Two days had passed since Captain's collaboration with the Pyro Archon. With the Fatui's assistance, the defenses of Natlan's various tribes had been significantly reinforced.
During an Abyss Monster assault on the Masters of the Night-Wind, Ororon, while protecting them, was influenced by wandering souls due to his fragmented soul, falling unconscious for an entire night.
Citlali's healing awakened him. In his dream, he overcame his long-standing stubbornness and guilt, finally claiming his Ancient Name: Bidii (Dedication).
This same Ancient Name had belonged to Sanhaj, the hero of the Masters of the Night-Wind five hundred years ago!
Ororon would inherit this name, fighting as the hero of this generation's Masters of the Night-Wind.
This meant Ororon was now the fifth hero of Natlan!
Thus, only one hero remained to complete the Six Heroes of Natlan!
For the past two days, Ishkab had been working alongside Chuychu to treat the wounded.
Their supply of wound-healing ointment was nearly exhausted, so Ishkab prepared to return home, grind fresh medicinal herbs, and bring them back. Normally, Kinich would have handled this task, but both Kinich and Ajaw had been dispatched on missions to other tribes.
This time, Ishkab had to go alone.
The journey from the Stadium of the Sacred Flame to the Scions of the Canopy's encampment took Ishkab over three hours—a far longer time than usual.
The Abyss's activities had been growing increasingly frequent lately, and Ishkab encountered numerous Abyss Monsters along the way. She couldn't simply stand by and ignore them.
So she cleared a path as she went, eventually arriving at the Scions of the Canopy's encampment.
Just as Ishkab was about to head home, she heard a child's weeping. Following the sound, she found its source in a secluded corner—a tearful little boy.
The boy looked no older than four or five. He had a rather deep gash on his knee, and blood had already pooled on the ground.
Ishkab recognized the little boy. His name was Monel.
Ishkab gently crouched down and began to treat Monel's wound, carefully bandaging it.
Her movements were gentle, taking great care not to hurt him. When she was finished, she softly wiped the tears from the corner of his eye and pointed to a butterfly fluttering away nearby.
"Look, even the butterflies are scared away by your crying. Let's quietly hide your wound, okay?"
Once the little boy stopped crying, Ishkab ruffled his hair and asked, "Where are your parents?"
Monel clung to Ishkab, whispering, "Grandpa said Mom and Dad went to the front lines to fight monsters. I wanted to find them, so I snuck out alone..."
Ishkab carried Monel on her back and took him back to his grandfather.
When Ishkab returned Monel to his grandfather, the old man first solemnly thanked her before giving the boy two firm smacks on the bottom.
The little one, whom she had finally managed to soothe, started crying again.
After giving the child a piece of candy, Ishkab left. As she departed, she noticed the Tribes had become unusually quiet, likely because everyone had gone to defend the front lines.
Casualties had already begun to mount. Though none of the fallen had perished in their true forms, Ishkab felt it was time to complete her mission.
The enhanced Ode of Resurrection had to be finished before the first wave of the Abyss's assault. Otherwise, countless lives would be lost in the coming battle!
Returning home, she gathered all the herbs into her Storage Space and traveled for over two hours back to the Stadium of the Sacred Flame.
By then, night had fallen. Ishkab summoned her helpers, and they worked through the night grinding the herbs, brewing them, and preparing the medicinal paste.
The paste was finally completed in the early hours of the morning. Ishkab dismissed everyone to rest.
Just before dawn, under the cover of darkness, Ishkab slipped away from the Stadium of the Sacred Flame.
The Night Kingdom, a land nearly consumed by the Abyss, today welcomed a beam of light that banished the Abyss Energy within a fifty-meter radius.
In this Abyss-corrupted space stood a colossal Stone Tablet.
This Stone Tablet had once been one of the avatars of the Great Spirit of the Scions of the Canopy, but the Abyss's corruption had long since obliterated it.
Ishkab materialized in the space, extended her right index finger, and touched the Stone Tablet. A pure energy enveloped the entire tablet, causing it to tremble violently.
This trembling wasn't a physical tremor but rather a resonant hum in the very fabric of space.
The lingering traces of the dispersed Abyss Energy attempted to reconvene, but the pure light flowing from Ishkab's fingertip held them firmly at bay, creating a fleeting, fragile sanctuary.
On the tablet's surface, the corroded, weathered carvings writhed like wounds, oozing not blood, but shadows as thick as ink.
A voice echoed through the space.
"...Light...? No... a power more ancient... more pure... Child, you are the Returning Flame, yet you are more than that. I cannot fathom you... truly peculiar..."
Ishkab withdrew her finger, her eyes reflecting the flickering shadow, calm and unwavering.
"The Sleeper will inevitably awaken, just as the tide is destined to return. Though the roots of the Canopy have withered, the memorial stones that record its rings of age remain."
Ishkab's voice remained gentle, but her words were cryptic, leaving even Yohualtecuhtin, the Lord of the Night, in contemplative silence.
"I have brought the Empty Cup, hoping to collect the Dew of bygone days."
Yohualtecuhtin's shadows rippled slightly, as if silently scrutinizing or pondering Ishkab's meaning. After a long pause, her voice resurfaced:
"...Dew... It has long since evaporated in the flames of war, poisoned by the Abyss. In my current state, I fear I cannot provide you with what you call 'Dew'."
"Even the source can run dry," Ishkab replied slowly, her Pure Soul radiating a soft light that made the surrounding shadows retreat uneasily.
"The lost verses of the poem require a special ink to rewrite. For the Empty Cup, the boundary between the living and the dead has always been blurred. I have brought the Empty Cup, and I have also brought the Dew."
The light on the Stone Tablet flickered suddenly, revealing a faint, almost inquisitive glow.
"...Using 'Aether' as the conduit, weaving the echoes of life and death... I understand your intent now. You wish to transform the souls of fallen warriors into musical notes, to inscribe Natlan once more into the verses of the Ode of Resurrection..."
"I... cannot comprehend. This is an impossible task. Yet... your power is ancient, and it gives me a sense that such a possibility might exist. Child, who exactly are you?"
Ishkab: "I am... Ishkab of Returning Flame."
Yohualtecuhtin, Lord of the Night, scrutinized Ishkab intently, finally recognizing the source of her power.
"Your... soul... possesses such formidable power? Do you truly grasp the implications of your decision for yourself?" Yohualtecuhtin's voice was heavy with complex emotions.
"The value of a candle lies in its burning," Ishkab replied with unwavering serenity, "not in enduring eternal darkness. Lord Yohualtecuhtin, you need only provide the ancient 'score'; the rest is my responsibility."
A profound silence descended, stretching across countless worlds.
The Abyss roared beyond the circle of light, yet it could not penetrate its barrier.
Finally, Yohualtecuhtin's whisper echoed once more, tinged with an ancient, almost pitying acknowledgment:
"...As you wish, this fragment of the Stone Tablet shall become your 'beacon.' I will safeguard it well... Go forth and write your epic poem, child!"
The Stone Tablet slowly sank into silence. From its cracked inscriptions, a faint, starlight-like radiance began to flow—no longer sacred, yet imbued with a profound, all-encompassing serenity.
Ishkab gave a slight nod, turned, and the light moved with her steps, guiding her deeper into the darkness.
The Stone Tablet stood motionless, like an eye silently opening in the night, until Ishkab completely vanished from its sight. Before the surrounding Abyss could surge forth, the Stone Tablet abruptly disappeared from the Night Kingdom.