The world was quieter now.
Snow drifted from the sky in slow, deliberate flurries, as though nature itself had stilled in awe or perhaps grief, for what had transpired at Sanctum Virelith. Fire and frost had clashed. A commander had fallen. And Leon Ashbourne had walked away with yet another shadow bound to him.
But even victories left scars.
The forest thinned as the path turned familiar, winding toward a village nestled between frozen hills. Lights shimmered behind frost-glazed windows, and smoke curled from chimney stacks like ghostly sentinels in the twilight.
Frostvain.
A small place. Forgotten by war and untouched by the Eternal Empire's reach, for now.
Leon's pace slowed as he and Kaelis approached the wooden gates, half-buried in snow.
"Hard to believe this was once a peaceful road," Kaelis muttered, glancing at the sleeping Velya over his shoulder.
Leon didn't answer. His thoughts were elsewhere, on Kel's sacrifice, on Malchior's last stand, on the lingering ache in his bones from the Flameheart Protocol. His core still burned faintly, shadows tangled with fire within him.
The guards at the gate recognized them instantly, their expressions shifting from alarm to relief.
"You're back!" one called, rushing down.
A moment later, Mayor Torlem emerged from the lodge, draped in his signature fur cloak, his arms spread wide.
"Leon! Kaelis! By the saints, we thought the snow swallowed you!"
Leon gave a faint nod. "Nearly."
Torlem's eyes landed on Velya. "And this one?"
Kaelis shifted her gently on his back. "A former enemy. She won't cause trouble."
Torlem hummed. "I'll trust your judgment. Come, your rooms are untouched."
The warmth of Frostvain's inn was like a salve to the spirit.
Crackling flames filled the room with dancing orange light, and bowls of thick stew were placed in front of them. Kaelis dug in. Leon stared at his untouched meal. His mind kept returning to the final moments of the battle, Malchior rising again, Velya's trump card, Kel's ice carving through fire to save him.
He closed his eyes briefly.
He had been too reckless.
He had overestimated his stamina, underestimated the cost of Awakening.
He clenched his jaw.
Across the table, Kaelis studied him. "You're still blaming yourself."
Leon opened his eyes. "I shouldn't have needed Kel to save me. He's supposed to be the weakest."
"He was. Until he became yours," Kaelis said, voice steady. "You gave him purpose. Shadows thrive in yours."
The door creaked.
Velya, now conscious, leaned against the doorway, her robe wrapped tightly around her. The firelight cast strange shadows on her face, half lost, half decided.
"May I sit?"
Leon nodded cautiously.
She walked over slowly, the fatigue still obvious in her movements. Torlem, from the back, watched with narrowed eyes but said nothing.
"I didn't expect to live," Velya said softly, staring at the fire. "You could have ended me."
Leon didn't look at her. "I still can."
Kaelis sighed. "Leon."
Velya smiled faintly. "No. He's right to say it."
A silence passed.
Then she continued. "But I'm not your enemy anymore. Malchior was my leash. He's gone. And the Empire won't welcome me back after this."
Leon's gaze turned toward her. "Then you're worthless to them. But not to me."
Velya raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Tell me what I need to know," Leon said. "Make use of yourself."
Her eyes lowered. "There are seven left. Each stronger than the last. Each more loyal to the Emperor than the one before."
Leon leaned forward. "Where are they?"
Velya hesitated. "Scattered. But there's movement at the Shattered Range—an excavation site. They're digging for something… ancient. Something sealed. Malchior mentioned it once, but not in detail. Just that the Emperor said, 'Let the darkness that once obeyed, rise again.'"
Leon's frown deepened. "A weapon?"
Kaelis muttered, "Or a being."
Leon's fingers curled into fists. "And you?"
"I'm not counted among them anymore," Velya said quietly. "I'm... free, if you'll let me be."
Leon studied her. Shadows flickered behind his eyes.
Then, finally, he stood and turned toward the window. Outside, snow fell gently, blanketing the world in deceptive peace.
"You'll stay. For now. But if you cross me…"
"I won't," she promised.
Later that night, Leon sat alone near the edge of the village, Kel's shadow form flickering quietly at his side.
The snow around them was silent.
"I've taken down three Commanders," he muttered. "Seven remain. And the Emperor waits behind them all."
Kel tilted his head. His new form, colder, sharper, more refined—remained silent, a sentinel born from frost and regret.
Leon closed his eyes.
The war wasn't over.
But a piece of the past had been buried today.
Ashes beneath the snow.