After they went to the dark valley their ragged breaths echoed off the walls of the narrow canyon, their footsteps pounding the rocks as they fled a battlefield that was supposed to be a reconnaissance mission. The Grey Canyon—a narrow passage between scorched hills—was filled with a choking fog and the lingering smell of ash from years ago.
Sohan walked with difficulty, his injured hand wrapped in a burnt rag, and Valo moved briskly, alert for any sounds.
Leona, one of the survivors, coughed and asked, "Are... are we safe here?"
Valo answered, staring into the mist, "There's no such thing as safety anymore... only a postponement of death."
Sohan was silent for a few moments, then said, "Sol Weather... he said the land is theirs. But he knows me, he knows my name, it's like he's been waiting for me."
Leona worriedly asked, "Could there be a traitor? Someone from Niram?"
Valo let out a long sigh. "Or maybe there's something in Sohan's past we don't know yet..."
They stopped at a small cavern inside the Grey Mountain. It looked as if it had been abandoned for a long time. They entered it to hide, lighting a small torch using a shard of Sundust. The dim light wasn't warm, but it was enough to make out each other's faces: exhausted, broken, and shocked.
Sohan approached the wall, sat silently, and then asked Valo, "Have you ever encountered anything like this? A dragon? A leader speaking for the Withered?"
Valo shook his head. "Never... The Withered have never been this organized. This time... it's different. There's a mind behind them. Leadership."
He pulled out a battered map and said, "Niram won't be safe anytime soon. If Sol is planning an invasion, we need to warn them immediately."
Sohan looked at the map, then said, "I'll return alone... you're infected. I'll sneak through the southern passage."
Leona protested, "Impossible! After everything we've been through, you can't go it alone."
Sohan said in a calm but decisive tone, "Every second we delay, Niram is closer to falling. And if what Sol said is true... what we saw today is just the beginning."
Valo placed his hand on Sohan's shoulder, "At least take this..."
He handed him a light arrow, a special technique of the Ash Shadow Team that, when fired into the sky, sends a signal to the city.
Sohan then took it and walked into the darkness, away from the team, his body covered in ash and sweat, the sword at his back, his eyes burning with determination. He headed toward Niram with news that could change everything...