The night before the descent, Lee couldn't sleep.
He lay on his bed in the Dawn Tower a simple room with a window that faced the Sea of Renewal staring at the ceiling and listening to the distant sounds of the city. Laughter from the taverns. Crying from the nurseries. The soft murmur of prayers from the temple where the faithful gathered to thank gods who might not exist.
His mind wouldn't stop racing.
What if Amaranth has grown too powerful? What if we can't stop it? What if I lose someone else?
A knock on the door.
"Come in," Lee said.
The door opened, and Kira Ven stepped inside. She was twenty one now, her copper hair cut short for practicality, her body corded with muscle earned from years of training. The flames that had once been wild and uncontrolled were now perfectly disciplined she could light a candle from across a room or incinerate a demon with equal precision.
But tonight, she wasn't a master pyromancer. She was just Kira. Lee's oldest friend. The girl who had yelled at him for being late to a meeting about grilled rat.
"You look terrible," she said, sitting on the edge of his bed.
"Thanks."
"Seriously. You have bags under your eyes the size of my fists."
"I haven't been sleeping."
"Obviously." Kira reached out and punched his arm gently, for her. "What's wrong?"
Lee sat up, running a hand through his white streaked hair. "Everything. The Sleeper. The council. Inyocha."
"What about Inyocha?"
Lee hesitated. "He's been different lately. Quieter. More distant. I caught him staring at his shadow last week. Just... staring at it. Like it was talking to him."
Kira's face tightened. "You think the darkness is coming back?"
"I think it never left. I think he's been fighting it every day for five years, and I think he's getting tired."
"Then we help him fight."
"How? I've tried everything. Training. Meditation. Talking. Nothing works. The darkness is part of him, Kira. It always will be."
Kira was silent for a moment. Then she said, "Maybe that's not a bad thing."
Lee looked at her. "What?"
"Maybe the darkness isn't the enemy. Maybe it's just... a tool. Like my fire. Fire can burn down a village or warm a home. It depends on how you use it." She took Lee's hand. "Inyocha isn't a monster. He's a person with a monster inside him. And people can choose. Every day. Every moment. They can choose to be better."
"You sound like me."
Kira smiled. "I learned from the best."
They sat in silence, holding hands, watching the moonlight filter through the window.
"Kira," Lee said finally.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For being here. For always being here."
Kira's cheeks flushed a rare sight. "Don't get sappy. You'll ruin your reputation."
"What reputation? I'm the Light Bringer. My reputation is already ruined."
She laughed a real laugh, bright and warm and Lee felt some of the weight lift from his shoulders.
"Come on," Kira said, standing up. "You need to sleep. Big day tomorrow."
"I know."
"And Lee?"
"Yeah?"
Kira paused at the door. "Whatever happens in the Sunken City... whatever we find down there... I'm glad I'm going with you. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
She left before he could respond.
Lee lay back down, staring at the ceiling.
For the first time in days, he smiled.