The staircase spiraled downward for what felt like hours.
The walls were made of the same white stone as the tavern above, but here, the stone was alive. It pulsed with a soft, rhythmic light like a heartbeat, like breathing, like something sleeping.
"Ren," Lee said quietly, walking beside his friend. "Why didn't you tell us?"
Ren was silent for a long moment.
"Because I didn't want you to look at me differently," he finally said. "I've been alone for so long, Lee. Three hundred years of watching the world fall apart. Three hundred years of carrying the weight of my failures. When I met you when I met all of you I finally felt like I belonged somewhere. Like I was part of something again. I didn't want to lose that."
"You won't lose it," Lee said. "You're our friend. That doesn't change just because you're three hundred years old."
Ren laughed a real laugh, surprised out of him. "I'm older than three hundred. Much older. The Sun Kings ruled for a thousand years before the Shattering. I was already old when the world ended."
"Then you're even more impressive," Kira said from behind them. "Most old people can barely walk. You can still fight."
"Kira "
"I'm not done." She stepped up beside Ren, her copper hair catching the pulsing light from the walls. "You're our friend. You've saved our lives a dozen times. You've never let us down. I don't care if you're a Sun King or a demon or a talking turnip. You're Ren. That's all that matters."
Taro nodded vigorously. "What she said."
Inyocha said nothing, but he moved to walk beside Ren as well a quiet show of solidarity.
Ren's eyes filled with tears. "Thank you," he whispered. "Thank you all."
They continued down the staircase.