brought him back to me… but why couldn't you save him?" she wailed.
Azre caught her, holding her tightly.
"I tried. Gods, I tried. I'm so sorry, Zian." Her voice cracked as she buried her face in the woman's hair.
Zian clung to her, sobbing uncontrollably. "He was all I had… He promised he'd come back."
Azre shut her eyes, heart tearing open. "He lives on in you, and in Nina. I swear I will honor him. I won't fail you again."
A small voice broke through the rain.
"Azre?"
Nina stood there, clutching a wooden toy horse in trembling hands. Her eyes were wide, glistening.
"Is… is Father gone?"
Azre knelt, her hands trembling as she brushed Nina's hair back.
"He was brave, Nina. Braver than any knight I've known. That bravery… it will live on in you."
The child burst into tears, burying her face against her mother. Zian lifted her gaze to Azre, grief-stricken but resolute.
"We still trust you. Don't let his death be in vain."
Azre bowed her head, the vow sinking into her very bones. "I won't."
✦ ✦ ✦
Later that night, the village gathered at the burial ground. Graves had been dug, and the victims' belongings placed upon them as markers of lives cut short.
Fireflies drifted through the rain, their glow weaving with the Veylora blooms, as though the world itself grieved with them.
Rowan sat before the old woman's grave, her shawl folded neatly at its base. He stared at it in silence, lost in memories of her laughter and the way she had scolded him like a grandson.
Thalia knelt at Keela's grave, placing the ragged doll there with trembling hands. She sobbed openly, whispering a string of apologies.
"I should have protected you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"
Aven stood before the boy's grave, the broken wooden sword laid upon it. His hands tightened into fists as he remembered the boy's bright grin, so much like his own son's, now long gone.
The weight of two losses bore down on him in silence.
Eldhar stood with the chief outside the burial ground, their words low and heavy. After a time, Eldhar approached a grave where a bottle of rum lay.
He knelt, placing another beside it. His voice was rough as he whispered,
"Rest in peace, Noran. I know you fought to the last. I'm proud of you, old friend."
And apart from them, beneath the wide shade of a Siran tree, Nilda stood in silence. The tree bore no fruit, yet its branches stretched wide, sheltering her as though it knew her place among them.
She clutched her Veylora flower close, her glasses fogging in the damp night air. The rain slid down her cheeks, mingling with the tears she could no longer hold back.
She had no grave to kneel before, no tie to the lives lost she had joined Eldhar's squad too late.
Yet as she looked upon her comrades bowed in grief, she let her own tears fall. Not for one, but for all.
The fireflies glowed brighter, weaving through the falling rain until the entire village seemed lit by sorrow.
✦ ✦ ✦
Meanwhile, far away, deep within the ruins of the cult's dungeon, silence reigned. The altar lay shattered, torches long burned out.
Then stone shifted. Pebbles scattered. Slowly, something crooked and unnatural rose from beneath the rubble.
Its head tilted back, and eyes that had once been lifeless now burned with a sickly green light.
A scream burst forth harsh, broken, neither human nor beast.
The forest shuddered. Birds scattered into the night. Even the crickets fell silent, as though the world itself recoiled in fear.
And in that dreadful stillness, the creature stood alone, eyes blazing with evil intent.
The war for Arcaun had only just begun.