After the battle ended, the demons celebrated their victory. They lit fires, filled the air with shouts, and passed wine around like it was water. Kael sat among them, holding a cup of wine in one hand, but he barely touched it. When he did take a sip, it tasted bitter. It didn't matter how expensive or rare the wine was. Nothing tasted right anymore.
He wasn't thinking about the battle or the victory. He was thinking about her.
So he stood up, quietly, and walked away from the celebration. Nobody stopped him.
He made his way down into the nearby town. The people there weren't celebrating anything. They had lost the battle, but this time, their homes hadn't burned. Their families were still alive. So even though they were mourning, there was still some peace in the air. No bodies in the streets. No smoke in the sky.
He walked without purpose until he reached the fountain. The same one where he first met her. He sat on its edge and waited. He didn't even know what he was waiting for, exactly. Just a hope, maybe.
Time passed. The night was quiet. Just when he was about to get up and leave, someone grabbed his hand.
He looked—and it was her.
She was standing there with that same smile she always had. Like nothing had changed. Like she didn't care that they had just been on opposite sides of a war.
"You look tired," she said.
She didn't give him time to respond. She took his hand and pulled him along through the streets. They ended up at a small shop still open for late customers. She ordered food and started eating like it was a normal night. Kael didn't eat. He just sat there, watching her, unsure if any of this was real.
When they finished, they walked together through the town, not speaking much. Eventually, they reached the town gate.
She turned to him and said, "Good night. Let's meet again."
She turned to leave.
But Kael didn't let go.
He grabbed her hand. She stopped, but didn't look back.
"Why aren't you looking at me?" he asked.
Still, she didn't turn around.
He stepped closer, gently pulled her shoulder until she faced him.
Her eyes were full of tears.
He didn't understand why, but the thought of losing her again scared him. So he said the first thing that came into his mind.
"Will you stay with me? Away from all this. Somewhere far. Just us. Quiet… peaceful."
That's when the tears fell. She didn't speak. She didn't need to. She just kissed him.
They stayed like that for a long time, holding each other in the cold moonlight.
And the next day, they were gone.
No one knew where they went.
No one saw them again.
It was as if they had never existed.
Years passed.
The war between the light and the darkness faded into silence. Armies returned to their strongholds. The monks of light kept their peace. The demons held their ground.
Until word arrived.
Someone had found them.
She was alive. And she was with him.
The monk who had once guided her felt betrayed. He snapped his staff in two out of rage. "She was one of us," he said. "Now she lies beside a monster."
The Shadow Leader didn't show anger. He smiled.
"So the traitor thinks he can hide?" he said. "Let's start the hunt."
Far in the north, beyond the frozen rivers and old ruined roads, there was a small village named Kaernholt. Most people didn't even know it existed. A quiet place. The kind where no one asked questions, and the snow stayed thick on the rooftops year-round.
That's where they were.
Kael and Lyra.
They had changed their names. Changed their faces. Lived as ordinary people. He chopped wood. She taught village children how to read. Every evening they sat by the fire and talked. It wasn't exciting, but it was peaceful. And for them, peace was more than enough.
But peace never lasts long for people like them.
One morning, Kael left early to gather firewood in the forest. It was colder than usual. He noticed the wind was sharp, and the sky looked strange. He didn't think much of it—just a bad weather day.
When he returned, he dropped the firewood at the edge of the path.
The village was burning.
He ran, heart pounding.
And then he saw her.
Lyra was fighting. Her blade moved fast, blocking and striking. She didn't see him.
She was there—but this time, she wasn't looking at him.
She couldn't.
She was too busy trying to survive.
Just as Kael started toward her, everything shifted.
The sky darkened.
The ground rumbled.
Then the Shadow Leader appeared, standing at the edge of the village with his army. His red eyes locked onto Kael.
"So this is where you've been hiding."
Kael didn't answer.
There was nothing to say.
Because right then, he knew—this wasn't just an ambush.
This was the start of something worse.
The war was returning.
And this time, it would finish what it started.