Ellina woke to the soft hush of dawn.
For a moment she didn't remember falling asleep. The world was cool and quiet, the fire behind them reduced to faint, glowing embers. Her cloak was pulled snug around her shoulders, warmer than she expected, and when she shifted, she realized why.
Siegfried sat beside her, exactly where he had been through the night.
He hadn't moved.
He watched the treeline with the same steady vigilance, the early light brushing the edges of his profile in pale gold. His posture was rigid, alert, but there was a softness in his expression she hadn't seen before — something unguarded, something tired.
Ellina straightened slowly, careful not to disturb him. "You stayed awake the whole night," she murmured.
Siegfried glanced at her, just briefly. "I said I would."
She noticed then — the faint tension in his shoulders, the way his eyes carried the weight of hours without rest. And beneath that, something gentler: the quiet care in the way he had covered her, the way he had kept watch not just over the forest, but over her.
"You should have woken me," she said softly.
"You needed sleep."
Ellina studied him for a moment, the morning light catching in her silver hair. "So did you."
He didn't answer.
Around them, the camp began to stir riders rising from their bedrolls, murmuring quietly, unaware of the small, fragile peace that had settled at the edge of the clearing.
Ellina rose to her feet, brushing the dew from her cloak. She hesitated, then looked down at him with a faint, warm breath.
"Thank you," she said.
Siegfried lowered his gaze. "It was nothing."
But she knew better.
Ellina rose quietly, brushing the dew from her cloak as she stepped away from the log. The camp was beginning to stir, but the mood was different from the night before. Softer. Looser. Sleep had smoothed the sharp edges of fear into something more manageable.
A few riders stretched stiffly, groaning as they rolled their shoulders. Someone yawned loud enough to startle a bird from a nearby branch. Another muttered about wishing for warmer blankets. The normalcy of it settled over the clearing like a gentle fog.
For the first time since the ruins, the camp felt almost… ordinary.
Vinrah moved through the group, checking on each rider with her usual brisk efficiency, but her voice lacked the tension it had carried the previous evening. She even allowed herself a small, tired smile when one of the younger riders complained about the cold ground.
Siegfried watched all of this from the edge of the clearing, still standing where Ellina had left him. He expected the glances. The whispers. The distance.
But the riders didn't avoid him this time.
They didn't approach him either — not yet — but their eyes held curiosity instead of fear. Respect instead of suspicion. A few nodded in his direction, tentative but genuine.
Sleep had given them space to breathe.
Ellina joined the others near the fire pit, helping to pack the last of the supplies. She moved with quiet purpose, but every so often, her gaze drifted back toward Siegfried — not checking on him but acknowledging him.
A silent thread still connected them from the night before.
When Vinrah finally called for departure, the riders mounted with far less hesitation than the day prior. The forest felt lighter too, the morning sun filtering through the branches in warm, shifting beams.
Ellina stepped onto the stairs of the carriage, then looked back at Siegfried once more. This time, she offered a small, steady nod.
He returned it.
No words.
No explanations.
Just a quiet understanding.
The company set off toward the pass, the horses moving in a calm, steady line. The tension had not vanished entirely it would take time, but the fear had loosened its grip.
And for the first time since the ruins, Siegfried did not ride at the very back.
He stayed a few paces behind the group, close enough to be part of it, far enough to keep his distance but no longer isolated.
The morning felt lighter.
The road ahead felt possible.
The path beyond the boundary stones opened into a world that felt impossibly vast.
The forest thinned into sweeping plains of silver green grass that shimmered like water whenever the wind passed through. The air seemed clearer here, sharper, and it carried a faint hum of magic that thrummed beneath the skin like a distant heartbeat.
Ellina inhaled deeply, her shoulders relaxing in a way Siegfried had never seen. "This is home," she murmured, almost to herself. "I forgot how different the air feels."
Siegfried rode beside her in silence, his eyes fixed on the horizon. He had never seen anything like this. The land rose and fell in gentle waves, but the sky above it stole his breath.
