The first rays of sunlight crossed the Mountain.
The morning light advanced slowly over the pine treetops.
Among the trees...
The mist still lingered suspended over the slope.
The wind moved through the branches.
The leaves trembled beneath its passage.
Farther ahead...
A cabin stood among the pines.
The wood had disappeared beneath a thick darkness.
The black spread across the walls.
Climbed the beams.
Reached the roof.
The cracks that had once allowed light to enter no longer existed.
Not even the first rays of morning could pass through them.
Thum.
A pulse traveled through the structure.
The wood groaned.
Creeeak...
Some of the planks bent.
The black continued advancing.
In front of the cabin...
Karna held his bow raised.
An arrow rested between his fingers.
The string remained taut.
His light brown eyes followed the darkness consuming the entrance.
At his side...
Telvaris kept his feet firmly planted on the earth.
A long metal scythe rested between his hands.
The curved blade discreetly reflected the morning light.
Small metallic fragments still traveled across its surface, fitting themselves together until the last gap disappeared.
Clink.
The metal settled into place.
Telvaris did not take his eyes off the cabin.
"The structure is giving way."
Karna watched one of the beams bend beneath the darkness.
"I was starting to notice."
His voice remained low.
Thum.
Another pulse passed through the cabin.
Part of the roof trembled.
The black slid across the wood.
Telvaris adjusted his grip on the scythe.
"Keep the entrance in your sights."
Karna tilted his head slightly.
"That was exactly what I intended to do."
His eyes traveled along the side of the structure.
"Although it's getting difficult to decide what can still be called an entrance."
Telvaris did not answer.
The wind swept across the slope.
A green glow appeared a few steps ahead of them.
Faint.
Almost imperceptible.
It expanded over the earth.
Small luminous filaments crossed one another in the air.
And, in the next instant...
Brianna appeared among them.
THUD!
Her knees struck the ground.
One hand braced against the damp earth.
The other remained close to her chest.
Her long silver-white hair fell over her shoulders.
A few strands covered part of her face.
The green glow vanished around her body.
Karna shifted his eyes for a fraction of a second.
"Brianna."
She did not answer.
Her fingers contracted against the earth.
She inhaled slowly.
The air passed through her lungs.
Then...
She raised her face.
Her white irises remained fixed on the cabin.
Karna studied her expression.
Then returned his gaze to the entrance.
"I'll assume the ritual didn't end the way we expected."
Brianna remained silent.
A thin green line still ran along her wrist.
It flickered.
And disappeared.
Telvaris stepped forward half a pace.
The scythe remained raised.
"Status."
Brianna did not take her eyes off the cabin.
For a few moments...
Creeeak...
Only the creaking of the wood answered.
Karna watched the darkness reach the porch.
His expression lost every trace of humor.
"Brianna."
His voice came out firmer.
"What happened in there?"
Brianna narrowed her eyes slightly.
Her gaze passed quickly over the two of them.
Then...
Returned to the cabin.
"Don't lower your weapons."
Telvaris planted his feet firmly.
Karna discreetly adjusted the position of his arrow.
"That wasn't in my plans."
Brianna placed her other hand on her knee.
She began to stand.
But interrupted the movement.
Her attention turned entirely to the cabin.
Thum.
A pulse passed through the cabin.
This time...
The black covering the walls moved.
It did not advance.
It retreated.
Slowly...
Part of the darkness began to detach itself from the wood.
The black stains contracted over the planks.
Slid along the beams.
Gathered around the entrance.
Telvaris raised his scythe slightly.
"Karna."
"I see it."
The bowstring tightened a few more centimeters.
Brianna remained kneeling.
Her lips parted.
"It's coming."
The wind swept through the pines.
The leaves trembled.
Before them...
The darkness stirred.
Part of the black flowed across the porch.
Reached the steps.
Spread across the earth.
A sound emerged from inside the cabin.
Tac.
A brief pause.
Tac.
Footsteps.
Tac.
A silhouette appeared behind the black layer.
First...
Only its outline.
Then...
Éreon crossed the entrance.
His black hair fell past his shoulders.
Long, disordered strands hung beside his face.
The first rays of sunlight touched his pale skin.
The light moved across his shoulders.
Reached his chest.
Traveled down his arms.
The black half-moon remained marked on his right shoulder.
