Miria looked up at Asher, exhausted.
"There. I'm the one who turned Ashenford into a ghost town. I'm the monster."
She began to cry. Asher remained silent for a long moment, then took her in his arms and held her tightly against him. Miria sobbed hot tears against his neck. He stroked her back with a gentle hand.
"You're not a monster, Miria. It's not your fault that the town was destroyed… or that the people died."
He pulled back slightly to look her in the eyes.
"It was Kil's greed and thirst for power that led to all of this. People like him… and like Vareck… destroy everything by using others, and they couldn't care less. While the others have to live with the guilt. I bet it's the same guilt Léana felt when she was with Vareck. And it's the same one you feel for what happened in Ashenford. However… it's time to turn the page. To accept what happened. And to forgive yourself."
He offered her a sad smile before taking her back into his arms.
Behind the tents, the group listened in silence, their hearts tight. No one dared move.
Miria sobbed more softly, finally a little lightened of the weight she had carried alone for so long. Asher held her even tighter.
"We're going to cross Ashenford together. And this time… you won't be alone."
---
After a moment of rest, the group set off again. A few hours later, the group arrived at the entrance of what had once been Ashenford. Miria froze, hesitant, her gaze lost on the ruins. Asher squeezed her hand even tighter, as if to transfer his courage to her. She took a deep breath… then they entered.
The town was nothing more than a field of rubble. Collapsed walls, broken streets, houses reduced to skeletons of stone. The silence was almost oppressive. The further they advanced, the more troubled Miria seemed. Suddenly, she stopped dead, eyes wide, then started running.
"Miria!" Asher called.
She arrived near what had once been the town's esplanade. The place where, in her past life, after the destruction, she had turned this location into a cemetery. She had erected a tombstone for every family… in honor of the dead… and to try to atone.
She observed the place, her face frozen. The others joined her and watched her without understanding.
"Miria… what's wrong?" Asher asked.
"It's here…" she murmured, troubled. "This is where I created the memorial. Tombstones for every family in the town… for those who died… because of me."
"But they're still here, aren't they?" said Asher, looking around.
"Yes… but not all of them. Look… the one for Lira's family is gone. The one for another of my friends too… There are missing ones."
Bryan shrugged.
"Probably some idiots destroyed those stones by accident…"
"No," Miria answered in a dark voice. "It's too strange. Almost all the tombstones of my friends have disappeared. Of course, there are also stones of other families I didn't know… but… first of all… who removed them? And why?"
At that moment, footsteps echoed. Everyone immediately went on guard. A group of people appeared in the distance and advanced toward them. When they were close enough, a mature man with black hair lightly streaked with gray, piercing gray eyes, and a face marked by masculine features. His imposing build and elegant appearance gave him a naturally commanding presence leading the group displayed a wide welcoming smile.
"Welcome, travelers. You've come to see the legendary ghost town of Ashenford, haven't you?"
Asher hesitated for a moment.
"Yes… that's exactly it. We wanted to verify the truth of the legend… Uh… Mister…?"
The man bowed slightly.
"Élias Veyran, at your service."
Miria repeated the name under her breath, frowning.
"Veyran… Veyran… That name… it seems familiar."
Élias smiled.
"Well, you'd have to be from my town… or straight from Ashenford to know it. Which is impossible, of course."
"Why?" Axel asked.
"Because it's the name of the former mayor who governed Ashenford at the time. My ancestor."
Miria's eyes widened.
"What…? You mean you're the descendant of Mayor Aldric Veyran?"
Élias looked surprised.
"Yes… that's correct. But how do you know the name of my great-great-great… well, of my ancestor? That's a lot of generations, after all."
"One of my ancestors was friends with yours," Miria answered in a composed voice. "It was actually him who told the story of the ghost town to previous generations… who then passed it down to us."
Élias nodded with a nostalgic smile.
"Oh… I see. It's a shame your ancestor died without knowing that his friend had survived."
Miria went slightly pale.
"So… there were survivors?"
"Well… it would be better if we left this cemetery to talk about it elsewhere, don't you think?"
Everyone hesitated. Then, after exchanging a look with Asher, Miria finally accepted. They followed Élias and his group.