The forest fell silent after Melken vanished into the shadows.
My chest heaved, sweat and blood mingling on my hands.
Questions crowded my mind, each heavier than the last.
I touched the fresh sting on my cheek, the blood still warm.
A mark of the commander's blade.
A scar I felt would never heal.
Why was he here?
Why now?
And what secret did his eyes hide?
I looked around at the fallen soldiers, at the quiet trees, and realized the forest itself seemed to hold its breath.
The mission wasn't over.
Not by a long shot.
As I gathered myself, Marlik's words from earlier echoed faintly in my mind:
"The truth is only beginning to unfold."
A chill ran down my spine.
I didn't know it yet, but the shadows I had just faced were only a prelude.
Ahead lay a river stained in memory and blood-a river that would demand more than my skill with a sword.
It would demand answers... and courage I wasn't sure I still possessed.
Stepping forward, I tightened my grip on my blade.
The path to the villages beyond the mountains awaited.
And somewhere ahead... my brother, my past, and a river that had seen more death than life...
This was only the beginning.