Age: 4.5Location: Velduin outskirtsTime: 3 days after the scroll's pulseWeather: Morning frost, birds silent
There's a certain silence you only hear once before war.
Not the quiet of peace.
The quiet of something watching.
Waiting.
Velduin had that silence now.
And so did I.
Aelira Speaks — and Doesn't
She stood by the river.
Same spot she used to train in. Same spot where her magic first surged.
"You're not saying anything," I said, stepping next to her.
"I don't know what to say."
"That you're okay?"
"I'm not."
"That you still trust me?"
"...I want to."
She held her spellbook tighter.
"I know it wasn't on purpose. But if it happened once…"
"You think I'll lose control again."
"No," she said. Then, quietly—"I think I already lost you."
Niris Reveals the Truth
That night, Niris appeared again.
Not just in vision. She stepped out of the blade in full form — cloaked in red mist, feet barely touching the ground.
"You're unstable because you're not using it right," she said.
"Using what?"
"The guilt."
"I'm not a sad boy with a death wish."
"You're an Echoborne. Your power doesn't come from courage or kindness."
"Then what?"
"From pain."
She lifted a hand.
Magic swirled around us. And in it… I saw myself — older, broken, but burning like a black sun.
"The stronger you become… the more you'll remember. And the more you remember—"
"The more I'll hate who I was."
She didn't deny it.
Ireina's Warning
Ireina came to me before dawn.
"They're coming."
"Who?"
"The first shadows. From the Bladesisters. They want the sword."
"Then they'll have to take it from my corpse."
"That's the plan."
She handed me a piece of old paper. Charred around the edges. A sigil I didn't recognize.
"This came in the wind," she whispered. "It's how they mark a kill zone."
"Velduin is a kill zone now?"
"If we stay past tomorrow… yes."
Ravian's Decision
Ravian didn't say much.
He just packed.
Blades, cloaks, one sealed letter from the capital — still unopened.
"You good?" I asked.
"No. But I'm ready."
"For what?"
"For the part where we stop being children."
Leaving Velduin
Kael watched us from the hill.
He didn't stop us.Didn't say goodbye.
Just nodded.
Like he knew.
"Don't die without making it worth something," he said.
And with that…
We left.
Me.Aelira.Ravian.Ireina.And a cursed sword whose name might still be mine.
Final Scene — In the Shadows
The Bladesisters stood beneath a willow tree in the dark.
One whispered:
"They've left the nest."
Another laughed.
"Then let's clip their wings."
And far in the distance…
The black sun blinked.