No words were exchanged for quite a while. The only things that could be heard were the clattering of fists, the howls of wind and the fizzle of mana.
Xerxes rested against the cold ground, propped partially by Leiya's arm.
She had obviously seen what happened to the landscape, but not to the person himself, so she asked. "What happened with that bastard?"
Xerxes didn't choose to answer immediately. His gaze merely drifted towards the mountain, or whatever remained of it.
"I guess I blew him apart," Xerxes said finally, his voice hoarse. "Him and the mountain."
Yet, despite the weight of the opponent he faced, he found no triumph, no pride. Just the actions of it pressing on him.
"…And?"
Xerxes swallowed. He knew he had to be honest with her. "And some part of me feels wary, wary that he'll miraculously return, and by the gods… if he survived that, then I don't know what it will take to finish him."
Before Leiya could respond, footsteps crunched through the snow.
Thornfum's voice arrived before he did. "C'mon, I'm standing right here. If that cretin finds his way out, then the god of strength, Thornfum Furdia, will get rid of him."
The dwarf emerged bloodied between Gem'rafh warriors. His armour had definitely seen better days. Despite that, he was grinning The sort of grin that came from being alive when you had no right to be.
Beside him came Kaylun, clasping onto his bloodied arm.
Zoron and Ishkar followed, supported by younger giants whose steps were unsteady but determined.
They had won their respective battle.
But the price of their victory was impossible to ignore.
Half of them were gone.
Those who remained bore wounds that would scar them for life, allowing this to be a reminder of what went down — to those who had died, to those who had won, and their true liberation.
Xerxes glanced at Leiya, and he could see the way she peered at them.
He muttered to her, "Do you see, Leiya? They may not share the same skin as us, they may not resemble a human, but there is one thing we do share…"
Leiya immediately finished it off. "I understand. It has to be humanity. I thought I knew it all. About why you pushed yourself, but now… seeing this, it's made me open my eyes." Her gaze tightened, scanning each individual giant. "Despite being similar to the rest of you… Would I also get persecuted simply because I'm from the Fallen Kingdom?"
Xerxes shook his head. He wasn't going to allow that to happen. But his actions were meaningless without a plan, and for now, he couldn't speak too much about it without the risk of others hearing.
Leiya understood that and allowed Xerxes to speak with his companions.
Kaylun eventually met Xerxes' gaze and nodded.
"…We lost many. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, children."
Xerxes closed his eyes, a mask of guilt etched on his face.
However, what he couldn't have expected was the next sequence of events.
Kaylun, Zoron, Ishkar, the entirety of the Gem'rafh — got down to a knee, planting their fists into the snow in unison, bowing their heads slightly.
Zoron's voice made Xerxes' eyes open. "We all knew the price, so do not hold regret."
Xerxes replied in a hoarse voice, "Even though I won my battle, I still weren't able to guarantee your lives. I still—"
Ishkar, the elder who didn't really get on with Xerxes and initially held scepticism, roared, "But look what you were able to guarantee! Without you by our side… no, without you leading us forward, do you think any of this would have been possible?"
The giants nodded in unison.
"From your sacrifices that you've made, the burdens you have carried for us, Orpheus is finally a thing of the past. The Gem'rafh are finally free from torment, and you were the one to break our chains, propelling us into the future."
Ishkar chuckled wryly. "I was wrong about humanity. My perception was clouded by unresolved history. But deep down in the hearts of us all, Xerxes Draedon… we believe." He lifted his head. "We now believe in hope. It's like a shimmering star in the darkest of nights, guiding us forward, and I am sure your actions and the person you become will change Elaijya's future."
Ishkar's words really mended his feelings. The whole time, he had felt as if he could be doing more. His constant question, "Is this all I can do?" plagued him, but he was wrong. It was clear that taking the next step was all the giants needed.
He was speechless under the praise; however, Leiya tapped him.
