Night had settled over the hills of Aerion. A gentle wind brushed the tall grass, and the sky, studded with stars, stretched as far as the eye could see.
In the midst of this tranquil immensity, a fire burned gently. Its flames rippled in the breeze, casting orange shadows on four figures gathered around the brazier.
The crackling of the wood punctuated their breathing, and for the first time in a long time, the silence wasn't heavy—it was soothing. Kael looked up at the stars. His features were calm, almost serene. The reflections of the fire danced in his gray eyes, giving his gaze a strange depth, as if he already carried within him the weight of another time.
"If you keep staring at the sky like that, people will end up thinking you're waiting for a divine sign,"
Lyric said, laughing, a twig between his teeth. Kael gave a small smile. "Maybe I'm just waiting for a miracle."
"Or maybe you're overthinking it," Erya added, stirring the fire with a flick of a branch.
Her copper-brown hair took on the hue of the flames, and her eyes shone with quiet curiosity. "You know, sometimes you just have to be here. Enjoy it." Thane sat cross-legged with his arms crossed, watching the scene with a wry smile. "She's right. Tonight, no plan, no strategy, no demon to hunt.
Just the four of us… and this silence." "Silence?" Lyric repeated, bursting into laughter. He grabbed a rock and threw it into the fire, causing a shower of sparks.
"You call that silence? It's like the crickets are having a concert!" "You could talk in your sleep," Thane growled falsely. "It's not my fault someone has to liven up this group," Lyric replied with a big smile. "And admit it, you love it."
Thane shook his head, amused despite himself. Erya burst out laughing too, and Kael, without realizing it, smiled more openly. It was the kind of moment that seemed ordinary… but remained etched in my memory forever. A moment of peace stolen from the chaos of the world. A little later, after the meal, Lyric told one of his favorite anecdotes: "And then, I swear, the captain said to me, 'Lyric, if you keep this up, you'll blow up the potion!' And guess what I did?" "You blew it up," Erya replied without looking up. "Exactly! And half the camp ended up covered in green moss!
" Kael shook his head, laughing. "How did you survive that?" "Thanks to my natural charm, of course." Erya raised an eyebrow.
"Your 'charm'? No, I think Thane made your case." Thane shrugged. "Someone had to save him from ending up hanging from a branch." "Ah, brotherly love," Lyric sighed dramatically. "Thank you, my silent hero."
Laughter erupted again around the fire. Even Kael, usually so calm, let out a hearty laugh. For a moment, everything was perfect.
Time passed slowly. The flames dwindled, the embers glowed, and the night thickened. Erya looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "Do you think we'll ever get to rest for good?"
"Are you already looking forward to getting old and grumpy?" Lyric teased. "No, silly. I just wonder… if any of this, what we're doing, will ever make sense." Kael remained silent. Thane, for his part, replied calmly, "As long as we fight for what we think is right, that's enough." Erya nodded, her gaze falling on Kael for a moment. He looked away, pretending to feed the fire.
She knew he carried more than he said. Always the first to protect, always the one to put himself in danger… and always the one to smile so as not to worry others. "You know, Kael," she murmured, "we'll get through this.
We always have." He looked up at her, surprised by her soft voice. "Yes… we'll get through this." Lyric, lying on the ground, arms crossed behind his head, watched the stars. "Hey, do you think they're watching us? The souls of the heroes of old?" Thane replied quietly, "Maybe." "Then I hope they have a good sense of humor, because with us…" "Because with you," Erya corrected, laughing. A complicit silence fell.
The flames grew calmer. The fire crackled, soft as breathing. Kael looked at his friends one last time. Their faces, bathed in the orange light, seemed unreal.
It was like a painting he wanted to remember forever. And in this suspended calm, a distant voice echoed—without belonging to anyone: "Keep that smile...
even if one day, I am no longer of this world." The wind rose slightly, making the flames quiver. Erya shivered, Lyric fell silent, Thane looked up—as if they had all, for a moment, felt something. Then the breeze died down, and silence returned.
The laughter began again softly, timid at first, then sincere. Kael watched each of them, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, unsure why his heart sank. That night, their laughter didn't yet have the bitter taste of memory. But soon, each of them would learn that no light burns forever…
Not even the light of friendship.