Silence.
It was the first thing Solance felt as consciousness returned to him.
No collapsing worlds.
No screaming system.
No cosmic light tearing creation apart.
Just stillness.
Soft earth beneath his cheek.
A faint breeze brushing his hair.
A far-off rustle of leaves like whispers remembering how to breathe.
He blinked slowly.
Above him stretched a sky soft as dawn lavender fading into pale gold.
A sky untouched by system sigils.
Untorn.
Unbroken.
For the first time since falling into creation, Solance heard nothing except the quiet heartbeat of a living world.
He pushed himself up, groggy.
"…Aurelianth…?
Lioren…?"
His voice echoed gently across the field.
He sat on the edge of a small clearing, resting among soft blue grass that glowed faintly under his hands.
Strange flowers floated above the ground not growing from it and pulsed like lanterns.
The air felt warm.
Sweet.
Alive.
But his chest...
Solance gasped.
His hand flew to his heart.
The shard pulsed heavily inside him four distinct lights swirling together:
Remembrance.
Healing.
Balance.
Compassion.
"…Ariasen…"
His breath shook.
The last thing he remembered was Ariasen stepping between him and the system's beam.
The light devouring them.
Their body fracturing like stardust.
Solance's eyes flooded with tears.
"…Ariasen… I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry…"
The shard pulsed in reply not to comfort him, but to remind him:
Ariasen was not gone.
Their essence lived inside him, in the purposes he carried.
He clutched the glow tightly.
"…I'll bring you back.
I promise…"
A soft groan nearby cut through his grief.
Solance spun toward the sound.
Aurelianth lay a few meters away half on his side, one wing draped protectively over the ground as if shielding something even in unconsciousness.
Solance hurried to him.
"Aurelianth!"
He knelt beside the golden guardian and touched his cheek gently.
A warm pulse answered...
Aurelianth's light rising slowly in his skin as consciousness stirred.
His lashes fluttered.
Then his eyes opened.
Deep gold.
Soft.
Relieved the moment they saw Solance.
"Solance…"
His voice was hoarse, but the way he spoke Solance's name felt like a vow.
Solance nearly collapsed into his arms.
"Aurelianth...
I thought...
I thought I lost you..."
Aurelianth pulled him close, arms wrapping around Solance's small frame as though anchoring both of them to the earth.
"I'm here.
I'm right here."
Solance clutched his tunic.
"The system...
Ariasen...
Everything went white...
I didn't know if..."
Aurelianth placed his forehead against Solance's.
"Shh.
You survived.
We survived.
That's what matters now."
Solance trembled.
"But Ariasen..."
Aurelianth's lips tightened.
"I know."
They held each other a moment longer, breathing in the silence left behind by a dying god.
A rustle from behind them broke the quiet.
Lioren staggered into view, hair messy, armor cracked, amber light flickering like an unsteady candle.
"Oh thank the first breath you two are awake.."
Aurelianth helped steady her as she approached.
"You're hurt."
Lioren snorted.
"I've been thrown through worse by training instructors, but yes...this was a step up."
Solance hugged her tightly.
"Lioren....
Thank the stars you're alive...!"
She chuckled and hugged him back.
"You think you're getting rid of me that easily?
Please."
They settled together in the clearing, catching their breath and gathering their bearings.
Lioren scanned the environment.
"…Where exactly are we?"
Aurelianth lifted his gaze to the horizon.
The sky was gentle.
The earth glowed with quiet vitality.
The air smelled of beginnings.
"This place is...familiar."
Solance frowned.
"Familiar how?"
Aurelianth pointed toward the distant mountains a range glowing with faint gold, their peaks wrapped in spirals of soft mist.
"The Mountain of Second Breath."
Lioren's eyes widened.
"So Ariasen really sent us straight to the next purpose."
Solance touched his chest.
The shard pulsed as if agreeing.
Aurelianth nodded.
"They exhausted what little form they had left to give us a chance."
Solance looked down, tears returning.
"Ariasen sacrificed themselves…"
"And they will again,"
Lioren said softly but firmly,
"if we don't get stronger."
Aurelianth rested a comforting hand on Solance's back.
"We have four purposes now.
We grow stronger every step."
Solance, still staring at the mountain, whispered:
"…I want to finish what they started."
The shard pulsed again.
This time with determination.
The ground trembled beneath them.
All three tensed.
Aurelianth rose, wings half-spread.
"Something's approaching."
Lioren formed amber blades in both hands.
"Not the system again...?"
"No,"
Aurelianth said after listening to the vibration.
"This… feels alive."
From the trees emerged a creature made of wind and starlight softly shaped like a deer, its antlers glowing pale blue, its fur made of swirling clouds.
Solance blinked.
"Is it… dangerous?"
The creature bowed.
Not threatening.
Welcoming.
Ariasen's voice whispered faintly through the shard:
"…A guide…"
Solance gasped.
"It's here to help us."
Aurelianth nodded.
"Then we follow."
Lioren approached cautiously.
"…Do guides usually appear this early in a volume?"
Solance giggled softly a much-needed sound.
"I don't know.
But I'm glad it did."
The creature turned toward the mountain and released a gentle, chiming sound like bells carried by wind.
Solance stood.
His legs trembled not from weakness, but from purpose.
"Aurelianth…
Lioren…
Let's go."
Aurelianth smiled softly.
"Always."
Lioren grinned.
"With you?
Forever."
The three followed the glowing creature
into the path leading toward the mountain's base.
But before they left the clearing,Solance looked back one last time..toward the sky where Ariasen's light had broken.
He whispered:
"…Please wait for me…"
The shard pulsed in reply.
They turned.
And the journey toward the final purpose began.