Three weeks.
That's how long it had been since the fall of Antima. Three weeks of open ocean, healing wounds, and learning how to breathe without the expectation of an attack.
On the deck of the Starling Gale, the morning sun beat down on a scene of domestic tranquility that would have seemed impossible a month ago.
Kael was standing—wobbly, but standing—leaning on a makeshift crutch carved from driftwood. He was moving a wooden practice sword through the air, slow, deliberate arcs.
"You're dropping your elbow," Aarav called out from where he sat, peeling a piece of fruit with a small knife.
Kael stopped and glared at him. "I am crippled, not incompetent. And you are eating my breakfast."
"It's quality control," Aarav grinned, taking a bite.
Liora walked up from below deck, carrying a bowl of herbal salve. She wore a simple white shirt and trousers, her hair tied back. The war had taken her robes and her innocence, but it had left her with a quiet, unshakeable strength.
"Sit, Kael," she ordered gently but firmly. "Time for the dressing change."
Kael sighed, the sound of a warrior defeated by a nurse, and sat on a crate. As Liora worked on his leg, Aarav watched. The bone was knitting well, thanks to Liora's care, but Kael would likely walk with a limp for the rest of his life. A permanent reminder of the Spire.
"Land ho!"
Mara's voice rang out from the crow's nest.
Aarav was on his feet instantly. He rushed to the bow.
Ahead of them, a wall of dense, white fog rose from the ocean surface to the sky. It wasn't the menacing Iron Fog or the violent Storm-Wall. It was soft, shifting, pearlescent mist.
"The Isles of Mist," Aarav whispered. "We found them."
Mara slid down the rope, landing on the deck with a thud. She looked excited for the first time in days. "The charts end here. Beyond that fog is uncharted territory. Dangerous reefs, hidden currents..." she grinned, spinning the wheel. "My kind of sailing."
"Take us in, Captain," Aarav said.
The ship glided into the white void. The world turned silent. The visibility dropped to near zero.
"Watch the water color!" Mara shouted. "Dark blue is safe, turquoise is shallow!"
Aarav stood at the bow, using the only sense he had left—his intuition. He didn't have the Blade Sigil to guide him anymore, but he had something better: experience.
"Hard to port!" Aarav called out, seeing a shadow in the water.
Mara spun the wheel. The ship drifted smoothly, missing a jagged coral reef by feet.
They navigated the maze of mist for an hour. It was tense, quiet work.
And then, the curtain lifted.
The mist didn't just fade; it broke apart, revealing what lay hidden in the center.
It wasn't just an island. It was a paradise that had been waiting for them.
Three large islands formed a crescent shape around a lagoon of water so clear it looked like liquid glass. The sand on the beaches was sugar-white. The interior of the islands was a lush explosion of green—palm trees, fruit groves, and waterfalls cascading down from high cliffs into the sea.
It was wild. Untouched. Perfect.
"By the Aether..." Liora breathed, standing beside Aarav. "It's beautiful."
"It's empty," Kael noted, scanning the shoreline. "No structures. No smoke. No people."
"It's ours," Aarav said.
Mara guided the ship into the calm lagoon. The anchor dropped with a heavy splash, signaling the end of their long voyage.
They lowered the rowboat and paddled to the shore.
When Aarav's boots touched the white sand, a strange feeling washed over him. It wasn't the adrenaline of a fight. It wasn't the fear of running. It was a deep, settling weight in his chest. Grounding.
He walked up the beach, the sand warm beneath his feet. He turned to look at the others.
Mara was already inspecting a coconut tree, shaking it to see if fruit would fall. Kael was leaning on his crutch, digging his toe into the sand, testing the firmness of the ground. Liora was standing in the shallow water, letting the gentle waves lap at her ankles, her face turned up to the sun.
"So," Mara said, cracking a coconut open on a rock. "What now? We plant a flag? Declare ourselves kings and queens?"
"No kings," Aarav said, walking back to them. "No masters. Just... us."
"We need shelter," Kael said practically. "The weather here looks mild, but storms happen."
"There," Aarav pointed to a plateau overlooking the lagoon, backed by a cliff face. "High ground. Protected from the wind. Fresh water from the waterfall nearby."
"It'll take work," Mara said, looking at the dense jungle they would have to clear. "A lot of work."
"We're not afraid of work," Aarav smiled. He looked at Liora. "Right?"
Liora walked out of the water and took his hand. "We built a revolution. We can build a house."
That night, they didn't sleep on the ship. They built a large fire on the beach. They ate fresh fish and fruit, the taste sweeter than anything they had eaten in the damp, smoggy cities.
As the fire died down, Kael spoke up.
"I will not be a farmer," he said bluntly, staring at the flames.
"Nobody asked you to plow fields, Kael," Mara laughed, passing him a flask.
"I mean it," Kael said. "My hands know the sword. That is all they know."
"Then you will be our shield," Aarav said seriously. "This place is peaceful now. But we don't know what creatures live in those woods. And the world outside... it will change. We need a protector. We need someone to teach the next generation how to stand."
"The next generation?" Kael raised an eyebrow.
Aarav looked at Liora. She smiled, squeezing his hand.
"Eventually," Aarav said.
Kael nodded slowly. "A teacher. I can do that."
"And you, Mara?" Liora asked. "Will you get bored without pirates to shoot?"
Mara stretched, looking out at the Starling Gale bobbing in the moonlight. "Maybe. But the ship needs repairs. And this island needs supplies. I'm thinking... trade runs. Once we're settled. I'll be your connection to the outside world. The crazy aunt who brings strange gifts."
They all laughed. It felt good. It felt light.
Later, when the others had fallen asleep by the fire, Aarav and Liora walked down to the water's edge.
The moon hung huge and silver over the ocean.
"It feels like a dream," Liora whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"If it is, don't wake me up," Aarav said.
He turned her to face him. The moonlight reflected in her eyes—eyes that had seen him broken, defeated, and triumphant.
"I don't have a ring," Aarav said, his voice suddenly nervous. "I don't have anything to give you, Liora. My sword is gone. My power is gone. I just have these hands."
He held them up. Rough, scarred, but steady.
Liora took his hands and placed them on her waist.
"These hands broke a god for me," she whispered. "I don't need gold, Aarav. I need you. Here. Forever."
"Forever," Aarav promised.
He kissed her, sealing the pact. It wasn't a kiss of hunger or desperation. It was a kiss of promise. A slow, tender seal on a new contract with life.
He lifted her up, carrying her bridal style, not into a battle, but towards the soft, grassy area near the treeline, away from the others.
"Where are we going?" Liora giggled.
"To lay the foundation," Aarav smirked.
That night, under the canopy of a new world, amidst the sound of rustling leaves and distant waves, they celebrated their arrival. There were no monsters to fight. No worlds to save. Just a man and a woman, turning an island into a home, one touch at a time.