The morning sun was climbing higher, painting the sky with streaks of gold and pale blue, yet its warmth did little to soften the chill in the hearts of the Renaissance Band. 

A solemn quiet had settled over them as they gathered in the center of EmberWind Village, their purpose unspoken but understood.

Nert's body lay on a simple wooden stretcher, carefully crafted by the village carpenters.

The villagers had offered to prepare his burial themselves, but Zach had refused. 

This was their task. 

Nert was not just a hero to the villagers;

He was their brother.

Their comrade.

And their friend.

Gargeal carried the stretcher with quiet reverence, his movements deliberate as he led the way toward a small hill just outside the village. 

It overlooked a meadow where wildflowers swayed gently in the breeze, their vibrant colors a stark contrast to the grief that weighed heavy on the band.

Leeani said softly, breaking the silence. 

"This place..." 

She had her crossbow slung across her back, her hands clenched tightly around a bundle of wildflowers she had picked along the way. 

"It feels... peaceful. I think he'd like it."

Yzavynne nodded, her usual sharp demeanor softened. 

She knelt and ran her fingers through the grass, feeling the warmth of the sun on her skin. 

"It's quiet," she murmured. 

"A good place to rest."

Zach stepped forward, his expression unreadable as he surveyed the meadow. 

"Here," he said finally, pointing to a spot beneath a lone oak tree. Its branches stretched wide, offering shade and a sense of shelter. 

"This is where we'll lay him to rest."

No words were exchanged as they began their work. 

Jiighual and Qarek took up the shovels provided by the villagers, their movements steady and purposeful. 

The others stood watch, their faces solemn, each lost in their own thoughts.

Ruby knelt beside the stretcher, her hands resting lightly on Nert's arm. 

She had washed his face earlier that morning, wiping away the dirt and blood that had marred his features. 

Now, he looked almost peaceful, as though he were merely sleeping.

"He always hated mornings," Yzavynne said quietly, a faint smile tugging at her lips despite the tears in her eyes. 

"Said they were too bright and noisy. He'd always groan when we woke him up for training."

Ruby huffed softly, a bittersweet chuckle escaping her. 

"I remember that. He'd always claim he was going to 'sleep in just five more minutes.'"

Gargeal's deep voice rumbled. 

"And then Zach would pour water on him."

The group chuckled, the sound brittle but genuine, a momentary reprieve from their grief.

When the grave was ready, they lowered Nert's body with care, his armor polished and his hands folded over his chest. 

A single conical hat, gifted by the villagers during their arrival, was placed beside him—a small reminder of the life he had helped save.

Leeani stepped forward first, placing her bundle of wildflowers at his side. 

Her voice trembled as she spoke. 

"You were the strongest of us, even when you didn't believe it yourself. Thank you for... for everything, Nert."

Qarek followed, his hands shaking as he placed a small, worn knife beside Nert. 

"You saved me more times than I can count," he said softly. 

"I'll never forget that."

Jiighual knelt at the edge of the grave, his large hands gripping the edge as he stared down at Nert's face. 

"You... you deserved better," he said, his voice breaking. 

"But you never gave up. You taught me what it means to be strong, and I'll carry that with me."

Gargeal placed a hand on Jiighual's shoulder, squeezing it gently before stepping forward. 

He removed a small, engraved emblem from his pocket—a symbol of his time as a teacher—and placed it beside Nert. 

"This is for my student," he said, his voice heavy with emotion. 

"And for you, Nert. A reminder of the legacy you leave behind."

Yzavynne didn't speak. 

She simply unclasped the whipblade from her belt and set it on the ground, a silent gesture of respect.

Finally, Zach approached, his shoulders squared despite the weight of his grief. He stood at the edge of the grave, his enchanted sword in hand. 

"You were more than a comrade, Nert," he said, his voice steady but thick with emotion. 

"You were family. And you fought like hell to protect us. To protect them." 

He gestured toward the village in the distance. 

"We'll keep fighting. For you. For everything you believed in."

As the band stood together, the villagers approached slowly, their expressions a mixture of gratitude and sorrow. 

Haerak stepped forward, his staff in hand, and bowed deeply. 

He said.

"We owe him—and all of you—more than we can ever repay."

Aina stepped forward, her small hands clutching a wreath of flowers she had woven. 

She looked up at Ruby, her wide eyes glistening with tears. 

"Can I... can I give this to him?"

Ruby knelt, her voice gentle. 

"Of course, sweetheart. He'd love that."

