The wind howled like a wounded beast as Flynn and Elior arrived at the northern outpost. Snowstorm clouds gathered overhead, thickening the air with tension. Soldiers snapped to attention as the royal banner of Winterbell approached, but Flynn paid them little mind. His attention was already drawn to the makeshift pavilion near the tree line, where the artifact had been found.
Elior dismounted behind him, the fur lining of his cloak dusted white. "Strange, isn't it?" he muttered. "This region should be untouched. No signs of settlement for years."
Flynn didn't respond. The moment he stepped under the pavilion, he knew.
There, half-buried in frost-covered cloth, lay the crest of the Kingdom of Elaris twin falcons woven in silver thread over midnight blue. The sigil was torn and weathered, but unmistakable.
Flynn reached out and touched the fabric.
Memories clawed their way to the surface Caelan's voice shouting commands across battlefields, the weight of the Elarian cape on his shoulders, and the smell of ash after the capital fell.
"Who brought this here?" Flynn asked sharply.
A scout stepped forward. "It was found three leagues west, near the ruins of an old chapel. We believe… someone's been there recently. There were footprints in the snow. Fresh."
Elior frowned. "You think someone from Elaris is alive and watching?"
Flynn rose, his expression grim. "Not just alive. Someone wants this found. And they want me to see it."
Elior's brow furrowed. "But why?"
Flynn glanced at him, and for a moment, his eyes were filled with that quiet, haunted fire. "Because they know I remember."
He turned to the scout. "Take me there. Now."
As they made preparations to move, Elior walked beside Flynn, lowering his voice. "You believe this is related to Khalid?"
"I believe everything that happens now is tied to him," Flynn said. "The betrayal, the silence, the enemy movements… It's all circling back. And whoever left that crest wants to stir the ashes of Elaris."
Elior hesitated. "If this truly is the work of someone who knew Caelan… What happens when the truth comes out?"
Flynn glanced at him. "Then Winterbell will learn what lies beneath its crown."
They rode west, where the storm gathered, and the past waited beneath the snow.