The flames of Ashens did not vanish with him. They lingered in the stone, in the walls of Solaris, in the air people tried to breathe. Ember Square reeked of smoke and fear, the sound of weeping carrying through alleys that once hummed with markets.
Andy stood in the ruins with blades lowered, his knuckles white on the hilts. The fight with Ashens still echoed in his bones, like the heat had burned deeper than flesh. Around him, the Resistance scrambled to pull survivors from rubble, pouring water onto stubborn fires that hissed but refused to die.
Nia moved among the people, her staff aglow with healing light. Every pulse she gave cost her, Andy could see it—her shoulders hunched, her lips pale. But she didn't stop. Not while children whimpered. Not while men and women cried over ash where family used to stand.
The System intruded, clinical and cold:
[Bond Progression: 95% → 96%]
[Bond Level: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆]
[Progress: 96%]
[Public Sentiment Updated: Solaris in Uprising — Fear / Hope ratio shifting]
Andy almost growled at the message. Hope ratio? It wasn't numbers bleeding on the cobbles. But then his gaze found a boy staring at Nia with something close to awe. The numbers were true, in their way.
---
From balconies, clergy shouted desperate words, their once-certain sermons cracked with panic.
"They test us! They test the flame! Do not falter in your devotion!"
But their voices trembled, and some were dragged down by mobs of citizens no longer willing to bow. Chains snapped not from strength, but from exhaustion.
---
Later, in the shattered shell of a bakery, the Resistance gathered.
"They saw his face," muttered one fighter. "They saw him kill without lifting a blade. And yet—" His eyes flicked to Andy and Nia. "They also saw you make him bleed light."
Andy shifted uncomfortably. "We didn't stop him."
"You made him leave," the man countered. "That's more than anyone else ever has."
The weight of that truth pressed on Andy. He had swung at a god and still breathed. That wasn't victory. It was debt.
Nia rested a hand over his. "It means next time, we're not just surviving. We're fighting to win."
The System pulsed again, sharp and intimate:
[Bond Progression: 96% → 97%]
[Bond Level: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆]
[Progress: 97%]
[Passive Effect Strengthened: Shared Conviction — morale in allies +10%]
Andy exhaled, the warmth of her hand steadying him. "Then we make Solaris ready. Before he comes back with wings unfurled."
---
That night, Solaris whispered differently.
On some walls, graffiti glowed faintly in coal dust: CHAINS CAN BREAK. FIRE CAN DIE.
Elsewhere, the clergy painted over it with fresh slogans: ASHENS IS LIGHT. ASHENS IS LIFE.
And in the hidden chambers where zealots knelt, whispers spread: the god had smiled. The god had been amused. That meant wrath yet to come.
But in the small corners of homes, candles burned not for prayer, but for remembrance—and defiance.
---
The System closed the day with a new message:
[Quest Update: Lure the Divine — Progressing]
[Warning: Next Manifestation will be Stronger]
[Bond Level: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ — Progress: 97%]
Andy and Nia lay awake in the Resistance safehouse, the city's smoke sneaking through every crack. His hand found hers under the blanket, fingers entwining without thought.
She whispered into the dark, "We're close."
He turned his head, meeting her eyes even in the half-light. "Close to what?"
Her lips curved, tired but sure. "To the strength we'll need when he shows his wings."
And with that, they let their eyes close—not in peace, but in promise.
---