There were no clothes on his body.
From the waist down, however, the shadows remained dense, partially concealing him as he advanced.
Éreon descended the first step.
Then another.
Creeeak...
The wood creaked beneath his feet.
Behind him...
The black continued covering the cabin.
Karna did not shoot.
His eyes followed every movement.
None of the three spoke.
Éreon reached the earth.
Stopped.
And, little by little...
The shadows on his face began to recede.
Brianna remained motionless.
Her white eyes never left him.
Éreon raised his head.
His black eyes met the light of dawn.
For a few moments...
They remained fixed on the horizon.
He watched the rays of sunlight pass through the pine treetops.
The mist was dispersing among the trees.
The wind moved his hair.
He did not move.
Karna followed the direction of his gaze.
Then...
Turned his eyes toward the cabin.
The darkness continued enveloping the wood.
"Great."
His voice came out low.
"He's admiring the sunrise."
The arrow remained pointed at Éreon.
"Someone should tell him we have a slightly bigger problem."
Brianna did not respond to the remark.
Her white eyes remained fixed on the shadows.
"Karna..."
Her voice came out firm.
"Don't lose sight of that darkness."
Karna shifted his gaze slightly.
"Believe me, I don't intend to."
Brianna placed one hand on her knee.
Slowly...
She managed to stand.
"That isn't a simple manifestation of energy."
The wind swept across the slope.
Behind Éreon...
The black contracted against the cabin walls.
Thum.
A pulse traveled through the wood.
Brianna watched the movement.
"The Abyss itself."
A brief pause.
"Is materializing before us."
Karna remained silent.
The humor vanished from his expression.
The bowstring remained taut.
Telvaris tightened his grip on the scythe.
And, before them...
Éreon was still watching the sunrise.
"How long?"
His voice broke the silence.
Low.
Without any sign of effort.
Karna narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Depends."
The arrow remained pointed at him.
"Are we talking about how long you were gone..."
"or how much longer that cabin intends to remain standing?"
"More than a year."
The answer came from Brianna.
Karna briefly shifted his eyes toward her.
She did not return his gaze.
She continued watching Éreon.
"You remained in the Abyss for more than a year."
The wind swept across the slope.
Éreon did not answer.
His black eyes remained fixed on the horizon.
A strand of hair slipped across his face.
He did not brush it aside.
He simply watched the light spreading between the trees.
Then...
Slowly...
He turned his head.
His eyes met Brianna's.
Passed over Karna.
Then...
Over Telvaris.
No surprise appeared on his face.
No relief.
His gaze remained serene.
Almost indifferent.
Karna held that gaze for a few moments.
The string remained taut between his fingers.
"Éreon..."
He did not finish.
"I will destroy the Tupania Empire."
His voice came out low.
Clear.
Without the slightest change.
The wind moved the black hair over his shoulders.
Éreon continued looking at the three of them.
"And then..."
"I will hunt down Phoebrus."
His eyes did not waver.
"And kill him with my own hands."
Silence fell over the slope.
Not even the wind seemed to pass through the pines in that instant.
"The Abyss gave you many things back..."
A voice emerged from behind them.
Low.
Serene.
Karna tilted his head slightly.
"Well..."
A brief smile touched his lips.
"You've finally decided to come down from the top of the Mountain, Kael."
A few steps behind them...
Kael stood among the pines.
Long, dark garments covered his body.
Simple.
Without ornaments.
The fabric fell to a pair of boots resting on the damp earth.
His tanned skin discreetly caught the morning light.
Thick, unruly brown hair fell over his forehead.
A dark blindfold completely covered his eyes.
Even so...
His face remained turned toward Éreon.
There was no hesitation in his posture.
Nor any apparent effort to recognize those standing before him.
He remained motionless.
For an instant...
The wind swept through the pines.
Then his voice returned.
"...but I wonder how much of yourself you allowed to return."
Silence lingered among the trees.
Éreon turned calmly.
His gaze reached the figure among the pines.
His black eyes remained fixed on the blindfold covering Kael's face.
Neither of them spoke.
Karna watched that silence.
The smile disappeared from his lips.
Kael tilted his head slightly.
"There are places we can return from without ever entirely leaving them behind."
"And there are choices..."
His voice remained calm.
"that stay with us even after we forget why we made them."
