The sun had barely risen over Aerion when the four heroes crossed the great gates of Valdros.
At their sight, a roar rose like a living tide.
Cries, songs, tears of joy!
Flowers rained down from balconies, bells rang out in wild celebration, and children ran through the streets waving scraps of cloth hastily marked with symbols—spears, flames, and sometimes even their faces.
> "They did it!"
> "The Protectors of Aerion have defeated Nocthurn!"
> "Glory to Kael and his companions!"
The four heroes paused for a moment, dazzled by the storm of colors and voices.
Kael slowly lifted his gaze; the dawn light reflected off his black hair and highlighted the grey in his eyes.
He had never truly enjoyed this kind of triumph, but something today held him in place: he saw in the people's eyes a sincere hope.
A hope they had rekindled.
Beside him, Lyric raised his arms to the sky as if absorbing the entire ovation.
> "You hear that? Cheers for me! For me! Finally!"
He placed a hand on his heart with a tragically comic air.
> "After all these battles, the world has finally recognized my genius."
Erya burst out laughing.
> "Your 'genius'? Are we talking about the same Lyric who nearly sliced off his own foot with his blade yesterday?"
> "Minor detail," he replied with a wink. "The audience doesn't need to know what goes on backstage."
Thane, impassive but amused, placed his heavy gloved hand on Lyric's shoulder.
> "As long as you don't blow them up like last time, we'll be fine."
> "Hey, artistic explosions are my signature!" Lyric protested.
> "A signature that destroyed an entire inn," Erya added, her tone dry but lips curled in a smile.
Kael laughed openly.
A clear, honest laugh they hadn't heard in a long time.
That sound alone reminded them why they fought: for moments like this, bursts of humanity amid the chaos.
🎉 Later, in Valdros' grand square, an impromptu ceremony had begun.
Musicians played, tables overflowed with food and wine, and the heroes were lifted onto a banner-draped stage.
Petals fell from the sky like summer rain.
The mayor, an old man with a silver beard, raised his staff.
> "People of Valdros! Today, Aerion's light blesses us thanks to these four brave souls! Let them be praised for delivering our land from Nocthurn's darkness!"
Another wave of cheers erupted.
Lyric, unable to stay serious, bowed repeatedly, greeting the crowd like a stage actor.
Erya tried to tug him by the sleeve.
> "Stop, idiot, you'll fall off the stage!"
> "Let me savor my glory, my lady," he replied, mimicking a noble accent.
> "Your glory smells like wine and smoke," Thane teased without moving a muscle.
> "Exactly!" Lyric retorted, laughing. "It's the scent of a folk hero!"
Kael was still laughing. He didn't have the heart to think of anything else, not now.
The people sang, dancers filled the square, and even the soldiers, usually so rigid, dropped their helmets to clap along.
Erya grabbed Kael's hand.
> "Come on, just one dance!"
> "You know I'm terrible at this," he protested, slightly embarrassed.
> "Perfect," she replied with a sly smile. "Gives me a reason to mock you."
She pulled him to the center of the square. The music rose, fast and joyful.
They spun awkwardly amid the laughter, Kael trying his best to keep up while Lyric shouted:
> "Go Kael! Show her your demon step!"
> "This isn't funny," Kael said, laughing despite himself.
Erya, breathless, nearly stumbled but Kael caught her mid-fall.
Their eyes met—longer than either expected.
Then Erya looked away, cheeks flushed.
> "Not bad," she murmured. "Maybe you've got some rhythm after all."
A few steps away, Thane watched with quiet tenderness.
> "It's good," he whispered to Lyric. "They needed this."
> "To dance?"
> "To laugh."
Lyric nodded, his smile softer than usual.
> "Yeah… but don't worry, I've got this."
He leapt onto the central fountain to perform a ridiculous skit, mimicking Kael's "heroic" defeat of Nocthurn:
> "And now, ladies and gentlemen, Kael the Unshakable faces the beast! He says: 'I fear no demons!'" — he brandished a chicken leg like a sword — "and he strikes! Once! Twice! Bam! The monster cries for its mother!"
Laughter exploded all around. Even Kael, hands on his knees, laughed uncontrollably.
His laughter mingled with Erya's and Thane's, and with the joyful clamor of the village.
🌙 Music still echoed through Valdros' streets.
Laughter rang out, cups clinked, and flames danced in lanterns hanging from rooftops.
Kael, slightly tipsy, let himself laugh—a real laugh, clear and honest, the first in a long time.
He watched his companions—Thane chuckling despite himself, Lyric improvising a song while botching half the lyrics, and Erya raising her arms to the sky, declaring they'd celebrate until dawn.
For a moment, everything felt perfect.
Simple.
Human.
Kael found himself thinking that maybe, after all they'd endured, they truly deserved this happiness.
> "If the world could stay frozen like this… just tonight… maybe I'd still believe in peace."
He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the night wind brush his face.
He had never known how beautiful a night could feel before it hid a warning.
But for the first time in months, he felt alive.
🌌 Night finally fell over Valdros.
Lanterns floated above the square, embers rose like fireflies, and the music slowly faded.
The heroes returned to their inn, tired but happy.
Erya fell asleep first, curled in a blanket. Lyric was already half-snoring, mumbling in his sleep that he "deserved a statue."
Thane lingered at the window, watching the still-lively town.
> "They sleep peacefully tonight," he said softly. "Thanks to you."
Kael, sitting on his bed, replied in a whisper:
> "Thanks to us."
Silence settled. Thane lay down, and the room darkened.
But Kael couldn't sleep.
He got up, left the inn, and walked alone to the now-empty square.
Petals littered the ground, dying fires cast a reddish glow.
Everything seemed peaceful… yet his heart raced.
A low rumble rose from the distance, a nearly inaudible whisper, like an echo in his mind.
He froze.
And then the world shattered.
The laughter, the songs, the colors—all vanished.
The sky bled deep red.
The wind carried the scent of blood and ash.
Valdros was nothing but a field of ruins.
Kael staggered.
Bodies lay on the ground—faces he knew. Lyric, his smile still frozen.
Erya, on her knees, clutching a broken pendant.
Thane, sword planted in the earth, his gaze still turned toward him.
> "No… no, no!" Kael cried, running toward them.
But his legs sank into a black, thick, living mass.
The substance slowly engulfed him.
And in that mirror of shadow, a silhouette took shape.
A silhouette… wearing his own face.
> "You can't save them," said the voice. "You are the cause."
> "No… it's not me…"
> "Yes. The hero will become the end."
The silhouette smiled.
> "And in six months… only you will remain."
Kael screamed, reaching for his friends.
But everything vanished.
He woke with a start, drenched in sweat, breath short.
The room was silent.
Firelight shadows danced on the walls.
Lyric slept curled up, Thane snored softly, Erya murmured something in her sleep.
Kael rose, trembling, and approached the window.
The moon bathed Valdros in silver light.
Everything seemed normal.
But his heart pounded wildly.
> "Why… why won't this feeling leave me…?"
He placed a hand on his chest.
Beneath his fingers, he felt a strange warmth, a slow, heavy pulse.
Like a warning.
And as the night closed in around him, a breeze slipped through the room.
Light.
Almost imperceptible.
But in the whisper of the wind, Kael thought he heard a voice again, distant, as if from another world:
> "Keep that smile… even if one day, I'm no longer in this world."