Later in the Paragon
Armour clanged as three figures entered their chamber. Harber, Urad, and Ianred found Aldrich cleaning his sword, sweat still shining from training.
He rose, setting the blade aside.
Harber narrowed his eyes at the white robe, "Judging from your look, safe to say you're not coming."
Aldrich inhaled, "Where are you leaving for?"
None answered at first. Urad stepped forward.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked Aldrich.
But Aldrich remained silent.
Urad frowned, "Our destiny is to roam free."
Aldrich then spoke. His tone hardened.
"You heard from the Summit! There will be the Fates' summoning. Our presences are demanded."
"I won't matter anymore," Harber pressed.
"Something vast is coming. The Dark Age! And you choose to leave?!" Aldrich's voice sharpened. "We must attend."
"We've agreed," Harber clapped. "You won't stop us."
"Ianred is still my responsibility. You don't speak for him!" Aldrich raised his voice, pointing his finger at Harber.
Harber tilted his head, arguing back, "...Responsibility? You've done nothing but run."
"You are not taking him away!" Aldrich warned.
Harber bristled. "I take responsibility every day! It's you who hides behind the Celestials."
Aldrich countered. "I cover what you ignore. Big Man."
"WHAT DO YOU KNOW OF WAR BESIDES WHAT HERALD TAUGHT YOU?" Harber exploded.
Aldrich's eyes glowed, glaring at Harber.
"DON'T YOU DARE BRING HERALD INTO THIS!" Aldrich's voice thundered back. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT TAKES TO LEAD!"
"I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT TAKES!" Harber roared. "—COURAGE—NOT THIS PATHETIC CHARADE WITH CELESTIAL CLOWNS!"
"ENOUGH!" Urad barked, shoving between them.
Once again, Aldrich and Harber stood on the brink of breaking. Aldrich turned to leave, but Harber caught his arm.
"Where were you earlier?" Harber demanded. "You went to her, didn't you?"
Aldrich faltered. Guilt shadowed his silence.
"Why are we still here?" Harber pressed. "Only four of us are left, yet we cling to this hollow treaty. Herald is gone. It's on you now. You're supposed to lead!"
"Are you here for us... or her?" His voice cracked with anger.
Aldrich said nothing. Harber's grief was older than his rage.
He drew a long breath. "I warned you. The three of us have agreed — we're leaving tonight. We respect you... But we won't stay bound. Not anymore."
Aldrich froze. He hadn't expected this.
"Harber is right," Ianred burst out. "I hate this place!"
"I'm sorry, brother," Harber said. "But we must start anew — with or without you. We're losing ourselves here. Our pride. The treaty won't bind us. Our lives mean more."
He hesitated only once. "But you'll always be welcome."
The words fell like a hammer. For the first time, Aldrich felt the weight of leadership colder than steel.
Nightfall.
Aldrich could only watch them leave... leaving him behind.
***
The Celestial Port
The Avius — dagger-nosed and gleaming — stood ready, engines ticking as they cooled from final tests. Harber knelt beneath the starboard thruster, grease smudging the bronze of his gauntlets, while Urad balanced on the wing above, spanner flashing in quick, sure turns.
"I still can't believe Aldrich walked away," Urad said, voice echoing in the vaulted bay.
Harber grunted. "He chained himself to the Celestials. We knew the risk. Mind the mission."
Urad tightened the last bolt and dropped to the deck. "I'll miss some things here... especially sneaking up on Aldrich and Sanasia in the gardens. What about you, Harber — will you miss anything?"
A rare smile crossed Harber's face. "If Aldrich ever learned subtlety, I never saw it."
They worked in silence, loading provisions. The quiet said more than either was willing to. Tonight, it would mark a new beginning of a long journey.
Harber came to Ianred by the weaponry aisle. He chuckled. "Hah... you've stocked us well, brother. If Aldrich finds out the weaponry is gone, he'll be furious."
Harber lifted the bow from its rack.
The old relic thrummed with power against his palms. The Golden Longbow — Sal Jyester's weapon.
"This still sings," he murmured.
"Take everything," Ianred said, eyes on the inventory. "We don't know what waits past the verge."
"Drop the Celestial toys," Harber snapped. "When we lift, they're no longer ours."
"Power amplifies control," Ianred muttered.
"Power is control," Harber shot back, then softened. "Your shadow force is enough. Trust what's already yours."
Ianred's jaw tightened. "I'm glad we're leaving him."
"Listen, Ian," Harber said, resting on the side deck, speaking low. "Sometimes we choose different paths. Aldrich chose his — we chose ours. That doesn't mean we hate each other. We argue because we have principles, but we still respect one another. I gave him a choice. He didn't take it. That's on him."
Ianred folded his arms, silent. Harber continued.
"He's a pain — and so am I. But he cares. He just doesn't want you hurt again. That's what brothers do... we protect each other, even if it doesn't look like it."
Ianred raised his brows. "You think so?"
Harber smiled faintly, tapping his shoulder. "Yes. Maybe one day you'll see it."
He raised the Golden Longbow again, weighing its memory.
"When Sal trained me, he said, 'Control what you can, and the energies will follow.' I never had his peace. He was the grown one, even in a fight. And Herald... he was rough, merciless —he was different. So are all of us."
They fell into a quiet moment of remembrance.
Ianred finally asked, "Do you still think of them often?"
"Of course," Harber said. "Herald. Sal. Ariestar. They're the reason we're leaving. They wouldn't want us trapped here, calling this place home, yet homeless."
He clapped Ianred's shoulder.
"You're the youngest. That makes you stubborn in your own way. But you've always kept us together, Ian. Don't forget that. Aldrich's subtlety, my stubbornness, and even Urad's stupid idea sometimes..."
He growled, "Without you, we'd be nowhere."
"Haha, yeah. You're not wrong about Urad's part," Ianred chuckled.
Ianred smiled, "That's rare, coming from you, Harb."
They exchanged a light tap on the shoulders — the closest they came to an embrace.
"Alright," Harber said. "Let's get these beasts aboard. Urad's waiting."
Ianred nodded, eyes on the Avius. Departure could wait no longer.
***