Vera stood in the estate's cathedral-sized courtyard with Serel and Caldrin, flanked on either side by ash-crowned trees and curling thornvine trellises—the sort of dramatic landscaping a more decor-minded version of herself might've reconsidered. The towering raid boss statues, though—all looming atop polished obsidian plinths—were undeniably cool. No regrets there.
Serel bounced lightly on her toes, a mix of excitement and barely contained energy, wringing her hands while staring wide-eyed at the gates.
Vera did smile just a little, seeing the girl that thrilled.
"Howl, come out."
From her shadow, a stream of wisps lifted into the air, coalescing into the Echoshade Howler. It stood nearly three times Serel's height, its spectral frame flickering with each breath.
A squeal of delight burst out of Serel. "Howlie!"
She sprinted forward and threw her arms around the Howler's front leg. She didn't come close to wrapping around it, but that didn't stop her from burying her face in its dark, mistral coat.
Vera raised an eyebrow. Howlie? Apparently, she and Serel shared similar naming instincts.
The Howler, at least, didn't seem to mind. If anything, it looked used to this sort of attention, lowering its head to Serel's shoulder. Long fangs glinted faintly with the movement, but its posture stayed calm and patient. Serel giggled, and Vera let out a quiet chuckle of her own.
"Howl's a cute one, isn't he?" she said to Caldrin next to her. "Serel's got good taste."
"As always, my lady, your interpretation of common vocabulary—'cute,' in this case—never fails to inspire awe," Caldrin replied dryly.
She turned to him. "What? He is cute."
"He casts a shadow larger than the young miss."
"Yeah? And? Big is cute."
"…I see. I stand corrected, then."
Vera frowned faintly. He wasn't seeing it?
"So," she said, "we're good to go now?"
"Almost, my lady," Caldrin replied, holding out a lightweight overshirt woven from charcoal-colored cotton.
Vera eyed it, then followed his glance to her bare arms. "Oh. Right."
She took the garment and slipped it on, shrugging off her mantle for a second.
Good thing he'd reminded her. She'd nearly forgotten.
Sigil-scars weren't necessarily rare in this world, but having this many was definitely uncommon. They were a hallmark of those walking the House Hollow path, and the more marks you bore, the further down the path of the Chosen you'd gone. And since she was about as far down that path as it got… well, walking around with them exposed would draw attention.
Especially in Marrowfen, where having too many symbols could raise concerns for other reasons.
The ones on her hands were fine. They probably wouldn't raise too many eyebrows. But the rest? Best to keep them covered for the time being.
The overshirt didn't seem to be enchanted with anything beyond basic resistance, but that was fine. She didn't expect the kind of trouble that required her full arsenal. If something came up, she could always swap her gear on the fly.
Vera left Caldrin and stepped up beside Serel and Howl, placing a hand on the girl's hair to ruffle it—an action that felt both natural and awkward—before giving the mount a pat along the side.
"Alright. We'll be heading out." She glanced back at Caldrin. "We'll be back tonight."
Even with the evening already close to settling in, returning wouldn't be an issue. Thanks to the Hearthbind Token—an item that in Ashen Legacy let you fast travel to your housing once every twenty-four hours—she could instantly return to Sablewatch Hollow and then re-activate it to go back to wherever she'd been. In the game, fast travel had been rare, but the Hearthbind Token had been a quality-of-life feature players had clamored for. Here it translated to a freedom she wasn't about to complain about.
Caldrin dipped his upper body in a theatrical bow. "Naturally, my lady. I shall await your return with bated breath."
"Sure you will."
Vera stepped back from Howl and activated her Vaultring, bringing out the heavy, black-trimmed-and-horned saddle Caldrin had prepared in advance. She hefted it easily onto the Howler's back, then spent a minute tightening the straps and testing the balance before turning to Serel.
"Ready, kid?"
Serel nodded with eager intensity. "Mmm! I'm ready, Mommy!"
Vera grinned. "Then up you go."
Serel immediately raised her arms, giggling as Vera scooped her up and lifted her onto the saddle. The girl clambered into place with cheerful determination, one foot lightly kicking against the Howler's side—not that the massive beast seemed to mind.
Once Serel was settled up front, looking like the proudest little adventurer in the realm as she leaned over the horned saddle crest like it was the prow of a ship, Vera grabbed the pommel and swung up behind her. The movement came easily, like she'd done it a thousand times.
She adjusted their seating, ensuring Serel was snug against her chest, then patted the Howler's flank.
"Alright, boy. The rest is on you. Show us what you've got."
The Echoshade Howler rumbled in that blend between a growl and a purr, turning toward the courtyard gates, mist curling around its paws.
"Goodbye, Caldrin!" Serel called, waving vigorously.
Caldrin raised a hand in return. "Farewell, young miss. May your first journey be a memorable one."