She whispered teasingly into his ear, "Take the hint…"
Xerxes cleared his throat and corrected himself. "I owe it to you all." After a pause, he continued. "Everyone of you helped me. Coming here, I didn't really understand what I was getting myself into. I was simply following a path, without knowing the destination."
No one interrupted.
"But helping you all equipped me with everything I needed. I rediscovered a lot of things about myself. Why I originally wanted to fight…"
A smile appeared on his face, and his gaze swept across the Gem'rafh.
He wasn't fighting for something as mundane as survival; he was fighting for their freedom. Although many died, it was as Zoron said.
'Some may die, but it carves a path for the living's future.'
"I rediscovered what I value," he affirmed, glancing at Leiya.
"And my reason to keep pursuing my dreams. All of you brought Xerxes Draedon back, so all I can say is… thank you, and I'm glad you all have found peace and gratitude in my actions."
They all nodded, smiles finally appearing on their faces.
"I won't pretend I can fight again," Xerxes added, his voice softening, "not like this."
Thornfum jabbed a finger at Xerxes' arm, which looked like it had been ravaged by wild wolves. "No shit. It's like expectin' a baby to wipe their arse."
A few chuckles rippled through the group, and even Zoron smirked slightly.
Xerxes' cheeks flushed a little, realising how obvious his claim had been, and for the next few minutes the giants covered themselves in what bandages they had spare and started a fire, heating up rations after the hard-earned victory.
Eventually, tales of Xerxes' battle spread. Giants approached him one by one, asking about the fight, about how Orpheus fell, about what he saw when the mountain broke.
He shared as much as he could, and after a while, Learna and Dane returned.
They weren't empty-handed. Dane's sword was slung across his back, and Learna's arms were wrapped around something small, bundled in torn cloth and fur.
At first, Xerxes didn't register it.
Then the firelight caught her wheat-blonde hair, and a faint rise and fall of her breath.
The child.
The cursed god.
Leiya's entire posture stiffened. Airi's feathers bristled, flames flickering uncertainly, like her instincts didn't know whether to warm the girl or deem her a threat.
Learna crouched carefully, lowering Lilith by the fire.
The child couldn't have been older than seven. Her face was smudged with dried blood and frostbite, lashes clumped together as if she'd cried until her body ran out of water. Bandages had been wrapped around her torso, but they were soaked through.
Xerxes' mouth went dry.
He had so many questions that his mind couldn't even decide where to start.
"Is she—" Xerxes began, then forced the words out properly. "Is she alive?"
Learna nodded quickly, her voice low. "Barely. She passed out a while ago. She was alone in the snow… she was just—" Learna swallowed. "She was just trying to breathe."
Dane's jaw tightened. "Orpheus was holding her like a trophy," he muttered, the words like gravel. "Like she was already dead in his mind."
Thornfum's usual bravado dimmed for a moment as he looked at the girl, then he clicked his tongue, masking whatever was in his eyes. "Well. Ain't he a charming bastard."
Kaylun stepped closer, his gaze fixed on the child. For all his size, he moved carefully, as if his presence might crush something fragile that didn't deserve it.
"Lilith," Xerxes said quietly.
Leiya's head snapped down. "You know her? Who is she?"
He filled Leiya in, as well as all the other people who didn't know about her and at the mention of her title, Dane staggered.
"Cursed god?" he repeated.
Learna seemed to share the same fear, a worried expression masking her face.
Leiya seemed more reserved. After all, her grandfather had inherited the eyes of truth from a god. Not only that, Saint Nikola had mentioned something along the lines.
Dane glared at Xerxes, "You're dealing with something way bigger than what you know, Xerxes...it's said spending too much time around one inflicts the curse they have onto you, and I'm not risking that, because I don't know her."
Zoron shook his head, "Adventurer, I assure you that the child will not spread her curse to you, it is simply folklore, their origin and livelihood are drastically different from what you have been told."
