The shore was quiet, save for the rhythmic whisper of waves brushing against the sand. 

Under the deep blue of the night sky, a small campfire crackled, casting warm, dancing light onto the weary faces gathered around it. 

Andhur sat quietly, his gaze lost in the fire, as Yzavynne and Leeani leaned in close, hands moving gently but precisely as they wrapped bandages around his cuts and bruises from the fight with Eldritch.

 Yzavynne murmured, concentrating on a gash along his arm. 

"Hold still."

Her touch was cautious, careful not to press too hard. 

Andhur flinched only slightly, gritting his teeth but remaining quiet. 

He'd fought through worse pain, but the presence of his companions brought a calm he hadn't expected—a reminder that he wasn't alone.

Leeani worked in silence beside Yzavynne, her fingers nimble and practiced. 

Every so often, she cast Andhur a sideways glance, a faint crease between her brows, as though silently asking him how he could endure so much. 

She kept her expression neutral, though a faint warmth lingered in her gaze, a quiet compassion she rarely displayed.

△▼△▼△▼△

A few paces away, Haerak, Aina, and Ruby sat on a weathered log, their figures outlined in soft firelight. 

Ruby leaned close to Aina, her hand resting on the girl's shoulder, offering comfort in the warmth of her touch. 

Aina's wide, curious eyes flickered between her friends and the quiet shore stretching out before them, her small frame looking even smaller in the vastness of the night.

Aina said softly, her voice almost lost in the gentle crackle of the fire. 

"I never thought we'd all make it through that." 

Her tone held a mixture of relief and sorrow, as if she were still processing all that had happened, the battles that lay behind them like shadows on the sand.

Ruby nodded, a gentle smile forming as she squeezed Aina's shoulder. 

"We're stronger together. Even when things get difficult... even when it hurts," she said, her gaze softening as she watched Andhur with Leeani and Yzavynne. 

"Everyone has scars, I suppose."

Haerak looked down at his hands, which he'd been rubbing together absently, lost in thought. 

He muttered.

"But some of us carry them differently," he muttered, his voice heavy with a weight that belied his youthful features. 

 He muttered again, talking to himself.

"Soon, they'll be here..."

He stole a glance at Andhur, then at Ruby, a flicker of admiration mingling with sorrow in his expression.

A quiet sigh escaped from Andhur as he finally spoke up. 

"This life we've chosen... it takes from us. Little by little." 

His voice was quiet, almost swallowed by the sounds of the sea, but there was an undeniable edge to it. 

"But I think we're all here because we believe in something that's worth that price."

Ruby, Aina, and Haerak listened quietly, each feeling the truth of his words settle deeply within them. 

Aina leaned back, gazing up at the vast canopy of stars sprinkled across the night sky. 

The firelight softened her young face, her eyes reflecting the endless depths above them. 

She pointed to a cluster of stars, her voice filled with quiet wonder.

 She said, a soft, dreamy smile on her lips.

"Look, Papa. It's like... it's like they're all watching over us."

Haerak, sitting beside her, followed her gaze, taking in the stars with a look of fondness. 

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gently pulling her closer. 

"You're right, little one. They've been watching over all of us for longer than we can imagine." 

He paused, his voice dropping to a thoughtful whisper. 

"It's strange, isn't it? How they're always there, constant... while everything else changes."

Ruby, seated on the other side of Aina, glanced up with a soft smile, letting the warmth of the fire and the sight of the stars soothe her. She looked at Aina, who seemed so transfixed, so small under the endless sky. 

"They remind me of fireflies," she said, her voice gentle. 

"Just little flickers of light, but they bring so much beauty to the darkness."

Aina nodded eagerly, her gaze never leaving the stars. 

"They do, don't they? Sometimes... I wonder if the stars are like people, just... shining from far away. Maybe some are happier than others. And some are brighter, and some are dim, and—" 

She stopped, almost shyly, as though she'd revealed too much of her private thoughts.

Haerak chuckled softly, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. 

"It's a beautiful thought, Aina. You always see things so differently... and maybe that's what makes them special to you." 

He looked at the stars again, his expression softening. 

"Maybe each one has its own story, like us. A story that keeps them shining, no matter how far they are."

Ruby tilted her head, her gaze still fixed on the stars. 

