Dawn broke without ceremony.
No horns.
No banners.
No witnesses.
Just them.
The cold wind, and the path that leads to the activation pillar.
The Crescent Kingdom still slept beneath layers of frost and cloud as the group gathered at the edge of the mountain path. Snow crunched softly under their boots, the only sound in the thin morning air.
The mission had begun.
Aguila stood at the front, his white coat stirring in the wind, golden eyes fixed on the ascent ahead. The peak they needed lay far above—hidden beyond sharp ridges and veils of mist where even sunlight struggled to reach.
Aguila: "This path leads to the Activation Pillar,"
he said quietly. "Few walk it. The fewer it return."
Riureas tightened the straps of his gear, the Sun Artifact secured close to his chest. Its faded gem felt heavier than before—not in weight, but in meaning.
Selvaria checked her weapons, nine muskets floating into position behind her back like silent sentinels. Elra adjusted her cloak, her expression distant, as if memories of the four witches stirred uneasily within her.
Selvaria exhaled.
Crystella and Yulleus exchanged a brief look—no words, just resolve.
Aguila raised a hand.
Aguila:
"From this point on,"
he said,"there is no turning back. Once the pillar is activated, the light will call attention. Not just from this world."
Riureas nodded.
Riureas:
"Good," he said. "Let them look."
The wind howled as they stepped onto the narrow mountain trail, the Crescent Kingdom slowly disappearing behind them. Above, the sky lightened—pale gold bleeding into gray—while the summit waited like a judgment yet to be passed.
Each step carried them closer to the truth.
And closer to whatever had been watching all along.
The climb was slow.
Deliberate.
Unforgiving.
Step by step, they ascended.
The path narrowed until it was little more than stone teeth jutting from the mountainside.
Snow began to fall—not heavy, but steady, as if the mountain itself was measuring their resolve.
Aguila moved with practiced ease, every step certain.
Behind him, Riureas followed, boots crunching against frost-laced stone.
Selvaria took the rear, her floating weapons shifting constantly, scanning angles no one else could see. Crystella used quiet magic to keep the path from icing over completely, thin veins of frost forming and dissolving with each step. Elra walked in silence, fingers brushing the mountain wall now and then—as if listening to something buried deep within it. Yulleus stayed close, watchful.
No one spoke.
Words felt unnecessary here.
As they climbed higher, the wind changed. It no longer howled—it whispered. Fragments of sound slipped through the air, almost like echoes of prayers long forgotten. Riureas felt it crawl along his spine.
"This mountain…" Elra finally murmured, breaking the silence.
"It remembers."
Aguila didn't turn.
"All sacred places do."
Hours passed like minutes—or minutes like hours. Time lost meaning beneath the strain of ascent. Legs burned. Fingers numbed. Breath came in short bursts.
Then, gradually, the slope eased.
The fog thinned.
Light poured in.
They stepped onto the summit.
At the very peak of the mountain stood the Activation Pillar—an ancient spire of white stone and gold veins, cracked but unbroken, rising toward the sky like a finger accusing the heavens. Carved symbols spiraled around it, glowing faintly as the first full rays of sunlight struck its surface.
The sun crested the horizon at that exact moment.
Golden light spilled across the peak.
The artifact beneath Riureas' cloak grew hot.
Aguila stopped and turned to them, his expression solemn.
"We've reached it," he said.
"The last step begins here."
Above them, the sky was clear.
Too clear.
As if something was waiting.
They reached the top—and the sight struck them into silence.
From the summit, the world opened.
Far below, beyond layers of drifting clouds and endless forest, the Federation stretched across the land like a living map.
Rivers cut silver paths through green plains, cities glimmered faintly in the sunlight, and the capital stood proud at the center—small from this height, yet undeniably real.
"…You can see everything," he said quietly.
The borders, the roads, the settlements—lines and shapes that once felt vast now seemed almost fragile, as if a single careless hand could wipe them away. From here, kingdoms didn't look divided. They looked… connected.
Crystella lowered her hood, eyes reflecting the golden light.
"It's beautiful," she whispered. "And terrifying."
Selvaria crossed her arms, gaze sharp as ever.
"This is why gods like high places," she said flatly. "From here, the world looks small enough to control."
Elra said nothing. She knelt, pressing her palm to the stone at the summit.
A faint tremor passed through the ground beneath her touch.
"…This mountain watches over them," she said softly. "Just like Solana once did."
Aguila stood near the Activation Pillar, cape stirring in the wind, golden eyes fixed on the horizon.
"This is why the Crescent Kingdom was hidden," he said. "Why the Sun Artifact was guarded. From here, you don't just see land."
He turned to Riureas.
"You see what's at stake."
The sunlight intensified, bathing the summit in gold. The pillar's carvings began to glow more clearly now, ancient lines responding to the sun's angle.
Riureas clenched his fist.
The Federation below—its people, its streets, its memories—Clara's laughter, fallen soldiers, six million forgotten worlds.
All of it was beneath his feet.
"…We can't fail," he said.
Above them, the sky remained silent.
But somewhere far beyond sight—
something was watching back.