The Ember Spire smoldered in the distance as Ryan and his companions trekked back through the jungle, exhaustion heavy in every step. The trial had tested them all, but for Ryan the shard's whispers still lingered, scratching at the edges of his mind.
They weren't far from the Ashborn supply route when the sound of chaos reached them — screams, clashing steel, the roar of beasts.
"Trouble," Kaelin muttered, drawing her sword.
Ryan's gut clenched. "We can't ignore it."
They rushed toward the noise and broke through the treeline into a ruined village. The huts were aflame, smoke curling into the night. Ashborn guards battled a pack of Shade Beasts at the edge of the clearing.
And in the center of it all was a woman. Bloodied, staggering, clutching a small child to her chest as a beast closed in.
Without thinking, Ryan surged forward. The shard flared, fire bursting from his hands. His strike slammed into the Shade Beast, scattering it in ash. Kaelin cut down another, Lyra's aura weaving shields around the survivors.
When the battle ended, silence fell heavy over the ruined village.
Ryan turned — and froze.
The woman lay on the ground, her lifeblood pooling into the dirt. The child, no older than six, clung to her, sobbing.
Ryan dropped to his knees beside them. "Stay with us," he urged, pressing a hand over her wound. But one look from Lyra's eyes told him the truth — it was too late.
The woman's trembling hand caught his wrist. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Please… my daughter. She has no one else."
Ryan's throat tightened. "I… I'll protect her. I swear it."
The woman's eyes softened, relief flickering through them as her grip loosened. Her final breath left her lips, and her hand fell still.
The little girl cried into Ryan's chest as he gathered her up, his arms shaking.
---
The Weight of a Promise
The Ashborn buried the dead quickly, the flames still smoldering. Ryan stayed apart from the others, the girl curled in his lap. She clung to him silently now, eyes wide with shock.
Kaelin approached first, kneeling beside him. "You don't have to carry this, Ryan. We can find her a family in the Ashborn sector."
Ryan shook his head, his voice raw. "I gave my word. She's mine to protect now."
Lyra stood behind him, staff in hand, her expression unreadable. But her voice was steady. "Then we'll protect her together."
The shard pulsed once, strangely quiet, as if acknowledging his vow.
Ryan held the girl closer. In that moment, his goals sharpened — not just strength, not just survival, but the promise of a better future for someone who had lost everything.