Aina placed the wreath at the foot of the grave, her lips trembling as she whispered.

"Thank you, Mister Nert. For saving us."

The villagers began to sing then, a soft, mournful tune that spoke of loss and gratitude, their voices weaving together in harmony. 

The Renaissance Band stood silently, their heads bowed, letting the melody wash over them.

△▼△▼△▼△

As the song ended and the villagers began to disperse, leaving only Haerak, Aina, Seraphina, and Lyra behind.

Zach turned to his comrades. 

"We'll give him a proper marker," he said. 

"Something that will stand the test of time. But for now... let's honor him the way he'd want us to."

Ruby wiped her tears, managing a small smile. 

"By moving forward."

Yzavynne nodded. 

"And making sure his sacrifice wasn't in vain."

The band lingered a moment longer, each silently promising to carry Nert's memory with them. 

Nert's resting place remained behind them—

Marked with care and respect—

But their mission was not yet over.

Zach stood near the edge of the village, gripping the hilt of the enchanted sword as if drawing strength from it. 

He glanced at his companions, the weight of their shared grief heavy in his expression.

Zach said, his voice steady but subdued. 

"We still have to rescue Kazaks and Andhur."

His eyes scanned the group, lingering briefly on Ruby, who offered him a soft, understanding smile.

Qarek stepped forward, his gaze resolute. 

"If they're alive—and I know they are—they're probably in the Luminary Tower. That's where we fought Evelori alongside Seraphina and Lyra. It makes sense that they'd still be held there."

Yzavynne tightened her whipblade at her side, determination shining in her eyes. 

"With Evelori and her creations gone, nothing will stop us now."

Leeani chimed in, a sly grin on her face. 

"But we have to hurry, right? Kazaks might be pissed off from listening to Andhur's yapping for this long!"

The tension broke, a ripple of laughter spreading through the group. 

Yzavynne chuckled, her whipblade tapping lightly against her hip. 

Jiighual gave a deep, gravelly laugh, and even Qarek allowed himself a smirk. 

Only Gargeal remained stoic, his arms crossed as he leaned against the nearest tree.

Haerak approached then, his hands clasped behind his back, his expression a mixture of weariness and gratitude. 

"I heard from Seraphina what happened in the Luminary Tower—that you encountered Micah, or a version of her. I'm deeply sorry for that. Micah isn't the same as the one you encountered there."

Yzavynne tilted her head slightly, her voice soft. 

"No, it's okay."

Leeani nodded, her smile tempered with sadness. 

"Yeah, it's okay. We're just glad to have helped release so many of your people trapped in that tower. They deserved their freedom."

Seraphina, who had been sitting on a log near Aina, stood up, brushing dust from her skirts. 

Her voice was uncharacteristically calm as she added.

"Micah and Killian... I suppose they're probably with Kazaks and Andhur, huh?"

Qarek straightened, his hand instinctively brushing against the enchanted knife at his side. 

"Then let's go find them, right n—"

Zach interrupted, his tone firm yet kind. 

"—No."

He stepped forward, turning toward the group. 

"No. The rest of you stay here."

The group stared at him, startled.

Zach's gaze softened. 

"You're all worn out. The battle with Evelori wasn't easy on any of us. You've earned your rest. I'll go rescue them... with Gargeal. They're at the highest floor of the tower, right, Lyra?"

Lyra nodded.

The group exchanged glances. 

For a moment, it looked like Qarek might argue, but he relented with a nod, stepping back.

Zach turned to Lyra, meeting her eyes.

"And Lyra... thank you again. For this sword. It helped a lot in ending Evelori."

Lyra lowered her gaze briefly before meeting his again. 

Her voice wavered, but her sincerity was evident. 

"I'm sorry, Zach. For doubting all of you. For doubting your intentions. We grew up so far removed from people who knew how to fight and kill. I thought—" 

She hesitated, swallowing hard. 

"I thought you might use those skills against us. That doubt... it was wrong of me. That sword is my way of saying sorry."

Her hand brushed the bow at her side as she added.

"If you want, you can keep it. It suits you. Especially with that armor you are wearing."

Zach looked at the sword, its enchanted glow catching the morning sunlight. 

"Thank you."

Aina's small voice broke through the moment. 

"Yay! I'm going to see Auntie Micah and Uncle Killian again!" 

Her eyes sparkled with excitement, her innocence a balm to the heaviness in the air.

"They'll love all of you!" she added with a bright grin. 

"I'm pretty sure of it!"

Haerak chuckled, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder. 

