At dusk, Arwik finally woke. He rose to his feet, silent. Something had changed—not just his energy, but something deeper. His focus was sharper, his presence more distant.
The dark figure's voice cut through the quiet. She was still tied to the stone wall, her face streaked with dried blood.
"You were lucky… the god's will was weak in this fragment."
Arwik turned to her. For a moment, he simply stared. Then, he spoke.
"Thank you."
She didn't respond, but in the flickering firelight, I saw something pass through her eyes—an emotion too quick to name.
Arwik spent the rest of the night beside her. I didn't listen in on their conversation.
Instead, a question clawed at my mind.
I turned onto my side. The blonde-haired girl lay beside me, her hands tucked behind her head, gazing at the sky.
"What do you think about fate?"
I asked softly.
She blinked, then turned her head toward me, as if searching for the meaning behind my words.
"Well… I think it doesn't exist. We create our own fate."
Was that true?
I knew that Arwik was supposed to end up in the Red Horizon. But had my presence changed anything? Would it all happen the same way? Every sign pointed to yes. Even if I hadn't met him, he still would have absorbed the essence of a dead god. He still would have learned to control it. But how?
The girl was still watching me, waiting for an answer.
"I think… well… I don't really know."
She snorted.
"Boring."
A chuckle escaped her lips.
Maybe she was right. Maybe it was a boring answer.
But in the end, did it even matter? Even if fate was set in stone… what could we do to change it?
As dawn crept over the ruins, the researchers completed their work. The last of the inscriptions had been documented, the stone tablets carefully wrapped and stored. Despite everything, they had finished what they came for.
One of them—an older man with deep lines carved into his face—sighed, exhaustion evident in his voice.
"We've gathered more than we could have hoped for. It's time to return."
I looked toward Arwik. He stood near the dark figure, his expression unreadable. The fire had long since burned out, but he still hadn't moved far from her.
She remained against the stone wall, hands still bound. Even now, after everything, she showed no signs of struggle. She had accepted her fate—or at least, whatever came next.
I approached them.
"You're coming with us."
She lifted her head slightly, eyes narrowing.
"And if I refuse?"
I tapped the hilt of my sword.
"Then I'll have to carry you."
A pause. Then, to my surprise, she smirked.
"I'd like to see you try."
Arwik stepped forward, his voice calm but firm.
"Enough. We're not your enemies anymore."
The dark figure studied him for a long moment before exhaling.
"Fine. I will come."
With that, I cut her restraints, but I didn't hand her a weapon. Not yet.
The road back to the Capital stretched long before us, the dirt path winding through the remnants of civilization lost to time. The researchers spoke in hushed voices, still buzzing with excitement over their discoveries, while the rest of us walked in silence.
The dark figure kept her distance—not far enough to be seen as a runaway, but just enough to remind us she was not one of us. Occasionally, she would glance at Arwik, her expression unreadable.
As we passed a ruined watchtower, the blonde-haired girl nudged me.
"She's not what I expected,"
She murmured.
"How so?"
"I thought she'd be more… monstrous. But now, I don't know."
I had been thinking the same thing. For someone who had nearly killed us, she seemed far too human.
The rest of the journey was uneventful, and by the time the towering walls of the Capital loomed in the distance, fatigue had settled deep into our bones. The sight should have brought relief, but instead, unease crept up my spine.
Arwik was different now. The dark figure was with us. And soon, we would have to answer for everything that had happened.
As we passed through the towering gates, I exhaled.
After receiving our pay, we parted ways with the researchers. The mission was over. But something told me this was just the beginning.
Back at the inn we usually stayed in, the innkeeper glanced at the dark figure. She clearly wasn't human. But he knew us well—he let us in without much complaint.
We dropped our packs in the rooms.
Now, we had to figure out what to do with her. She hadn't shown any hostility since we brought her here, but letting her go could spell trouble. If she returned with her god's army, we wouldn't stand a chance.
The blonde-haired girl stretched her arms behind her head.
"Lot of tension in the air… Let's get a drink. We'll talk after."
I didn't care much for the idea, but I supposed it could ease the conversation.
We headed to the MRC. As we sat at a table, whispers floated around us.
"Is that veyr?"
"You mean the hound rank that saved that noble?"
"Yeah… and who's that girl beside them? She looks odd…"
We ignored them.
Our drinks arrived shortly after. The dark figure hesitated before taking a sip of beer—then immediately spat it onto the floor, coughing.
"What is this? Did you make me drink piss?"
Her glare could have cut through stone.
Arwik chuckled and explained to her the concept of alcohol.
"So you guys drink poison… for fun?"
She eyed the mug suspiciously but eventually tried again. It didn't take long for the three of them to start getting drunk. Though, oddly, Arwik seemed more contained than usual.
The dark figure, on the other hand, was completely wasted.
"Y'know…"
She slurred, swaying in her seat,
"it's fun travelin' with y'guys… Hic…"
Then, her gaze locked onto someone behind me.
Her expression darkened.
I followed her stare. A mercenary at the far end of the room had locked eyes with her, his stare cold and unflinching. Something about him set her off.
"What'ya lookin' at?"
She stood abruptly, wobbling before catching herself on the shoulder of a confused mercenary. She just grinned and kept walking toward the man who had caught her attention.
I turned slightly, catching his expression—displeased.
Then I caught hers—rage.
She swung her fist. I stepped between them.
She didn't stop.
Pain exploded through my body. A loud crack rang in my ears as my vision spun.
I was looking behind me.
My head had done a full 180-degree turn.
What freakish strength… I thought, just as the real pain settled in.
The entire tavern froze.
Chairs scraped against the floor as mercenaries around us readied for a fight. Panic spread through the room.
As I reached up and twisted my head back into place, I saw Arwik grab her from behind, stopping her rampage.
The dark figure blinked at my disfigured face.
"... Sorry…"
She muttered, still swaying.
"I missed."
A long silence followed.
Chairs creaked. A few hands hovered near weapons. Others—older, wiser mercenaries—stayed still, watching. The man she had almost killed slowly stood, rolling his shoulder, his expression unreadable.
Then, to my surprise, he exhaled sharply through his nose—almost a laugh.
"The hell kind of freaks drink here nowadays?"
Another mercenary chuckled. Someone muttered,
"Did you see his neck? Shit, I ain't paid enough for this."
The tension didn't vanish entirely, but it shifted. Curiosity replaced hostility.
The blonde-haired girl leaned toward me, resting her chin on her palm.
"So… are we leaving, or should we keep entertaining the crowd?"
I exhaled through my nose.
"We're leaving."
Arwik pulled the dark figure toward the door. She didn't resist, though she shot one last glare at the mercenary before staggering along with us.
As we stepped outside, the night air was sharp against my skin, washing away some of the heat from inside. The streets were quieter than usual, the occasional lamp flickering in the distance.
The dark figure grumbled, rubbing her forehead.
"Alcohol is stupid."
"You didn't have to drink,"
I said.
She gave me a bleary look, then scoffed.
"You all did."
I shook my head.
"Come on. We'll talk in the morning."
The blonde-haired girl yawned, stretching her arms.
"That was fun."
It was a disaster, but I let her have that.
As we walked back to the inn, I kept glancing at Arwik. He had barely reacted during the whole ordeal. Even now, he seemed lost in thought.