----Page 8----
The forest was quiet in the early morning, mist curling around roots and fallen branches. I rose first, brushing dew from my coat, my eyes scanning the thinning fog. The remnants of last night's embers glowed faintly, but the chill pressed against my skin, reminding me the world had not softened with sleep.
Seraphine stirred under a worn blanket, her pink hair matted from rest but catching the first light of dawn. She blinked, hesitant, eyes searching the familiar shapes of the forest as though questioning reality. She had survived, but the memory of Coreon's threads twisting her body would haunt her for days.
"You're safe," I said softly, crouching to her level. "We're still in the forest. You've been out cold since last night."
Her gaze faltered, landing on me for just a heartbeat before flicking down. "Kael?" Her voice trembled, fragile. Panic lurked at the edges.
My chest tightened. I swallowed hard. "He… pushed you out before Coreon dragged him through the portal. At the very last moment Kael, protected you."
Seraphine's lips quivered. Her hands tightened around the blanket, knuckles white. "No… Kael would never leave me," she whispered, tears streaming down her face, her voice breaking with each word. "He promised… we'd stay together. Always."
I remained silent, letting the weight of her words settle. There was no denying the loss, yet there was also the spark I needed her to hold onto.
"You're coming with us," I said finally, meeting her gaze with steady conviction. "We'll deal with Tauranus first, but after that, we save Kael. I promise you. Coreon won't kill him. He needs Kael alive… he wants leverage, not death."
Her eyes searched mine, the fear clashing with hope. "You… you really mean that?"
"I do," I said firmly. "But you have to trust me now. We can't stop. Tauranus must be deal with first."
She hesitated, trembling, but finally nodded. "I… I trust you."
Lysera gave a small approving nod, while Arin yawned and stretched, rubbing his eyes. "Another day of adventure already? I swear, you're trying to kill me before the beast does."
"Keep up," Lysera replied lightly, checking the edge of her rapier. "No one said this was easy."
Few moments later...
We left the embers behind, moving into the misty forest. The morning light filtered through branches, pale gold dust on leaves and dew. The forest seemed alive, each sound amplified the drip of water, the rustle of wings, the faint call of a bird. I kept my senses sharp, scanning for the faintest anomaly, the subtle disturbance that might hint at danger.
Seraphine walked carefully beside me, still pale but steady. Every so often, her eyes strayed to the shadows of the trees, as though the memory of Coreon's laughter lingered in the fog.
As we walked, Seraphine began to speak, her voice hesitant at first, fragile but growing stronger with every word. "When we were little… Kael and I… we grew up in Orun, in an orphanage. It wasn't much, but the people who took care of us… they were kind. For the first time, we felt like we had a second home. All the children… we laughed, played, we felt safe, even if just for a moment."
She shivered slightly, fingers curling against her cloak. "Then things changed. Suddenly, we weren't children anymore in their eyes. They started treating us… like we were inhuman. Beating us, using violence, forcing us to obey, punishing us for the smallest things. We learned quickly that the world didn't care about little demi-humans like us."
I kept walking, listening quietly, letting her words settle like bricks in the pit of my chest.
"And then Benton appeared," she continued, voice low and bitter. "A slave merchant. He set his eyes on us, on all of us. He threatened the orphanage… said he would buy us all, and if we didn't… he would burn it down, or worse. Kill us all. No one saved us. No one came. The Tyrant's Hand backed him. They were untouchable. But… Kael…" Her lips quivered. "He never left my side. No matter what they did, no matter how scared I was… he was always there, always protecting me. Even when he could have run."
My hand tightened around my sword hilt, my eyes narrowing. The thought of such cruelty left a bitter taste in my mouth.
"I remember," Seraphine said softly, almost to herself. "One time… they tried to sell me off to someone particularly cruel. Kael stood in front of me, growling like a beast possessed. He didn't care about himself. He… saved me. Again. And again. Always."
A lump formed in my throat. I glanced at her, reading not just the memory but the bond between them. I could see why she had survived the orphanage, why Kael had lived so fiercely.
"We'll save him," I whispered, more to myself than anyone else. "No matter what it takes. You'll see him again."
Several hours of walking...
The forest thinned as the sun climbed higher, pale light spilling across rocks and uneven ground. We approached a rocky incline leading toward the mountains that loomed near Varnhold Crater.
"Be careful," I warned, adjusting the strap of my pack.
Arin raced ahead, as usual, and slipped on a loose stone.
"Arin!" Lysera's voice cut through the morning air. She lunged, gripping his wrist just in time. His foot scraped the edge of the cliff, but she held firm. "Got you!"
"Thanks…" Arin panted, gripping her arm as he regained balance. "You always have to be the responsible one, huh?"
Lysera rolled her eyes but did not release him until he was steady. I let out a small breath. Even small mistakes in the mountains could be fatal.
By noon, the group reached a shallow river, its waters glinting under the sun. I paused, letting the others drink and catch their breath. The current was swift, but manageable.
Arin carefully waded in, fishing line in hand, while Lysera scouted the opposite bank. Seraphine watched the water ripple past her boots, lost in thought.
"I've never had time to enjoy mornings like this," she murmured, voice quiet. "Even in Orun, it felt like we were always running from something… or someone."
I glanced at her. "Maybe that's why you fight so hard now. You've seen the worst, and you refuse to let it happen again."
She nodded slowly, dipping her hands in the cool water. "And Kael… he was always the one to make sure I could stand. He never let me fall. Not once."
And then....
After a brief rest and a simple lunch of fish we caught in the river, we pressed onward, entering another forest by mid-afternoon. The air grew heavy with the smell of pine and earth, a dense, suffocating quiet settling in.