"I think there's something comforting about that," she said thoughtfully. 

"To think that each star has a story... and that, somehow, they all come together to light up the sky."

Aina let out a small sigh, her voice barely above a whisper. 

"Papa, do you think... do you think Mama is a star, too? Watching us?"

Haerak's hand paused for a moment, his eyes softening as he looked at her. 

There was a quiet, bittersweet emotion in his face, and he held her a little closer. 

"Yes, Aina," he said softly, his voice filled with a gentle conviction. 

"I believe she is. I think she's watching over you... over us... just like the stars." 

He reached up, pointing to a particularly bright star near the horizon. 

"Maybe that one's hers. The one that shines so bright you can't miss it."

Aina's face lit up, her small fingers reaching up to the star as though she could touch it. 

"She's beautiful, Papa," she whispered. 

"Just like you said."

Ruby's gaze softened as she watched father and daughter, her heart warmed by their bond. 

The quiet love in Haerak's voice, the simple faith in Aina's eyes—

It all reminded her of something she'd forgotten—

A feeling of belonging she thought she'd lost. 

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, her voice a gentle murmur. 

"I think the stars connect us all in some way. Even if we're far apart... even if we're missing someone, they're still there. We just have to look up."

Haerak nodded, his gaze lingering on the stars. 

"We're all part of the same sky, aren't we?" he murmured. 

"It doesn't matter how far we go... those we care about will always be here with us." 

His voice caught, and he looked down at Aina, his hand brushing her hair softly. 

"That's something worth holding onto, isn't it?"

Aina nodded slowly, a peaceful smile spreading across her face. 

"I think... maybe that's why the stars are so pretty. They're like memories. Even if we can't see them every night, they're still there, waiting for us."

The three of them fell into a companionable silence, each lost in thought. 

The stars twinkled above, casting a gentle light over the shore.

The fire crackling softly as the waves whispered against the sand. It was a rare moment of peace—

A feeling that, no matter what awaited them, they weren't truly alone.

Ruby broke the silence, her voice soft but thoughtful. 

"You know... it's easy to forget things in the rush of everything. To forget that we're all part of something bigger, something that's lasted long before us and will last long after." 

She glanced at Aina and Haerak, her smile tinged with a quiet sadness. 

"But looking up... it reminds me that, even if it's just for a moment, we can find peace. And that's something worth cherishing."

Haerak nodded, his voice warm. 

"We've been through so much, but somehow... looking up at the stars like this, it's like all of that fades. Just for a while."

Aina closed her eyes, her voice barely a murmur as she leaned against her father. 

"I wish we could stay like this forever."

△▼△▼△▼△

The crackle of the campfire filled the quiet between them as Yzavynne and Leeani tied off the last bandage around Andhur's forearm. 

Their hands moved carefully, mindful of each bruise and cut marring his skin.

Andhur's breaths were steady now, his expression calm, though exhaustion lingered in his eyes. 

He looked at the firelight, casting a soft glow over them, his gaze distant yet peaceful.

Leeani, checking the final wrap on his arm, gave a satisfied nod. 

She murmured gently.

"There. That should hold for now. You'll need a proper healer once we get back, though."

Andhur nodded, flexing his fingers carefully as if testing the bandages. 

"Thank you. I'd be a lot worse off if you two hadn't stepped in."

Yzavynne, leaning back against a nearby log, brushed off the compliment with a light wave of her hand. 

"We did what anyone would do. Besides, you've taken worse hits before, haven't you?" 

Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of humor meant to ease the lingering tension from the battle.

A quiet chuckle escaped Andhur, though it was tempered by fatigue. 

"True enough. Still... every fight feels harder than the last." 

He glanced down at his hands, turning them over as if studying the scars and fresh bruises. 

"I've been in so many battles, yet... each one leaves its mark."

A pause hung in the air, heavy yet comforting, as they each settled into the quiet presence of the other. 

Leeani looked back toward the shoreline, her gaze thoughtful as she traced the shapes of the distant waves. 

"Do you think they're all still fighting?" she asked softly, her voice carrying a note of worry.

Yzavynne's eyes followed hers, casting a glance toward the dark horizon. 

"Most likely. They won't stop until they're sure everyone's safe," she replied, though there was an underlying concern in her tone. 

