As they passed through the gates, the procession slowly turned back toward the forest.
From the way the path cut through the undergrowth, Keiser could imagine how Lenko had led everyone out of the underground settlent in their desperate flight.
The track was rough, the dirt disturbed and scattered... a mark left by panicked feet and the heavy passage of beasts.
He could almost picture it.
A few beasts were already on their heels, drawn by instinct to the stampede of fleeing prey.
Their snarls and pounding steps pressed closer, but the true surge ca only minutes later... the beasts that had managed to slip through while he and the princess were locked in combat with the Arbores.
Even so, their numbers were thinner than before. Many had already been cut down, either trapped within the ward he had put up and soon reduced to ash beneath the princess’ blades.
That brief window of slaughter... those precious, harrowing minutes they had carved out... had made all the difference.
It was enough ti for Lenko to rally the terrified ’outsiders’, pushing them toward safety.
Every second wrung from their struggle, every mont bled for, had been worth it.
Even if they had saved far more lives than anyone thought possible, it didn’t change the truth... losing even one along the way would never make it easier for those left behind.
The people walked in silence, their steps heavy and deliberate. The closer they drew to the settlent, the heavier the air beca.
Many of them had spent nearly a year hiding down here, cut off from the world above. Now, returning ant facing mories that had never healed.
When they finally arrived, the entrance to the cavern lay open. The fox statue still stood watch, its stone face unchanged, a quiet sentinel to their suffering.
Inside, the underground clearing stretched wide, almost untouched since they had fled. The central firepit remained... a circle of blackened stones, the ash inside long cold and snuffed out.
Around it, the hollow walls seed to carry the weight of all that had transpired, the silence pressing against the ears.
With Lenko’s help, Keiser eased against the rock wall, observing in silence as the villagers gathered together. So busied themselves preparing the fire, hands moving with slow familiarity.
Soon, a fla rose again, flickering weakly but enough to cast light against the gloom.
One by one, the people stood before the fire, heads bowed. They prayed, lips moving in whispers that blended into a low murmur of grief.
When the prayers ended, each of them stepped forward, casting belongings into the flas... scraps of clothing, trinkets, little things that once belonged to those who had not returned.
Finally, the flowers followed, heaped upon the fire in a shower of pale petals.
There were no bodies to bury, no graves to tend.
Only fire, smoke, and rembrance.
Keiser tapped Lenko lightly on the arm. The boy glanced at him, confusion flickering for only a heartbeat before he nodded and released his hold.
With slow steps, Keiser moved away from the crowd and lowered himself beside the old woman seated just beyond the reach of the fire’s gleam.
She hadn’t cast her flower into the fire yet, it rested in her lap, cradled in weathered hands. Keiser noticed, almost absently, that he still held his own.
"What was his na?" Keiser asked at last, his voice low and rough, unused since he’d left the guild.
The woman let out a soft chuckle, though her eyes never left the fire. "...He didn’t tell you?"
Keiser shook his head.
"Figures." Her lips curved into a tired smile. "My Roan always was a hard head. Stubborn as stone. I wouldn’t be surprised if he even argued with you."
Keiser blinked.
The na landed heavily in his chest.
But the way she spoke... it was as if she hadn’t seen what had happened---
Oh.
That explained why she didn’t look familiar to him.
"Are you...?"
Her smile turned bittersweet. "I’m from Hinnom. Roan... he was a rchant from another village. He was looking for our son."
Keiser’s gaze dropped back to the fire.
Across the gathering, he caught sight of the pregnant woman, the child clutching at her skirts, speaking softly to the princess. His jaw tightened. So it had been that woman’s husband... the one who had thrown the princess through the gate before it sealed shut. The one who had chosen death so they could live.
So many sacrifices... made by n who still had so much to live for.
"...Your son?" Keiser asked after a long pause.
The old woman only shook her head, her smile trembling even as her eyes glistened. "It was before Princess Yona ca to check the situation."
"My Roan... he went into the forest to look for him. He even tried to hire help, but... the sixth mage forbade it." Her breath hitched, voice wavering on the words.
She caressed the flowers in her hands. Two small bundles, one for her son and one for her husband. "And still... he went. Until he too was thrown into that forest."
Keiser ground his teeth, the mory of the old man’s bleeding head flashing vividly before him... the first impression he had of old man Roan.
Without another word, the woman pushed herself to her feet. Keiser rose with her instinctively, steadying her by the arm. Her gaze flicked to the bandages, hesitating for a breath, but she accepted his support with a small nod.
Together, they moved toward the fire. Hand in hand, they stepped close to the flas. The old woman lifted her flower, and Keiser mirrored her.
For one breath, they both lingered.
Then, as one, they released them.
The rembrance fell into the fire, curling in the heat, joining the rest in smoke and ash.
The fire roared and cracked before him, and when Keiser’s hand brushed too close to the heat, it burned.
The sting was real... undeniable.
This wasn’t so half-forgotten dream or fever vision he could wake from. The lives lost---the ’outsiders’, the villagers, the livestock sacrificed to Sheol’s hunger... they were truly gone.
And if he faltered, if he allowed events to spiral beyond his grasp, he knew he would follow them soon enough.
His ti was already running thin.
A week, perhaps less.
History... or perhaps fate... had already written it down.
Muzio Auro Valemont,the Tenth Prince of Aurex.
Lenko Reinhardt, his loyal vassal.
Both nas, will appear on the proclamation bulletin.
No longer missing---hiding... rather...
Both, declared dead.
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