"They'll love you all," he said, his voice deep with conviction. 

"Knowing you're warriors of this caliber, they'll take a liking to you immediately."

Zach smiled faintly. 

"That's good to know." 

He unsheathed the enchanted sword, the blade catching the light as if alive. Its glow seemed more vibrant than ever. 

"I'll take precautions and use this sword again."

Ruby, who had been standing a little off to the side, stepped forward, her eyes searching the group. 

Her voice, when it came, was soft, but it held the weight of a question they all feared to ask.

"What do you think Kazaks and Andhur will do when they hear about Nert?"

The question was simple—

Yet it echoed deeply. 

It cut through the silence, and for a long moment, no one spoke. 

The words seemed too much to bear, too real to answer.

It was Jiighual who broke the stillness, his voice gravelly but tinged with a strange humor that felt almost out of place. 

He glanced over at Zach and shrugged, trying to mask his own grief behind the mask of his usual stoic demeanor.

"Well," Jiighual started, letting out a long breath.

"Kazaks is gonna yell a lot. Probably break something. You know how he is—picks the biggest, heaviest thing to smash when he's angry. If he's not yelling at Andhur, he's yelling at himself, and if that's not enough, he'll probably start swinging that damn warhammer around."

A small laugh, shaky but real, escaped Yzavynne.

"And Andhur?" she asked, turning her gaze toward Jiighual, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Well, Andhur..." Jiighual paused, his brow furrowed. 

"He's gonna be... broken. He won't know what to do with himself. He'll try to laugh it off, maybe crack a joke like he always does, but you know, deep down, he'll feel every bit of it." 

His voice wavered slightly, the humor failing to mask the pain. 

"Then he'll probably throw himself into the next fight, hoping to forget. But he won't. He won't forget. Just like the rest of us."

Leeani, who had been quietly listening, let out a soft sigh. 

She crossed her arms over her chest, her voice gentle but full of warmth. 

"Kazaks might be pissed at Andhur for getting caught. He'll probably blame him, knowing those two." 

Her lips quirked into a faint smile despite the sadness. 

"But Kazaks... He'll never show it, but he cares. A lot more than he lets on."

Yzavynne nodded in agreement. 

"Kazaks hides it, but he always does. He doesn't show much, but he feels everything." 

Her hand went to the hilt of her whipblade, absently running her fingers over the grip, as if grounding herself in the familiar. "

And Andhur? He'll try to laugh, but he'll feel like he failed. He'll hold himself responsible. Even though it's not his fault. It never is with him."

Qarek's lips pressed into a thin line as he stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his enchanted knife. 

His gaze drifted toward the ground before lifting to meet the group. 

"It doesn't matter what they'll do. We'll be there for them. We have to be." 

Gargeal remains silent.

"Hmm."

The group grew quiet, the weight of the moment settling over them like a thick fog. 

There was no way to sugarcoat the truth. 

The grief would hit Kazaks and Andhur hard. 

They were warriors, yes—

But they were also human—

And they would feel the loss of Nert just as deeply as the rest of them.

Zach stood a little apart from the group, his eyes distant, focused on the horizon. 

The edges of his jaw were tight, his lips pressed into a thin line. 

He opened his mouth to speak, but his words came out as a rough rasp, as if his throat were too tight to form the sentence he needed.

"They're my brothers," he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. 

"We lost a lot, and now they'll have to carry that."

There was a long pause before Haerak stepped forward, the village leader's face lined with both wisdom and sorrow. 

His deep voice carried the weight of experience as he addressed Zach directly.

"I'll be the one to explain everything," Haerak said, his gaze unwavering. 

"I'll tell Micah and Killian what happened here. I'll explain what happened to Nert, and I'll tell them what we've learned—what we've lost. It won't be easy, but they need to know the truth. About the ambush, about everything."

Zach met Haerak's gaze, his eyes reflecting a mixture of gratitude and quiet resignation. 

He knew Haerak was right. 

Micah and Killian needed to hear the truth, all of it, before they could move forward. 

But the thought of telling them, of explaining everything that had happened, was almost unbearable.

"I know," Zach said, his voice quiet but strong. 

"Thank you, Haerak."

Haerak gave a solemn nod, his eyes never leaving Zach. 

"It's the least I can do. But after that... after we tell them... we need to focus on what comes next. We can't let Kazaks and Andhur's grief hold us back, or we'll lose more than just Nert."

 The Renaissance Band had just finished their final words, their thoughts still on Nert and the promise of what lay ahead.