Éreon did not look away.
Kael remained facing him.
"I hope you still recognize the difference."
Éreon remained motionless.
His black eyes stayed on Kael.
For a few moments...
Neither of them spoke.
Then...
Éreon looked away.
Turned around.
And began walking toward the cabin.
The darkness that had reached the earth began to retreat.
Slowly...
It slid across the ground.
Withdrew up the porch steps.
The stains surrounding the walls contracted as well.
The wood began to reappear beneath them.
First in small patches.
Then...
Along the beams.
Éreon reached the entrance.
The shadows moved away from his path.
He crossed the doorway.
And disappeared inside the cabin.
Only the creaking of the wood broke the silence.
Kael tilted his head slightly.
Then...
He began to walk.
He passed Karna.
Then Telvaris.
His steps led straight toward the cabin.
No hesitation appeared in his movements.
Karna watched him pass.
"All right..."
His eyes returned to the entrance.
"So we're just going to walk in there?"
Kael did not answer.
He continued forward.
Karna turned to Brianna.
"Just to be clear..."
"You barely managed to get out, and now we're following him inside?"
Brianna watched the last black stains disappear between the planks.
"Since Éreon came out, the manifestation hasn't tried to strike us."
Her eyes followed Kael as he climbed the steps.
"And it's retreating as he approaches."
Karna continued looking at her.
"Does that mean it's safe?"
"It means we can go in."
Brianna turned her eyes toward him.
"Not that we should abandon caution."
Karna discreetly exhaled through his nose.
"How reassuring."
Farther ahead...
Kael crossed the entrance.
Disappeared into the darkness.
Brianna continued watching the door for a few moments.
She reached one hand inside her cloak.
Pulled out a small pouch of coins.
And tossed it toward Karna.
He caught it with his free hand.
Tlim.
A few coins clinked inside.
Karna lowered his eyes.
Then looked back at Brianna.
"Should I ask?"
"We need horses."
She indicated the pouch with her eyes.
"And clothes that won't draw attention."
A brief pause.
"Especially for Éreon."
Karna looked at the cabin.
Then at the pouch.
"All right. Horses and clothes."
Brianna continued:
"Nothing that could identify our origins. Avoid the merchants near the main routes."
"Discretion. Understood."
Karna tucked the pouch beneath his clothes.
"Although I admit I was curious to find out what exactly came back from the abyss."
A small smile appeared on his lips.
"Looks like I'll be missing the interesting part."
"Karna."
Telvaris's voice interrupted the remark.
"We've already wasted too much time."
Karna turned his eyes toward him.
Telvaris continued:
"If we delay any longer, we'll find the County's passages under surveillance."
His voice remained firm.
"We need to leave before they close the routes."
Brianna nodded discreetly.
"Telvaris is right."
Her eyes swept across the slope.
"The County is already gathering its forces against the Western Marquessate."
A brief pause.
"If we stay here, by the time we arrive, we won't be entering as allies anymore."
She turned her eyes toward Karna.
"We'll be trying to reach a war that began without us."
Silence lingered for a few moments.
Karna studied the two of them.
Then...
Lowered his bow.
Removed the arrow from the string.
Stored it with the others.
Then slung the bow across his back.
"Very well."
He ran one hand through his hair.
"I'll find horses, clothes, and a way for us to cross the County without drawing attention."
His eyes returned to the cabin.
"You can handle the part where we find out whether Éreon still intends to talk to anyone."
Telvaris did not answer.
Karna let out a brief smile.
"Thought so."
He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head.
Adjusted the pouch of coins beneath his clothes.
Turned around.
Began descending the trail.
His footsteps gradually disappeared among the pines.
Brianna watched him leave for a moment.
Then...
Turned toward the cabin.
The darkness no longer completely covered the walls.
Even so...
The interior remained concealed.
Telvaris approached.
The long metal scythe began to come apart in his hands.
Clink.
Fragments broke away from the blade.
Slid down the handle.
Gathered into small metallic clusters before disappearing beneath his clothes.
Brianna began to walk.
Telvaris followed her.
The two climbed the porch steps.
Creeeak...
The wood creaked beneath their footsteps.
At the entrance...
Brianna stopped for a moment.
Her white eyes remained fixed on the darkness.
Then...
She crossed the doorway.
Telvaris entered right behind her.