The chief stood over the Traveler's body.
Nothing moved.
The three blades remained buried in his back.
Blood had stained the floor beneath him.
Seris lay several meters away, motionless.
One villager looked toward the chief.
"Are they dead?"
The chief didn't answer immediately.
He stared at Traveler.
Something about the body bothered him.
Even unconscious—
the Traveler looked as though he could wake at any moment.
Finally, the chief spoke.
"Take them."
Several men stepped forward.
Two grabbed Traveler by his arms.
Another seized his legs.
They lifted him.
His head hung motionlessly.
No reaction.
No resistance.
Nothing.
Seris was carried next.
Her body was placed beside his.
The chief followed them outside.
The night air was cold.
The village remained completely silent.
Nobody spoke.
They walked toward the mountain path.
The same mountain Traveler had once descended from.
The same mountain where the village believed death waited beyond the trees.
They climbed higher.
Higher.
Until the village disappeared beneath the darkness.
At the edge of the mountain stood a massive cliff.
Below it—
nothing but blackness.
The chief stopped.
"Here."
The villagers placed Traveler near the edge.
Seris was placed beside him.
The chief looked at them one final time.
"They survived too much."
A villager hesitated.
"Chief..."
The chief turned.
"What?"
"What if they're still alive?"
The chief looked back toward the bodies.
"Then the mountain will finish what we couldn't."
Silence.
Two men grabbed Traveler.
They lifted his body.
Then—
THUD.
They threw him over the edge.
His body disappeared into the darkness.
A moment later—
Seris was thrown after him.
Her body vanished into the same black void.
The villagers remained at the cliff.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The chief finally turned away.
"Go."
They began walking back.
One by one, the villagers disappeared down the mountain path.
The cliff became empty.
Only the wind remained.
Far below—
Traveler's body struck the mountain wall.
CRACK.
It bounced from the rock.
Then fell again.
THUD.
Again.
CRACK.
His body continued downward through darkness.
The three blades in his back shifted with every impact.
Finally—
he disappeared into the trees below.
Seris fell somewhere nearby.
Neither moved.
Neither woke.
The village believed the mountain had taken them.
But deep beneath the darkness—
something else remained.
Not a voice.
Not Arafial.
Not the Abyss.
Just silence.
And beneath Traveler's collarbone—
the Abyssal Mark gave one faint pulse.
...
Then went dark again.
No one saw it.
Not the villagers.
Not the chief.
Not even Seris.
And somewhere deep within the forest—
something opened its eyes.