The winds whispered as the company moved deeper into the Broken Spine Range. It was a land of chasms and echoes, where even silence seemed to have a voice. Fog clung low to the earth, swallowing sound and light alike.
Varek walked at the rear, silent and stiff.
Elara noticed. She slowed her pace until she matched his.
"You're unusually quiet."
He shrugged. "No louder than the dead."
She flinched. "You think about them often, don't you?"
His jaw tightened. "I was the strategist. I led my legion into a trap I didn't see. They died, and I lived."
She touched his arm lightly. "Sometimes living is the greater punishment. But maybe... also the second chance."
He didn't reply, but his steps grew less rigid.
---
The trail ended at a deep gorge. Across it was a ruined citadel swallowed by vines and age. The bridge that once spanned the gap had long since collapsed.
Kael groaned. "Let me guess. Someone has to jump first and trigger a dramatic magical solution?"
The porcupine system blinked. "Correct! Initiating cinematic bridge restoration in 3… 2… 1…"
A blinding flash burst from the chasm. Glyphs ignited across the stone ledges, and an ethereal bridge of light formed, humming with old magic.
Raykan raised an eyebrow. "I liked it better when it just didn't try."
Varek stared at the bridge. His breath hitched.
"This is… the Sentinel's Crossing. I know this place."
He darted forward before anyone could stop him.
Elara shouted, "Varek! Wait!"
But the moment his foot hit the bridge, shadows erupted.
Wraiths. Dozens of them, humanoid and skeletal, clad in broken armor. Their faces were featureless, their eyes burning with voidfire.
Kael drew his twin blades. "Ghosts again? Seriously?!"
Raykan grunted. "Protect Elara."
Zan was already moving.
Varek stood still as the ghosts surrounded him.
Then they spoke, all in unison: "You were our commander. You abandoned us."
Varek fell to one knee. "No… I tried. I tried to save you. I never stopped trying."
One of the wraiths stepped forward. Its voice cracked with grief. "Then fight. Show us we did not die for nothing."
Suddenly, the bridge itself began to collapse.
Elara gasped. "We have to help him!"
The porcupine system beeped, floating in front of her. "Warning: user Varek is undergoing Redemption Trial. External interference may result in explosive magical backlash and/or instant death. Probability: 67%."
Kael groaned. "Why is it always a dramatic solo quest with you people?"
---
In the heart of the shadows, Varek drew his blade.
It gleamed faintly—the same weapon he once used to command thousands.
The wraiths lunged.
He fought.
Each strike was not just a blow but a confession, a cry, a memory.
He remembered names. Faces. Brothers.
"Rolan! Tishen! Harka! I carry your memory! I carry your pain!"
His blade ignited with spectral flame.
One by one, the wraiths faded, not defeated, but at peace.
The last ghost nodded. "You remember. That is enough."
The light bridge solidified beneath him.
And from the air, a longbow formed—its frame etched with glowing runes. He caught it mid-fall.
Varek emerged from the trial, bow in hand, eyes glowing faintly with the same runes.
Kael clapped. "Well, welcome back, Robin Ghost."
Elara rushed to him. "You okay?"
He nodded. "Lighter. Not free, but lighter."
---
That night, their camp was quiet.
The porcupine system updated the board:
Elara Fan Club Points:
Kael: 3.5 (for attempted flirting during a death battle) Raykan: 4 (for worrying silently) Zan: 4 (still glowing) Varek: 6 (redemption arc bonus)
Kael squinted. "Okay, that's rigged."
Elara smirked. "Sleep before I poison your tea."
Kael paused. "Joking… right?"
The porcupine system chimed: "That depends entirely on your next sentence."
---
Far away, in a forest cloaked in endless twilight, another figure awoke. He wore no armor, no crown, but shadows bowed to him.
"Two reclaimed. Five remain."
His hand curled. "And the witch grows stronger."
Behind him, a chained beast growled in the dark.
"She must not remember. Not yet. Not before the eclipse."
---
End of Chapter 15