Morning came slower than usual.
Not because the sun hesitated—
But because the village did not welcome it.
Smoke still lingered in the air—
thin, gray trails drifting above broken rooftops.
The ground was scarred.
Cracked.
Burned.
A battlefield that had no right being called a home.
Inside one of the remaining houses—
Sora stirred.
"…Tch…"
Pain greeted him first.
Then breath.
Then weight.
"…I'm… alive…"
His voice was weak—
dry—
barely audible.
Bandages wrapped tightly around his torso—
his arm—
his side.
Every movement reminded him of what happened.
"…You should be dead, you know."
Sora's eyes shifted.
Johan stood near the doorway—
arms crossed—
his expression calm—
but his posture…
Not stable.
"…Yeah…" Sora muttered faintly.
"…You sound disappointed."
"…Just realistic."
A pause.
"…That attack wasn't something you should've walked away from."
Sora exhaled weakly.
"…Didn't walk. Got thrown."
Johan didn't respond.
But his fingers twitched slightly—
aether flickering—
then fading again.
Unstable.
Not fully recovered.
"…You're not fine either," Sora added.
"…I'm functional."
"…That's not the same thing."
Silence settled between them.
Not awkward.
Just tired.
Across the room—
The village chief stood quietly.
Watching.
Not them.
But the person outside.
"…He hasn't woken up."
Johan spoke without turning.
"…I know."
The chief's voice was hollow.
"…But he's breathing."
That alone—
was enough to keep hope alive.
Outside—
At the center of the village—
Vael'thorin remained restrained.
Bound by rope—
reinforced with aether—
watched at all times.
His body was still.
But not lifeless.
Not yet.
"…We can't stay here."
Johan's voice cut through the quiet.
Sora looked at him.
"…Already?"
"…Yes."
No hesitation.
"…That thing controlling him… it's still out there."
A pause.
"…And if we wait…"
His eyes lowered slightly.
"…We lose the trail."
Sora frowned.
"…So we just leave?"
"…We move forward."
Johan corrected.
"…There's a difference."
Silence.
Then—
Sora exhaled.
"…Yeah…"
"…Guess we don't have a choice."
They stood outside not long after.
The village felt smaller now.
Not physically—
But emotionally.
Like something had been taken from it.
The chief approached them slowly.
No pride.
No authority.
Just a father.
"…You're leaving."
"…We have to," Johan replied.
The chief nodded once.
"…If he wakes up…"
He hesitated.
"…What should I tell him?"
Sora met his gaze.
For a moment—
He didn't answer.
Then—
"…Tell him…"
A pause.
"…He still has a place to return to."
The chief's eyes trembled slightly.
But he nodded.
"…I will."
They didn't stay longer.
No celebration.
No farewell gathering.
Just a quiet departure.
Sora adjusted his blade slightly—
wincing just a little—
"…Next stop…"
Johan spoke.
"…Juluis."
Sora glanced at him.
"…You think he'll know something?"
"…If anyone does…"
A pause.
"…It's him."
They walked.
Leaving the village behind.
Step by step.
Further.
Further.
Until the smoke was no longer visible.
Until the silence of the forest swallowed them whole.
Night fell.
Back in the village.
The guards remained at their post.
Watching.
Waiting.
The air felt different.
Heavier.
"…You feel that?" one guard muttered.
"…What?"
"…Like… something's off…"
The other guard sighed.
"…After everything that happened? Of course it feels off."
"…No… not like that…"
A pause.
"…Like we're being watched."
Silence.
They both looked around.
Nothing.
Just shadows.
Just darkness.
"…You're imagining it."
"…Yeah…"
But his grip tightened.
Just a little.
Morning came again.
Too quiet.
Too still.
One of the villagers approached the holding area.
"…Shift change," he called.
No answer.
"…Hey."
Still nothing.
A step closer.
The door creaked open.
And everything stopped.
"…Chief…!"
The scream tore through the village.
People ran.
Fast.
Fear rising again—
like it never left.
The chief arrived first.
Then stopped.
The guards—
lay on the ground.
Eyes open.
Bodies still.
No sign of struggle.
No sound of a fight.
Just—
dead.
"…No…"
His voice broke instantly.
Then—
His eyes moved forward.
And froze.
Vael'thorin.
Still bound.
Still kneeling.
But—
Not breathing.
"…Vael'thorin…?"
He rushed forward—
dropping beside him—
hands shaking—
"…No… no… wake up…"
Nothing.
No response.
No warmth.
No life.
Gone.
"…I was too late…"
His voice shattered completely.
"…I was right here…"
But Johan—
wasn't there to see it.
Sora—
wasn't there to stop it.
No one was.
Because this—
was never meant to be stopped.
Behind the body—
Carved deep into the wall—
A symbol.
A circle—
split—
broken.
An eclipse—
fractured.
Deliberate.
Precise.
A message.
Far away—
On a quiet forest path—
Sora and Johan walked.
Unaware.
"…You think Juluis is gonna welcome us or throw us out?" Sora muttered.
"…Depends."
"…On what?"
"…How much trouble follows us."
Sora huffed faintly.
"…Then we're screwed."
A small pause.
Wind passed through the trees.
Soft.
Cold.
Johan slowed.
Just slightly.
"…Something wrong?" Sora asked.
"…No…"
A beat.
"…Probably nothing."
He kept walking.
And Sora followed.
Neither of them looking back.
Neither of them knowing—
What had already been lost.
Behind them—
In a broken village—
A father grieved.
And a mark remained.
Unfading.
Unanswered.
A silent declaration—
That something far worse—
Had already begun.