The goddess sat on a thick mat woven from enchanted spider silk, now fully stabilized. The color had returned to her cheeks, and her divine aura pulsed gently around her — no longer wild, no longer flickering. She looked more like herself, though tired.
Next to her sat David the so-called Demon King tied to a nearby post by Beatrice. The dragon claimed it was "just in case he ran off again," but clearly, it was also to keep him from sneaking back to bed mid-conversation.
Ashley turned to him seriously.
"David," she said, "now that I'm back to full strength, I need you to check if anything from the curse remains in me. Any traces of that poison?"
David avoided her eyes. "You're fine," he muttered. "Completely purged. The fireflies worked better than expected."
Ashley narrowed her gaze. "Then why are you looking at me like that?"
David shifted uncomfortably in his ropes. "Because I'm scared you'll smite me if I say the wrong thing."
Ashley chuckled faintly. "You're safe. For now."
David peeked up cautiously.
Ashley tilted her head. "You're the Demon King, right?"
"Yes," he said flatly. "What of it?"
"You don't seem very demonic," she replied. "What about the old Demon King? The killer. The warlord. The terror of the realm?"
David snorted, almost offended. "My father wasn't a killer. Not like the stories say."
"Oh?"
"There was a war, yes. A terrible one. But he didn't want it. My mother she was taken in that war. Father used to buy me books stories, fantasy novels from his old world. He loved peace. Loved humans."
Ashley blinked. "Your father was reincarnated?"
David nodded. "From Earth. Just like your vessel."
That surprised her.
"But one day," David continued, "he went to make peace with the humans. With the kingdom of Galabas."
Ashley froze. "Galabas?"
"Yes," David said, frowning. "He never came back."
Ashley looked down, her voice soft. "That's, the same kingdom we just escaped from."
David's expression darkened.
Ashley hesitated. "Do you know the name of the current king of Galabas?"
"King Lin," David spat. "The one who betrayed my father."
"And after your father left," Ashley asked, "who raised you?"
David nodded toward the corner. "My father's assistant. That beautiful lady over there. The one polishing her claws like she wants to cook me for dinner."
Ashley glanced over. The demon woman tall, elegant, and terrifying was sharpening a blade with a watchful scowl.
"She kept me safe," David said. "And made sure I didn't grow up an idiot. Well mostly."
Outside, the wind howled across the rocky plains of the Ashen Veil.
Far above, Beatrice soared through the clouds with Alex riding on her back. The dragon had insisted he leave the healing room not out of danger, but preparation.
"You want to protect her, don't you?" Beatrice had asked him.
Alex hadn't answered. He didn't need to.
Now the wind screamed in his ears as the dragon dipped and glided.
"Where are we going?" Alex shouted.
"To train," Beatrice replied. "To forge weapons strong enough to pierce shadows, and armor to guard against divine corruption. If you want to walk beside a goddess, human, you need more than memories of your past lives."
Alex nodded. He already knew.
The shadow knights had killed the trolls like they were nothing.
The way they climbed the mountain unnatural.
If he had to face even one of them he wasn't sure he'd survive.
His thoughts were interrupted as Beatrice descended sharply.
"What is this place?" Alex asked, staring.
Below was a broken battlefield skeletons, twisted ruins, and glowing embers. The air was thick with lingering darkness.
Beatrice landed hard. "This," she said, "is where the Evil God first descended."
Alex stepped off, his eyes wide. "Is this, a war zone?"
"Not just any war," Beatrice said. "This was where everything changed. People back then were peace-loving. They had treasures, weapons, and hearts stronger than steel. They fought with everything they had. But still, they lost."
She swept her wing toward the skeletons knights, mages, warriors, all lying beneath burned flags.
Alex looked around. Many of the skeletons had enchanted weapons, their hilts still glowing faintly. Shields, armor pieces, and blades half-buried in the earth.
"To be honest," Beatrice continued, "back at my place, I only have animal bones. But here here you can get what you need. Swords. Armor. And something else, clothes for your goddess."
Alex raised a brow.
"She can't keep walking around in torn robes," Beatrice said with a smirk. "She needs armor. And more than that a proper wand. She's powerful, but bare-handed? That won't work in what's coming."
Alex walked forward slowly, the weapons whispering in the wind.
"Take what speaks to you," the dragon said. "Everything here was used in the battle against the Evil God."
"And where is that god now?" Alex asked quietly.
Beatrice turned, her golden eyes hardening. She looked toward the edge of the field.
There, surrounded by ancient stone, was a sealed portal swirling faintly with unnatural energy.
"That," Beatrice said, "is the gate to the void. Where he came from. And where he waits."
Alex felt a chill in his spine.
"You're the guardian of this ruin, aren't you?" he asked.
Beatrice nodded once. "Yes. I've been watching this place for centuries, waiting for the signs."
"And now?"
"Now," she said, "those signs have started to appear again.