"Captain's with them, though. If anyone can lead them out of danger, it's him."

Andhur nodded, his voice steady and reassuring. 

"They'll be fine. Captain has a way of keeping everyone together, even when things get rough. He knows when to push forward and when to hold back." 

He looked over at Ruby, Aina, and Haerak, who were still talking quietly by the fire. 

"As long as those three are safe, then... that's all that matters. Captain would want that."

Leeani looked at him, her expression softening. 

"It seems like they mean a lot to you," she said, a faint smile crossing her lips.

Andhur's gaze softened as he watched the small group. 

"They do. Maybe more than I realize," he murmured. 

"Ruby's always had this... quiet strength about her. She's the kind of person who brings peace to everyone around her, even in the middle of chaos. And Aina—" 

His expression grew tender, almost fatherly. 

"She's just a child, yet she has this light... like she reminds us of everything we're fighting for. And Haerak... I admire his resilience, the way he stands tall despite everything."

Yzavynne looked at him thoughtfully. 

 She said quietly, her voice holding an unspoken warmth.

"You speak of them like they're family."

Andhur smiled faintly, his gaze distant. 

"I suppose... they are. In a way, we've all become a strange kind of family, haven't we? Each of us carrying our own burdens, our own pain... but we stay together, because somehow, we're stronger that way."

A soft breeze drifted through, stirring the firelight and casting dancing shadows around them. 

The sound of the waves filled the silence—

Ceating a soothing backdrop to their shared moment.

Leeani drew her knees up, wrapping her arms around them as she looked back at Andhur. 

"I wonder if the others feel the same way," she murmured. 

"Out there, fighting for each other... maybe that's what keeps them going. Not just orders or duty... but the people they're fighting for."

Andhur nodded, his voice steady yet filled with a quiet emotion. 

"I think that's what drives us all. It's not just about winning or surviving—it's about protecting each other. Because, in the end, it's these moments... the ones where we can finally sit back and breathe, together. That's what we're really fighting for."

Yzavynne smiled softly, leaning her head back to look up at the sky. 

"It's easy to forget that in the middle of it all. When you're facing enemy after enemy, pushing yourself to the limit... you forget what peace even feels like." 

She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the sound of the waves fill her senses. 

"But moments like these... they remind us of what we've been missing."

They fell into a comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts—

Letting the calm night surround them. 

After a while, Leeani spoke up, her voice barely a whisper. 

"Do you think... we'll find peace, after all of this?"

Andhur glanced at her, his expression thoughtful. 

"I'd like to believe so. It's hard to see the end when you're right in the thick of it, but... maybe, one day, we'll have more nights like this. Nights where we can sit around the fire and just... breathe. No battles waiting for us. No wounds to tend to. Just... peace."

Yzavynne looked over at him, her gaze steady. 

"If that day comes, it'll be because of people like you, Andhur. People who fight not just for themselves, but for everyone else. For those who can't fight."

A faint smile crossed Andhur's face, a quiet gratitude in his eyes. 

"Maybe. But I couldn't do it alone. It's because of all of you... everyone here, that we're able to keep going. We're stronger together, even if we each carry different burdens."

Leeani's voice was soft, almost reverent. 

"Then... we'll keep fighting. For each other. So that one day... we can all have the peace we're searching for."

Yzavynne glanced over at Andhur, her brow furrowing as a thought seemed to trouble her. 

She hesitated before voicing it, as though wrestling with something that had been sitting heavily on her heart.

"Andhur," she began quietly, her tone filled with a mix of hesitation and gravity.

"What if... what if Captain decides that we have to go to war again? To face the kingdoms once more?"

The question hung in the air like a cloud drifting over the fire, casting a subtle shadow over their calm moment.

Andhur took a deep breath, letting the weight of her words settle in. 

He looked into the fire, watching the embers spark and dance, as if the answer were hidden in the flames.

Leeani shifted uncomfortably, hugging her knees a bit tighter to her chest. 

"I... I don't know if I have the strength to go through that again," she admitted softly, her voice barely audible over the gentle sound of the waves. 

"All those lives, all that destruction... we've already sacrificed so much. I don't think I can bear seeing more of it."

Yzavynne nodded, her gaze somber. 

