Chapter 13 – Paths We Choose
The fires in Lepin had been extinguished. The last remnants of the Skinwalkers were buried beneath the earth they once defiled. Morning mist curled around the group as they stood at the village's edge, packs slung over their shoulders and weapons strapped to their backs.
"…So, what now?" Kaze asked, gazing at the dirt path that led into the wild beyond. "We just keep walking?"
Atlas stretched. "I mean, we were going to Reverb anyway. This was just an undead detour."
Kazuki tilted his head, silent as always. His bandaged face didn't move, but his presence spoke louder than words. His blade hung loosely at his side, ready.
Behind them, the quiet shuffling of feet interrupted the silence.
"Wait," a voice called.
It was Lyra.
She jogged up, out of breath but determined. Her golden eyes were set with something new. Not fear. Not grief.
Resolve.
"You're leaving, right?" she asked, glancing between them. Her light magic aura was faint, barely more than a flicker, but it pulsed with hope.
Kaze blinked. "Yeah. Reverb."
"Then… take me with you."
Atlas raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"
"I don't have a home anymore. Everyone I loved is gone," she said, voice trembling only a little. "But I survived. You three saved me, and I can't just… sit here and rot."
Kazuki didn't say anything. He simply turned slightly toward her, listening.
"I want to learn to fight. To protect. And maybe… maybe stop feeling so powerless," she finished.
Kaze looked at her for a long moment. Something in her words hit home—the feeling of having everything ripped away, of standing in the ashes and deciding whether to fall or walk forward.
"Can you even fight?" he asked.
Lyra's eyes narrowed. "Not yet. But I'm willing to learn. Isn't that enough?"
Atlas smiled. "Sounds like someone we know, huh?"
"She kinda reminds me of you when we were ten," Atlas whispered to Kaze, elbowing him lightly. "Except she hasn't blown up the sky yet."
Kaze rolled his eyes, but a small smirk played at the corner of his mouth. "Fine. But if you slow us down, I'm leaving you behind."
Lyra nodded. "Fair enough."
And so, they were four.
The journey resumed with more dirt paths, whispering woods, and cold breezes brushing over worn cloaks. Along the way, the mood began to shift.
They camped beneath starlit skies, shared food that tasted like burnt regret, and joked to kill time. Lyra wasn't loud, but she watched everything, asked smart questions, and did her best to keep up. She wasn't physically strong yet, but she practiced with a staff Atlas carved from a tree branch.
One night, while everyone was half-asleep around a dim fire, Kaze watched her practice by herself, swinging the staff in wide arcs.
"She's serious," he murmured.
Atlas yawned. "She lost everything. We all did at some point. But look at her. That kind of hurt makes people either curl up or climb up."
Kazuki, lying against a tree, spoke for the first time that night. "The ones who climb are dangerous. They know what they're climbing out of."
Kaze nodded slowly, but his eyes lingered on Lyra. She stumbled a bit, catching her balance, then tried again. He looked away quickly.
Atlas caught the look and grinned. "Ohhh. Someone's falling for the little light mage."
Kaze threw a pebble at him. "Shut up."
"She's cute, man. Don't lie."
"I'm not lying," Kaze mumbled. "I'm just… observing."
Kazuki snorted faintly. "You're an idiot."
"You talk now?" Kaze shot back.
They all laughed.
The world around them was broken, dangerous, full of monsters and death and pain. But for now—for this moment—there was warmth by the fire.
And four young souls moving forward into the unknown.