The morning was gray. Still and uneasy, like the air before a distant storm. The cabin that had sheltered them for three years now seemed small — like the memory of a life that had never truly belonged to them. The scent of smoke and burned wood still clung to the roof beams, as if the structure itself knew its purpose had been fulfilled.
Ellie stood in the doorway, tracing the cracked frame with her fingertips. Her eyes wandered to the spot where the little meal board had once stood… to the charred beam where Veyr had carved her height, one line each year. The cabin was broken — and yet, leaving it hurt in a way she hadn't expected.
"Do you think… she'd be proud?" she asked quietly, not turning around.
Veyr stood a step behind her. "Mom? Maybe." His eyes lingered on the burnt walls. "Or she'd be yelling at us for not leaving sooner."
Ellie gave a soft smile. Then she turned to him. "Are you sure we should go with him?"
Veyr paused, his face still shadowed with a trace of doubt — but calmer now, more resolved. "No," he said honestly. "But I know we can't stay here. If we want the best chance… we go with him."
Ellie nodded. She held out her hand, and he took it — tighter than necessary. No more farewells. No big words. Just the grip.
Rhen was already waiting a short distance away, perched on a flat rock near the old crossroads, twirling his wooden fork like it was some kind of instrument. When he saw them approaching, his face lit up, as if he'd placed a bet and just won.
"Oh-ho — you really decided not to heroically die in the rubble after all. Excellent! I'll admit, I wasn't entirely sure about you…" — his gaze flicked to Veyr — "…whether you'd follow me or try stabbing me again."
"The journey's long," Veyr said flatly. "There may still be time for that."
Rhen burst out laughing, as if that was the highest form of praise. "Perfect. That's the spirit we need!"
He hopped off the rock, dusted off his trousers, and gestured south — toward where the sky looked slightly less heavy.
"All right, my two favorite miracle children," he said, "from here on out: either toward the future, or straight into a glorious disaster. Depends on how optimistic you are."
Ellie turned back one last time. Her lips moved soundlessly — a silent thank-you.
Veyr watched her for a moment, then placed a hand gently on her shoulder and steered her away from the ruins. He didn't look back even once.
Together, the three of them — Ellie, Veyr, and Rhen — set off into the ash-streaked wilderness. Ahead lay a world they'd never stepped into, full of dangers they'd only heard about, and powers inside them they barely understood.
About a hundred steps into the journey, through scattered stones and dust, Ellie stopped suddenly."Wait," she murmured. "If we're going to be fighting out there… then I want to learn. I can't just keep being the girl who gets saved."
Veyr turned slightly, eyebrows raised. "And what exactly do you want to do?"
"Get stronger," she said, more firmly now. "Or at least stop being the one who's always shielded."
Rhen tilted his head toward her, something thoughtful flashing behind his amused expression. "People don't change overnight, Ellie. It's never one moment. It's the process that makes you."
Then, predictably, his grin returned.
"And so… we begin with something crucial."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a tiny, brittle pebble — barely the size of a fingernail — and placed it in her hand with absurd reverence.
"Carry this. Don't lose it. If you still have it by nightfall, I'll teach you your first real move."
Ellie stared at the pebble. "This is… possibly the dumbest thing I've ever seen."
"Exactly," Rhen said proudly. "Welcome to the process."
Veyr looked at her, then at the pebble, and gave a quiet nod. "Do it. Every blade starts with a splinter."
Ellie sighed — but curled her fingers around the stone. "Fine. But if I lose it, it's your fault."
"It absolutely isn't," Rhen said cheerfully. "But that's how responsibility works."
The ground trembled faintly beneath their feet. Maybe it was the shifting land. Maybe something else.
Rhen glanced back at them and gave a bright, impish wink."Well then… welcome to the real game."
And without waiting for an answer, he led them deeper into the unknown.