"The thought of it keeps me up some nights," she said, a note of vulnerability slipping into her voice. 

"I don't want to keep fighting, not if it means losing more of us. We've already lost so many, and the scars... they're not just on our skin. They go deeper."

Andhur's face softened, and he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

"I know," he murmured, his voice filled with understanding. 

"I think about it too... that if we have to march into another war, we might not all come back. And even if we do, who would we be by the end of it?"

He paused, a faint, distant look in his eyes. 

"War... it changes you. It eats away at you bit by bit, until the person you were feels like a memory you can barely grasp. I've seen it happen to others, and sometimes... I feel it happening to myself."

Leeani looked at him with a sad, knowing expression. 

"You're right," she said, her voice tinged with sorrow. 

"Every battle chips away at us, leaving pieces of ourselves scattered on the battlefield. Pieces we can never get back."

A faint, wistful smile crossed Andhur's face as he continued. 

"I think about Captain a lot, too," he said. 

"He carries a weight none of us can fully understand. He has to make decisions that would break most of us. Yet he keeps going, for us... for the people we're trying to protect."

Yzavynne nodded, her voice barely a whisper. 

"But sometimes, I wonder... does he see us as people, or just... soldiers? Tools to achieve something greater?"

Andhur considered this, his gaze distant. 

"I believe he cares," he said slowly. 

"Maybe he doesn't show it in the ways we're used to, but I think it's there. He carries the weight of our lives in his decisions. And that... that's a burden no one should bear alone."

Leeani sighed, resting her chin on her knees. 

"But what if one day, he decides we have to do something... something we can't live with? Something that crosses a line we can't come back from?"

Her words lingered, heavy and filled with the unspoken fear they all shared. 

Andhur looked away, his jaw clenching slightly. 

"If that day comes," he said quietly.

"We'll have to trust ourselves to make the right choice. We're not just soldiers; we're people with our own convictions, our own values. And we owe it to ourselves to hold onto that."

Yzavynne reached out, taking his hand in a rare gesture of vulnerability. 

"But what if our loyalty to him makes us ignore what's right? We've followed him for so long... sometimes I wonder if I'd know how to say no, even if my heart told me to."

A profound silence followed, the only sound the crackling of the fire and the distant waves. 

Andhur met her gaze, his expression soft but filled with a quiet strength. 

"Then we need to find a balance," he said. 

"We need to remember who we are outside of our loyalty. To hold onto the parts of ourselves that know what's right and what's wrong, even if we have to go against orders."

Leeani swallowed, her eyes glistening in the firelight. 

"Do you think... do you think Captain would understand that? That we might have to question him, even if it means going against everything we've been trained to do?"

Andhur's gaze softened. 

"I think he'd understand more than we realize," he said gently. 

"He knows what we're going through, even if he doesn't say it. Maybe he knows that the best kind of loyalty isn't blind. It's the kind that can question, the kind that can stand on its own two feet."

Yzavynne sighed, a faint but hopeful smile tugging at her lips. 

"Maybe... maybe you're right. It's just hard, you know? To imagine going against him, even if it's for the right reasons."

Andhur nodded. 

"I know. It's not easy. But we're all here because we believe in something more than just orders. We believe in each other, in the bonds we've built, and in the lives we're fighting to protect."

Leeani's expression softened as she looked around at her friends, each one carrying their own hopes and fears. 

"Then... if it ever comes to that, we'll face it together," she murmured. 

"No one will have to make that decision alone."

The sudden rustling of leaves and soft crackling from the shadows made everyone on edge, their relaxed moment evaporating in an instant. 

Instinct took over—

Andhur gripped his glaive, raising it defensively. 

Leeani swiftly loaded her crossbow, her hands steady despite her racing pulse. 

Yzavynne's whip blade unfurled with a sharp hiss, coiling menacingly in her hand. 

Haerak's arms instinctively drew Aina and Ruby closer, his eyes narrowed as he peered into the darkness beyond the firelight.

They all froze, tense and ready, listening to the approaching footsteps. 

The sound grew louder, closer—

Too many feet to be just one person.

═════ ◆ TO BE CONTINUED ◆ ═════

◆ ◆ ◆ Author's Notes ◆ ◆ ◆

Their conversation though...