The night air bit cold as Aden stepped outside. The Ghost Legion had already melted into the darkness, forming a wide, silent ring around the house. Only Ghislain remained close, waiting a few paces from the door. Moonlight silvered the edges of his armor and caught the scars across his face.
Aden pulled the door shut behind him, soft enough not to wake Eris. He crossed his arms and stared at the captain.
"How long have you known?" His voice was quiet, but it carried.
Ghislain met his gaze without flinching. "Since the beginning. We found traces three months after you vanished. Footprints leading west. A burned-out campfire with elven markings on the stones. After that… we kept watch from a distance. Never close enough to disturb you."
Aden's jaw tightened. All these years he had believed the trail cold, the secret safe. Every precaution, every false name, every new life built on the assumption that the Vasco name could not reach this far.
"You let me think I was free."
Ghislain shook his head once. "You were free. Lord Ed's orders were clear: confirm you lived, then leave you be. No pursuit. No messages. Nothing that would drag you back. He said the empire had taken enough from you."
The words landed heavy. Aden looked away, toward the dark line of the sea.
Ghislain took a slow breath, as if steeling himself for what came next.
"But things have changed. The old Archduke… Lord Zwalter is dying. Days left, maybe less. He has been asking for you. Not the heir. Not the prodigy. Just his grandson. One last time."
Aden stayed silent, but his eyes returned to Ghislain.
"Lord Ed and Emperor Julius are both beyond the northern borders," Ghislain continued, voice low and steady. "Some crisis with the Vrydaen Empire. They will not return for months. lord Rudeus holds the front, but the mana poisoning has worsened. He can still fight, but not for long. Not like before."
He paused, letting the weight settle.
"Joshua County has fallen into open war. The last untapped rune veins on the continent lie beneath their lands. Everyone knew it would come to blood eventually, but no one thought it would come now. The northern houses declared a coalition to 'liberate' the county from imperial control. They claimed it was an external invasion at first. It was not."
Ghislain's tone darkened. He paused, letting the night fill the gap.
"Joshua County is burning."
Aden's head turned sharply.
"Joshua?"
"It was betrayal from within. Spies have been inside our vassal houses for years. Gold from Sael, promises from the other great counties. They turned lords and captains against us while we watched the borders. By the time we saw the truth, half of Joshua's garrisons had opened their gates to the rebels."
Aden's expression did not change, but his fingers curled slowly into fists.
"With Lord Zwalter fading, Lord Ed absent, and Uncle Rudeus weakened, the three Swordmasters that kept the continent afraid are no longer standing together. The coalition saw their chance. They marched with Saelian steel at their backs. If Joshua falls, the road to the dukedom lies open. After that… the empire itself fractures."
Ghislain stopped, letting the silence stretch. Crickets hummed in the grass. Far off, a night bird called.
"I did not come to command you," he said at last. "I came because the lord asked me to. He is too weak to travel. Too proud to plead in a letter. His exact words were: 'Tell Aden I want to see him before death takes me. Tell him it is the only thing I have left to ask.'"
Aden looked down at the ground. Memories rose unbidden: Zwalter's rough laugh, the old man's massive hands lifting him onto broad shoulders, the stories of ancient battles told by firelight.
Ghislain stepped closer, voice softer now.
"I know what the empire cost you. I know why you left. No one here will chain you. If you tell me to leave, we ride at dawn and you never see us again. But if there is any part of you that wants to look your grandfather in the eye one more time… the Legion will escort you. Safely. Quietly. Your wife and daughter too, if you wish."
He reached out, hesitating a moment, then rested a heavy hand on Aden's shoulder. A rare gesture from a man who showed affection only in battle.
"Think on it tonight. We will wait down the valley until sunrise. After that, the choice is gone."
Ghislain stepped back, gave a short, formal nod, and turned. The captain walked into the darkness. Moments later, the faint clink of armor faded as the Legion withdrew.
Aden stood alone under the stars for a long time.
When he finally went back inside, the house was quiet. Sylvia sat by the dying fire, Eris already asleep in her arms, small chest rising and falling in peaceful rhythm.
He opened his mouth to speak.
Sylvia looked up. Her green eyes held no surprise, only understanding.
"Go," she said softly. "You need to."
Aden exhaled, a faint, tired smile touching his lips. He crossed the room, brushed a thumb across her cheek, then pressed a gentle kiss to Eris's forehead.
He stepped outside again.
Down the path, in the moonlight, the Ghost Legion waited. A covered carriage stood ready, horses breathing steam in the cold.
Aden nodded once.
He went back in, gathered his family, Sylvia carrying the still-sleeping Eris wrapped in a blanket and led them into the night.
The carriage door closed. Wheels turned on the dirt track.
Eastward.
Toward the empire.
Toward everything he had buried eight years ago.