Xerxes was given the brief description of what she was, but Kaylun and none of the elders shared it deeply. So he asked, "Then tell us, tell us what this means, why they are labelled as 'cursed' and everything else we should know."
Xerxes' expression tightened, "You remember, don't you, Zoron. I asked you to tell me about the Great War of Succession, and you promised me that."
Zoron's gaze turned to him and said flatly, "Not here."
Xerxes stared, blood still crusted at the corner of his mouth. "Not here?" he echoed, disbelief flickering into anger.
There was a chilling silence that settled, but Airi's voice cut in Xerxes' mind, "Have patience, Xerxes. He will tell you, but things have obviously changed. There's Learna, Dane and probably something more underlying that we do not know about."
Xerxes acknowledged her statement and relaxed.
He exhaled slowly because she was right.
"Fine, Zoron. I'll hold you to it." Xerxes said.
With that, the tension eased away, and the giants began preparing to travel the full length of the interpass. In the midst of that, the band of adventurers gathered around each other and shared conversations.
Xerxes expressed his gratitude to Learna for coming and to Dane as well.
He knew that there were many questions they were sure to ask, but he would answer them soon. For now, he had to focus on rest, and eventually he fell into a slumber.
In his slumber, the giants and the party started moving.
Leiya held the remnants of Xerxes' blade, which broke under the pressure of his attack, and Thornfum took a closer look.
"Ya, this won't do anymore. Regular steel isn't suited for regular tier 4 mages. Each tier requires a specific set of ore; tier 3's generally need an ore like emberstone, 2nd tiers grasp laridium and tier 1's, well, I ain't too sure, kinda' a guarded secret, but I reckon it could be similar to Moonshard."
Zoron glanced over at Thornfum, "His blade broke?"
Thornfum held the hilt and rotated it, "Yep, this won't do."
Zoron's lips tightened, almost a smile, but not quite. "That means, Xerxes is owed a weapon."
Thornfum perked up instantly, as if someone had just said free ale. "Now that," he said, wiping drool from his lip, "is the finest thing I've heard all day."
Ishkar let out a rough laugh. "We cannot march into Amento with Xerxes holding a snapped blade."
Kaylun nodded, voice steady. "Moonshard is not the only thing we carry. The elders still remember old crafts."
Thornfum jabbed a thumb at his own chest. "And you've got the finest craftsman on the continent right here, if any of you forgot. I'll forge the lad something so beautiful even Gods would weep if it gutted them."
Leiya didn't hold much confidence in Thornfum and asked. "You'll forge it?"
Thornfum puffed out his chest. "Aye. Me. With my hands. My glorious hands. Maybe with a little help from giant arts, parrot flames and a kiss of love from you."
Airi chirped sharply, warning him, which made Thornfum back off.
The night continued to stretch on.
They ate what they could. They bound more wounds. They kept watch, because even with Orpheus gone, the interpass didn't become safe. Not truly.
And through it all, Xerxes kept one thought locked behind his eyes like a vow.
Tomorrow, Zoron will tell me the truth of the Great War of Succession.
Tomorrow, I will learn why a child can be called a god.
Tomorrow, I will take a step closer to the world that Aemon died protecting.
But things were never simple for Xerxes.
As time passed, Xerxes awakened because of a sudden shift. The winds grew more turbulent, even as the journey approached its end. The chilling cold, which should have eased, embraced them tighter.
Several of the Gem'rafh began to falter, frost forming on their faces.
Learna sucked in a sharp breath whilst holding her head. "This pressure.."
Frost began settling in on everyone's features, and the cold was almost unbearable. It was as if winter itself had clasped them all.
Xerxes glanced at Airi, "Use your flames, I'm not sure what's happ-"
A streak of jagged ice engulfed both Airi and Xerxes, and despite Airi's flames burning more fiercely than most, they were dwarfed in comparison.
Gazes turned towards the source in panic, and what they saw next froze them in fear.