I walk back toward the village.
Ignis follows behind me, keeping her distance.
She says nothing at first, but I can feel it building—her thoughts, her doubt, her fear.
Then her mana rises.
Chains form around me. Heavier than before. Tighter. Meant to restrain completely.
They fail.
I feel no suppression this time. If anything, my strength has begun to return again, faint but steady.
I could break them.
I choose not to.
She steps in front of me, careful, measured.
"I don't understand you," she says.
Her voice is controlled, but there is tension beneath it.
"I don't understand what you are. That power… what you did back there…"
She pauses, searching for words.
"I've never seen anything like it."
Silence.
"Tell me," she says. "What are you?"
I hold her gaze for a moment.
"I don't know."
And yet, I speak.
I tell her of the darkness.
Of awareness before form.
Of the constant noise—war, screaming, steel against steel—echoing endlessly in my mind.
I tell her of the battlefield.
Of the blood.
Of the name that came to me.
Ares.
I tell her what it feels like—to stand on the edge of something that is always pulling me forward.
The hunger.
The restraint.
The effort it takes not to give in.
Even now.
When I finish, I say nothing more.
"Do what you must."
The chains tighten briefly—
then vanish.
Ignis lowers her head.
When she looks up again, her eyes are wet.
Not only fear.
"Promise me," she says, quieter now.
"That you won't give in to it."
A pause.
"That you won't kill innocents."
Another.
"That you won't harm me… or Aphrodite."
I look at her.
"I promise."
The words come easily.
We both know they are not certain.
She accepts them anyway.
We return to the village in silence.
I go back to the cell.
Ignis does not.
She goes to Kane.
And Aphrodite.
Inside Kane's home, the air is heavy before she even speaks.
"You're back early," Kane says. "What happened?"
Ignis exhales once.
"It was worse than we thought."
Aphrodite stiffens.
"The numbers were wrong. Not a scouting group—a war band."
She pauses.
"I thought it would be a slaughter."
A beat.
"It was."
Kane's eyes narrow.
Ignis continues.
"They attacked him all at once. No hesitation."
Her hands tighten slightly.
"He didn't retreat. He didn't hesitate either."
A pause.
"He welcomed it."
Aphrodite's expression shifts, unsettled.
Ignis' voice lowers.
"He fought like it was natural. Like he belonged there."
Another pause.
"And the longer it went on… the stronger he became."
Silence settles.
"I watched it happen. His speed, his control—everything improved in the middle of the fight."
She breathes out slowly.
"Then he started laughing."
The room stills.
"He created weapons out of nothing. Dozens of them. No incantation. No structure. They just… existed."
She shakes her head faintly.
"I've studied magic for years. I've never seen anything like that."
A pause.
"When their leader struck him down, I thought it was over."
Silence.
"He stood back up."
Slowly.
"As if it meant nothing."
Another pause.
"And then he killed it in a single strike."
Her voice drops.
"After that, it stopped being a fight."
Silence deepens.
"It was a slaughter."
The word lingers.
"He didn't stop when they fell. He kept going… like it wasn't enough."
Aphrodite's hands tighten.
Ignis looks directly at Kane.
"The blood didn't weaken him."
"It sustained him."
A pause.
"He's dangerous."
Her voice is firm, but not without fear.
"A threat. A calamity."
Another breath.
"If nothing changes… he will plunge this world into endless war for nothing but his own pleasure in it."
Silence fills the room.
Kane leans back slightly, thinking.
"I was once called a hero," he says quietly.
The weight of it is clear.
"I've seen men like that before."
A pause.
"And worse."
His gaze shifts.
"I've also written letters that open the gates of Dreadspire Academy."
A glance toward Aphrodite.
"As I did for you."
Then back to Ignis.
"You believe he should be killed."
"A pity."
"No."
Aphrodite steps forward immediately.
Her voice shakes, but she holds firm.
"I don't believe that."
They both look at her.
"I can help him."
A pause.
"I know I can."
Ignis says nothing.
Kane watches carefully.
Aphrodite continues, more certain now.
"Let him come with us. To Dreadspire Academy."
"Not just as my protector."
A step closer.
"But as a student."
She meets her father's eyes.
"You can write for him."
A pause.
"Your name still carries weight there. It's the reason I was accepted."
Her voice softens, but her resolve holds.
"They will listen to you again."
Another step.
"Please."
Silence stretches.
Kane studies her.
Then exhales.
"You are too kind for your own good."
A pause.
"…Fine."
Relief shows in Aphrodite's face.
Ignis remains still, watching, unconvinced.
The day of departure arrives.
At the edge of the village—
I stand.
Silent.
Still.
Looking beyond it.
Aphrodite stands before Kane.
Their farewell is quiet.
"Be careful," he says.
"I will."
He places a hand on her shoulder.
"Stay close to Ignis."
A pause.
"And keep him in check."
Aphrodite gives a small, determined smile.
"I'll try."
They part.
Ignis stands just behind her, map in hand.
Ready.
Watching.
Waiting.
Aphrodite turns.
Takes a breath.
"Let's go."
I say nothing.
But I move.
And together—
we leave the village behind.