Floating islands drifted overhead, suspended by no visible force. Some were no larger than boulders, drifting lazily like slow moving clouds. Others were massive, entire chunks of earth with trees growing sideways from their edges, their roots dangling into the open air like tangled curtains. Waterfalls spilled from several of them, cascading downward until they dissolved into mist before touching the ground.
Siegfried stared upward, unable to look away. "How is that possible," he whispered.
Ellina smiled faintly. "Gishtar has always been like this. The land listens to the magic here. It shapes itself around it."
Sunlight refracted strangely around the floating islands, bending in soft arcs that painted the sky with faint ribbons of color.
Scattered across the plains were crystals the size of houses. They jutted from the earth at impossible angles, glowing with inner light. Blues, violets, and pale golds pulsed gently, each crystal breathing like a sleeping giant. Some were cracked and humming with faint energy that made the air ripple around them. Others stood pristine and sharp, scattering sunlight in dazzling shards across the grass.
Siegfried slowed his horse, taking it all in. "I have never seen anything like this."
"I grew up with it," Ellina said softly. "But I never stopped loving it."
Between the crystals, the ground was dotted with small pools of perfectly still water. Each one reflected the sky with unnatural clarity, as if they were windows into another world rather than simple reflections.
Above, the sky was alive.
Magical creatures soared through the air, weaving between the floating islands with effortless grace. Sleek, feathered serpents glided on shimmering wings, their scales catching the light like molten silver. Flocks of crystal winged birds darted between the drifting landmasses, leaving trails of sparkling dust in their wake. Farther off, a massive creature drifted slowly across the sky, something like a manta ray made of translucent light, its wings rippling like fabric in a gentle breeze.
Siegfried watched them with quiet awe. "Do they ever come down?"
"Sometimes," Ellina replied. "If they are curious."
A low, resonant call echoed across the plains, vibrating through the air and into the bones of anyone who heard it. The riders slowed without meaning to.
Even Vinrah, who rarely allowed herself to be distracted, stared upward with wide eyes. The tension of the past days loosened in their shoulders, replaced by awe, wonder, and a quiet reverence for the land they had entered.
Ellina's voice softened. "Welcome to Gishtar."
Siegfried looked at her, then at the sky again. "It is beautiful," he said quietly.
Ellina smiled, a small, warm expression that held both pride and longing. "It always has been."
The company rode on, small figures beneath a sky full of drifting islands and living magic, each step carrying them deeper into the heart of Ellina's homeland and farther into a world Siegfried had never imagined.
The company rode deeper into Gishtar, the floating islands drifting overhead and the great crystals gleaming in the morning sun. The air felt alive, humming with quiet magic. Even the riders, weary from days of tension, seemed to breathe easier.
Ellina guided her horse along a gentle rise in the plains, her eyes bright with recognition. "The capital is not far now. Once we crest the next ridge, we should see the outer spires."
Siegfried took in the shimmering horizon. "It feels peaceful here."
"It usually is," Ellina replied.
Vinrah raised a hand. "Keep your spacing. The land is open, but that does not mean safe."
The riders adjusted their formation. The wind carried the scent of wildflowers and distant water. A flock of crystal winged birds swept overhead, scattering tiny sparks of light.
Then the wind shifted.
Siegfried felt it first, a faint pressure in the air that prickled along his skin. His horse tossed its head, uneasy.
Vinrah noticed. "Hold."
The company slowed.
Ellina scanned the plains. "What is it."
No one answered.
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
Then the arrows fell.
The guards died instantly.
Five bodies dropped in the same heartbeat, each struck with lethal precision. One fell backward off his saddle, eyes already glassy. Another pitched forward, an arrow buried deep in his throat. A third collapsed sideways, his shield still strapped uselessly to his arm. The last two toppled without a sound, their horses stumbling in confusion as their riders hit the grass.
Silence followed, sudden and horrifying.
Only Vinrah, Ellina, and Siegfried remained mounted.
Ellina's breath broke. "No."
Vinrah's jaw tightened, but there was no one left to command. No formation to call. No shields to raise. The company was gone.
Siegfried scanned the plains, his voice low. "They were killed before we even saw the threat."
The grass rippled.
