The Tower was still far away.
After the final distortion of the Abyss, the two cousins found themselves in a silent and strangely calm land: a stone path suspended in nothingness, with a still sky above them.
For the first time in a long time… there were no enemies.
Just them.
---
🔥 Makeshift Camp
They crouched around a small fire made from fragments of raw energy gathered from the void. Eidan removed his armor, placing it beside him, while Kael rolled up an old headband to tie his hair as he had done as a child.
> "Strange, huh? After everything we've been through… a little silence seems almost more disturbing than a monster."
> "Yeah. But it's nice. Just for a moment… to be able to breathe."
Kael smiled. It was a genuine, fearless smile.
Eidan tossed him a strange apple found among the dimensional fragments.
> "Caught it... or are you still as slow as you used to be?"
Kael caught it with one hand.
> "Old grump. Now who's slow?"
They laughed. No war. No masks. Just two cousins, two survivors.
---
🦷 The Gift
Kael reached into his bag and pulled out an object wrapped in ancient leather.
> "Do you remember... when we buried Yra?"
Eidan stiffened. I nodded slowly.
Kael uncovered the object:
it was a wolf's tooth, engraved with tribal runes. Polished. Preserved with respect.
> "I've had it ever since. But it's not mine. It was yours. You saved it. And now... I think it's time."
He handed it to Eidan, but something happened.
The tooth glowed.
And it rose on its own, floating between the two.
A whisper spread, like an echo from the past.
---
🌕 [System – Awakened Wolf Tooth]
> New Ability Acquired by Kael:
[Spirit Summon – Yra, Guardian Wolf]
Summons the soul of Yra, the guardian cub, to fight alongside the summoner. Each time the bond with Eidan strengthens, Yra gains new strength.
Passive Bonus: "Brotherly Bond" – When you fight alongside Eidan, your defense increases by 20%.*
---
The tooth fused into Kael's skin on his left shoulder, like a glowing mark.
Yra, in spirit wolf form, appeared briefly beside them. She crouched by the fire and barked softly, contentedly.
Eidan laughed.
> "I didn't think you'd have the strength to summon her..."
> "Me neither. But... I'm no longer the one you were forced to save. Now... I can walk with you. And protect something, too."
---
🤝 Moment of brotherhood
They looked at each other, speechless.
Then Eidan raised a rusty glass filled with an unknown liquid.
> "To Yra."
"And to Fen, wherever he is."
"And to us... who survived."
"And who will no longer be alone."
They toasted. Not to the past. But to the future.