Zach turned, gesturing toward Gargeal, who remained stoic and unmoving by the tree.

He asked, his tone quiet but resolute.

"Let's go, Gargeal?" 

Gargeal pushed himself off the tree with deliberate slowness, his heavy footsteps crunching against the grass. 

He said, his usual brevity serving as his agreement.

"Hmm."

Just as they were about to take their first step forward—

It happened.

The ground trembled, faint at first, almost imperceptible. 

Then it grew stronger, the vibrations rattling their bones. 

Before anyone could speak, they all blinked in unison—a strange, involuntary action as if something unnatural had gripped their senses.

When their eyes reopened, the sight before them sent a chill racing down their spines. 

The creatures were back.

They rose from the soil itself, emerging like nightmares given form. 

Their bodies were grotesque amalgamations of flesh and darkness, with their wide-open, unblinking eyes gleaming eerily under the dim forest light. 

They stood motionless, their heads tilted unnaturally, their twisted limbs poised as if frozen mid-attack.

 Qarek hissed, his hand flying to his knife. 

"What the hell?!" 

He scanned the creatures, his breath coming quick and shallow. 

"Can't even take a break after a proper burial?!"

Leeani's crossbow was already drawn, the tension in her arms visible as she raised it to aim at the nearest creature.

"Captain!" she called out, her voice sharp and urgent.

"What do we do?"

Yzavynne unsheathed her whipblade in a smooth motion, the metallic sound cutting through the tense air. 

Her violet eyes darted between the creatures, searching for any sign of movement. 

"Captain, say something!" she demanded, her voice edged with a mixture of fear and frustration. 

"What should we do?!"

Behind them, Haerak moved quickly, his broad frame shielding Aina from view. 

The little girl clung to his side, her wide eyes peeking out nervously from behind his cloak. 

Seraphina stepped closer, her shamanic manual clutched tightly in one hand while her other arm reached protectively around Aina. 

"Stay close to me, Aina," Seraphina murmured, her usual energetic tone replaced with quiet resolve. 

"Don't look at them, alright?"

Ruby, standing frozen near the center of the group, felt her knees weaken as she took in the sight of the creatures. 

She wasn't like the others—she didn't have their training, their weapons, their strength. 

Panic began to bubble in her chest until she felt a firm but gentle hand on her shoulder. 

Turning, she saw Lyra, her bow already drawn, her expression calm but firm. 

"Stay with me, Ruby," Lyra said softly. 

"I'll keep you safe."

Gargeal, as always, was stoic. 

His greatsword rested easily in his hands, his golden eyes fixed on the creatures. 

He didn't speak, didn't move, but the way he stood—calm, composed, unshaken—was enough to settle some of the tension in the group.

Jiighual, on the other hand, was far from calm. 

"Captain?!" he called out, his voice unsteady. With his shield shattered and his arms bare, he felt exposed, vulnerable. 

"What's the plan here?"

But Zach didn't respond. 

His sword remained at his side, the blade glinting faintly with its enchanted sheen. 

His gaze was locked on the creatures, his body taut but unmoving. 

He wasn't ignoring them—no, he was studying the scene, his sharp mind working to piece together the puzzle before them. 

Why weren't the creatures attacking? 

What were they waiting for?

The air felt thick with tension, each second dragging out like an eternity. 

Then, without warning, the ground trembled again.

This time, the tremor wasn't subtle. 

The earth split open with a sickening crack, the soil shifting unnaturally as something began to rise. From the center of the group, the ground parted like a gaping maw, and out of it emerged a figure.

It was her.

Evelori.

Her form rose slowly, unnervingly, from the ground as if the earth itself had birthed her anew. 

But this Evelori was not the grotesque, chaotic monster they had fought before. 

This Evelori was calm, her posture poised and deliberate. 

Her skin, pale as moonlight, bore no sign of the grotesque mutations they had come to associate with her. 

Her piercing eyes, now sharper and more human, scanned the group with an unreadable expression.

The Band froze. 

Every weapon was raised, every body tensed, but no one moved. 

No one dared. 

Evelori's presence was suffocating, her aura commanding their attention, demanding their fear.

For a moment, the hill seemed to hold its breath.

"I suppose," Evelori began, her voice calm and unnervingly composed. 

"That won't happen anytime soon."

Her words hung in the air, their meaning unclear but chilling nonetheless. 

Her tone was different now—not the mocking, venomous voice they had heard during their battles, but something mature, almost serene.

And then—

Silence.

═════ ◆ TO BE CONTINUED ◆ ═════