Figures rose from the tall blades, crouched low and armed. More emerged from behind a cluster of crystals, then from the shadow beneath a drifting island. A ring of mercenaries closed around them.
Their armor was mismatched and marked with a symbol Ellina recognized instantly. Her voice trembled. "The Red Veil Company. They should not be anywhere near the capital."
The mercenary leader stepped forward, a scarred man with a jagged blade and a cruel smile. "Travelers, you picked the wrong road. Gishtar pays well for prisoners these days."
Ellina's eyes widened. "Prisoners. Why would the kingdom need—"
The man laughed. "You have not heard. The kingdom is bleeding. The capital is choking. You are walking into a war you know nothing about."
He raised his hand.
The ambush closed.
Steel clashed against steel, the sound ringing across the plains. Siegfried intercepted the first attacker with a swift parry, refusing to call the blue fire unless he had no choice. Ellina fought near Vinrah, her movements sharp and controlled, grief and fury tightening her strikes.
Another attacker rushed Siegfried. He blocked the blow, then drove his elbow into the man's chest, sending him sprawling. More came. Too many.
Vinrah moved with deadly precision, her blade cutting down the first mercenary who reached her. She fought without shouting orders, without relying on anyone else. There was no one left to command.
Ellina's voice trembled with anger. "Why would anyone attack travelers on the king's road. This is Gishtar. This is supposed to be safe."
Siegfried met her eyes for a brief moment. "Something has changed."
The mercenary leader advanced again, grinning. "The kingdom is at war."
He lunged.
Siegfried blocked the strike, sparks scattering across the grass. The force of the blow drove him back a step.
Ellina cried out, "Siegfried."
He steadied himself, eyes narrowing.
The plains of Gishtar, once bright and peaceful, now echoed with the sound of battle and the bodies of fallen guards.
And the truth settled over them like a cold shadow.
The kingdom was at war.
The mercenaries pressed harder, their blades flashing in the morning light. Siegfried cut down one attacker, then another, but the ring around them only tightened. Vinrah fought like a storm, her strikes sharp and efficient. Ellina stayed close, her breath quick with fear and fury.
Then Siegfried felt it again.
That shift in the air.
That faint pressure.
The warning he had missed once already.
"Down," he shouted.
Too late.
A second volley of arrows hissed through the air.
One struck Siegfried in the shoulder, driving him back with a sharp jolt of pain. Another buried itself in his side, the force nearly knocking him from his horse. He gritted his teeth, refusing to fall.
A third arrow hit him low in the ribs.
His breath left him in a harsh gasp.
Ellina cried out, reaching toward him, but a mercenary swung the hilt of his sword into her temple. She collapsed instantly, her body crumpling into the grass.
"Ellina," Siegfried rasped, trying to move toward her.
Vinrah roared and charged the nearest mercenary, but another attacker struck her from behind with the blunt end of a spear. She staggered, dropped to one knee, then fell face‑first into the dirt.
Siegfried tried to push forward, but his vision blurred. The arrows burned like fire in his flesh. His legs buckled, and he dropped to one knee, gripping the grass to stay upright.
The mercenary leader approached him, smiling with cold satisfaction. "You should have stayed out of Gishtar, boy."
Siegfried tried to rise. His body refused.
The leader nodded to his men. "Take the women. Leave him. He will bleed out soon enough."
Two mercenaries hauled Ellina's limp form onto a horse. Another lifted Vinrah, securing her across a saddle. Their heads hung, unconscious and unmoving.
Siegfried forced his hand toward his sword, fingers trembling. "Stop," he whispered.
The leader mounted his horse. "You are in no position to stop anything."
The mercenaries kicked their mounts into motion. Hooves thundered across the plains as they rode off with Ellina and Vinrah, disappearing into the shimmering horizon of Gishtar.
Siegfried collapsed fully, the grass cool beneath him. The sky above blurred into drifting shapes of floating islands and distant light. His breath came shallow, ragged.
He reached out once more, fingers brushing the earth where Ellina had fallen.
Then darkness swept over him.
And the plains of Gishtar fell silent.