Suddenly, the low growl of Dreadwolves echoed through the trees. A pack emerged from the shadows, teeth glinting, eyes bright and intelligent. My hand instinctively went to my sword.
"They know we're here," Arin whispered.
Lysera gestured sharply. "We don't have to fight. Just follow my lead."
Moving with caution, we skirted the pack, keeping low and silent. The wolves' ears flicked and heads turned, but we remained patient, navigating through undergrowth until we finally emerged on safer ground.
"We're lucky," I whispered once we were clear, glancing back at the forest. "One wrong move… we could have been torn apart."
Arin grinned, though a nervous edge lingered in his smile. "Next time, I'm not complaining about morning hunts. That was close."
"Dreadwolves were far more sensitive to mana, more than smell.. getting past to them without being detected was easy." Lysera said.
Seraphine's hand brushed against my arm, thoughtful. "Kael would have… he would have handled them. I know he would."
My heart ached at her words. I could see the weight of her loyalty, of her memories, and I understood fully why she had to come with us now. She could not bear to be left behind, not while Kael's fate remained uncertain.
Time passes by...
It was already late afternoon, the crags and ridges of the mountains opened before us, revealing the wide expanse of the Varnhold Crater. Smoke curled faintly from fissures in the earth, a reminder that Tauranus slept somewhere below, massive and dormant, yet brimming with threat.
I lowered my gaze, scanning the crater's edge. The journey had been long, perilous, but we had made it together. I looked at my companions: Seraphine, her gaze hardened now, resolved but still fragile; Arin, alert even in fatigue; Lysera, calm and unwavering.
"We rest here," I said finally, voice firm. "We eat, we check our gear, and we wait for nightfall. Tauranus does not sleep lightly. Tomorrow, we strike."
Seraphine nodded, a shadow of her past sorrow lingering, but determination flickering in her pink eyes. She glanced at the horizon. "We'll finish this… for Kael, for all of us."
My hands tightened around the hilt of my sword. I let the weight of my responsibility settle into my shoulders, heavy but necessary. The world beyond the crater seemed indifferent, the wind carrying a faint sulfuric tang, the distant rumble of the earth reminding us of the danger that lay beneath.
I crouched to check the straps on my pack, ensuring the Codex, ropes, and spare rations were secure. My eyes flicked to Seraphine, who stood at the crater's edge, fingers brushing the wind, pink hair tousled, face pale but resolute.
"You okay?" I asked softly, stepping beside her.
She met my gaze, and for a moment, I saw the child she once was, the orphan in Orun, trembling under the shadow of Benton and his men. Then I saw the woman she had become: tempered by pain, sharpened by loss, and yet willing to stand beside me.
"I… I will be," she said quietly. "For Kael. I have to."
I nodded, resting a hand briefly on her shoulder. "And you will. But you don't have to carry the weight alone. That's why we're here... together."
Arin shuffled his bow in his hands, fidgeting with the string as if the physical motion could keep the rising tension at bay. "When do we go in?" he muttered.
"At nightfall," I replied. "The crater is less active after the sun dips. Tauranus is unpredictable, and we cannot risk an early encounter. For now, we prepare. We rest. We eat. And we sharpen our minds as well as our weapons."
Lysera stepped forward, kneeling by the fire pit we had made. She checked the edge of her rapier again, testing the balance and sheen of the steel. "We'll need every advantage," she said. "This beast doesn't just sleep. It senses. It waits."
I exhaled slowly. I could almost feel Tauranus beneath us, the earth trembling slightly with the creature's restless power. Every instinct screamed that the next hours would demand everything we had, yet I also knew there was no turning back.
Seraphine sank to a nearby boulder, hugging her knees. "I… I keep thinking about Kael," she murmured. "About how he would be here if he could. He would fight with us, even now."
I crouched beside her, voice gentle. "He is here. In every step you take, in every move we make. That's why we survive. That's why we fight."
A small, fleeting spark of understanding passed through her eyes, though it was tinged with sorrow. "He always protected me," she whispered. "Even when I was too weak to stand."
"And you honor him by standing now," I said firmly. "By trusting that we'll bring him back. Coreon may have taken him, but he will not break him. Not while we breathe, not while we fight."
The silence that followed was heavy, yet comforting in its shared understanding. Even Arin and Lysera, who spoke little, felt it the bond unspoken but undeniable.
The wind shifted, carrying a faint heat from the crater below. Dust and ash swirled gently across the ground, and the light of the setting sun painted the rocky ridges in deep orange and crimson. I rose, taking a last look at the crater's edge.
"Night comes soon," I said. "We strike under its cover. Be ready."
Seraphine stood, her figure small but determined against the fading light. "I'm ready," she said, voice steady. Her eyes flicked toward the horizon, where smoke and shadow twisted in the distance. "For Kael, for us."
I nodded, turning to Lysera and Arin. "Then we rest until the darkness falls. When the world sleeps, we move. Keep sharp. Watch each other. Tauranus won't forgive mistakes."
The fire crackled, sparks drifting into the sky, vanishing like stars in the growing twilight. I leaned against a boulder, mind restless, thoughts full of strategies and worries, and yet beneath it all, a single, unshakable promise: Kael would be found, and no force in the world would stop us from bringing him back.
Seraphine sat near the fire again, drawing her knees close, and whispered into the flames. "Hold on, Kael. We're coming. I won't leave you behind. Not again."
My gaze swept the horizon one last time as the sun sank completely, leaving the sky in deep purples and black. Shadows stretched long and ominous, but I felt the quiet certainty in my chest. Whatever the night held, whatever Tauranus or Coreon threw at us, we would face it together.
And tomorrow, Kael would not remain a pawn. Tomorrow, we would reclaim what was ours.