Vera's brow furrowed slightly at his words.
First journey?
The man bowed once more. Vera gave him a brief nod, then faced forward and focused.
This was, technically, her first time riding anything. She was pretty sure Veralyth's body had all the instincts built in, but still—there was a flicker of nerves in her chest.
Not that it mattered. The excitement easily outweighed it. She might've kept it off her face better than Serel, but in truth, she was probably just as giddy about the road ahead.
Howl started forward, moving at a calm, deliberate pace as they crossed the courtyard. At the estate's outer edge, the massive iron gates responded to their approach, gliding open without a sound. Beyond them stretched pale-green grass, rippling gently in the wind.
The Echoshade Howler paused at the threshold.
In Vera's arms, Serel was practically vibrating from anticipation. Vera tightened her grip on the saddle's rear handle.
Then they surged forward.
It wasn't gradual. One moment, they were still. The next, they were gone—a blast of speed launching them across the clearing like a phantom bolt. Wind tore past Vera's ears, yanking at her mantle and lashing her hair around her face. But she didn't flinch. She grinned, teeth bared to the wind, while Serel screamed in pure, ecstatic laughter.
They flew across the open field and into the forest like a shadow chased by flame, Howl weaving between trees with impossible grace. Branches blurred. The wind roared louder. And Vera moved with it all, leaning instinctively into each turn, balancing with a fluid ease that grew more familiar by the second.
The woods rushed past in smudges of green and brown, and through gaps in the canopy she caught fleeting glimpses of the river threading through the valley like a sapphire ribbon.
"Mommy! Look at me!" Serel shouted, throwing her arms up and swinging her feet like she was on one of those soaring swing rides at a carnival.
Vera tightened her grip with one hand and used the other to gently guide Serel's arms back down. "Don't get too excited now," she leaned forward and said in the girl's ear. Her voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. "If you want to ride on your own one day, you've got to learn how to stay on."
Serel's eyes went wide. She twisted around to stare up at Vera, full of wonder and immediate, laser-focused resolve.
Vera chuckled, turning the girl's head back to face forward. "Focus."
And to her quiet amusement, Serel did. The girl sat up straighter, shoulders squared with dramatic intent, tiny hands clamped on the saddle handles like she was bracing for battle.
It lasted maybe five minutes.
Then Howl vaulted over a fallen tree, landing with a hefty thump that jolted the saddle—and Serel's composure shattered instantly. She shrieked with glee, burst into another fit of laughter, and immediately threw her arms skyward once more.
This time, Vera let her. Honestly, considering all the horror stories she'd heard about kids and their goldfish-level attention spans, she was impressed Serel had lasted as long as she did.
Not surprisingly, nothing in the forest dared cross their path. The ride continued uninterrupted for nearly half an hour before the trees began to thin, giving way to the stony rise of Duskfall Vale's easternmost pass.
Vera could have made the trip faster—Breakstep would've carried her above the treetops, and Hollow Reach could've blinked her across the valley in an instant—but that wasn't the point. She wanted this to feel like a real journey. And, as expected, Serel was loving every moment of it so far.
When they finally broke free of the last line of trees and reached the canyon path she'd scouted that morning, Vera gave Howl a quiet cue. The spectral wolf slowed to a graceful halt at the ridge's edge.
"Mommy, why are we stopping?" Serel asked, glancing back over her shoulder.
"Thought I'd show you something a little special before we keep going."
Serel tilted her head, curious. "Like what?"
"You'll see." Vera grinned. "I think you'll like it."
Serel considered it for all of half a second before nodding. "Mmm. Okay."
Vera raised one hand, and Stillwake shimmered into existence in her grip, crown angled skyward. She swept it forward in a clean arc, the blade cleaving silently through the air.
Mark of Hollow Reach.
A fair bit of Resonance went into the invocation, though not nearly enough to be taxing. By now, Vera had come to learn that this level of expenditure regenerated quickly.
She gave Howl a light tap on the flank. "Alright, boy. Take us through."
The wolf dipped its head in silent acknowledgment and stepped into the rift.
In the blink of an eye, they emerged atop the mountain ridge overlooking Duskfall Vale and the hazy stretch of the Mistvale Reaches beyond. A chilled gust rushed toward them, sweeping across the cliffside as the forest rolled out in muted green waves beneath a sky slowly shading into evening hues.
Vera swung down from the saddle and raised her arms to catch Serel, who hopped down with a giggle. As the girl's boots touched stone, Howl dissolved into a swirl of dark wisps, slipping back into Vera's shadow.
She looked around, confirming they were exactly where she'd arrived the night before—just off the ridge, with the remnants of her Kindlehearth Ember still nearby.
"Woooow," Serel breathed, spinning on the spot as her eyes swept across the horizon. Then she stopped, pointing excitedly back the way they'd come. "Mommy, Mommy! I can see home!"
Vera followed her finger toward the opposite edge of the valley, where Sablewatch Hollow nestled against the mountainside. Her brows lifted. That was impressive spotting from Serel. At this distance, the estate was barely more than a speck—hard for most people to notice unless they knew exactly where to look. Yet Serel had picked it out in seconds. Possibly faster than Vera herself had the night before.
She wondered. Was that thanks to Serel's Binding level?
Vera laid a light hand on the girl's shoulder. "That's right. Good eye."
She gently turned Serel the other way, toward the vast stretch of the Mistvale Reaches. Leaning slightly, she pointed to the faint outline of a city on the horizon. "Then do you see that? That's Marrowfen. That's where we're headed."
Serel squinted with all the determined focus a six-year-old could muster. "I see it!" she chirped.
"It's also called the City of Blackwater and Bone. Do you know why?"
Serel shook her head.
Vera pointed to the reed-choked wetlands feeding into a sluggish, dark river that wound toward the city. "The first part comes from that river—the Verrid Flow. The water around Marrowfen is almost black, stained by old tannins and what's said to be the long-dead roots of drowned forests. The closer you get to the city, the darker it gets. That's the 'Blackwater.'"
Her finger drifted lower. "And the 'Bone' part is because the city was built over an enormous, half-submerged ossuary called the Marrowvault, where ancient beasts, giants, even the vessels of gods once fought and died. Their remains are still there, fused into the city's foundation. You'll even see skeletons built right into some of the walls."
Serel gasped. "Mommy, I wanna see the skeletons!"
"Don't worry, you will."
Maybe even more than that, depending. This would be a good chance for Vera to see how much of the original game content had carried over into this world, and in what shape. Marrowfen hadn't been the most important city in Ashen Legacy, but it had hosted some of the coolest raids from the first expansion—Veil of the Hollow King.
In particular, she was curious how some of the hostile factions from that time were remembered here, like the Pale Reconciliation cult. Vera had kind of killed their 'god' at the end of that expansion, but so had a lot of other players. Her only special claim to fame in that regard was that she had completed the Chosen of the Hollow questline and been among the first to solo that boss.
Regardless, it would be interesting to see how that translated.
Her gaze lingered on Serel's beaming face, unconsciously savoring some of that warmth blooming in her chest at the sight. Yet there was a sharpness behind it, too—something that pricked at her as she watched the girl light up over a city built on the corpses of legends.
"…Serel," Vera found herself saying.
The girl turned to her. "Mmm?"
Vera hesitated, studying her expression. "Do you remember ever leaving home before?"
Serel's smile faltered slightly. She blinked, her face settling into something between concern and confusion, like she didn't understand why Vera would ask that question, but was worried she'd done something wrong. "…Maybe?"
"Maybe? You're not sure?"
The girl bit her lip. "I… I don't know." Her voice turned quiet, uncertain. There was something soft and vulnerable in it that hit Vera unexpectedly hard.
She nearly pulled Serel into a hug, but stopped herself just short. Instead, she set her hands on Serel's shoulders before reaching up to ruffle her silver hair in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. "It's okay. Nothing wrong with not knowing."
But in truth, it did bother her. Not Serel's uncertainty, but what it might imply.
If Serel had never left Sablewatch Hollow, that would be strange enough. But what was even more concerning was that she didn't seem to know whether she had or not.
It couldn't just be because she'd been an NPC. Caldrin remembered plenty of experiences outside the Vale. Serel was the exception. And Vera still didn't know why.
She'd pressed Caldrin on it a bit earlier. He could tell her all kinds of things—Serel's habits, her likes and dislikes, how she spent her days. But he couldn't say where she'd come from. As far as he recalled, Veralyth had simply returned one day with a toddler in tow. No explanation. No context. Just… a daughter that resembled her a lot.
And according to him, Veralyth had never been pregnant. Not visibly, at least. And Vera couldn't quite imagine Elaria Valecrest—the girl's supposed other parent—waddling around with a baby bump for nine months, either.
So where did Serel come from?
It was a mystery Vera didn't expect to solve today. And not one Serel seemed equipped to help her much with. Honestly, her best chance at answers probably rested with Elaria.
…She would get to that eventually.
Back in the game, she'd been a bit of a fangirl for Elaria Valecrest. Here? The thought of facing her felt uncomfortably loaded—especially knowing she'd apparently been furious the last time she'd sought Veralyth out.
Still, that was a problem for future Vera.
Right now, her only concern was this journey and the kid in front of her.
Serel might not remember ever leaving Sablewatch Hollow, but that didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was that she had left now. And as much as Vera planned to make the most of this trip for herself, she was going to do the same for Serel.