"The world does not end in silence-it ends when we stop listening." -King Qinglua
Rain washed the ashes from the road as the survivors reached Evalia. The capital's round white walls glowed faintly under lanterns, a fragile ring of light against the night. No one cheered when they arrived. No horns sounded. Only the steady footsteps of the broken.
Ken walked beside Kabe in silence. Their armor was cracked, their cloaks torn. Behind them, lines of wounded shinobi followed like echoes. Somewhere in that endless sound, Ken still thought he heard the bells of Durama ringing.
At Evalia's main gate, soldiers salted as Prince Qinglua stepped forward. His usual calm had hardened into something colder. "Durama has fallen," he said quietly. "Then peace itself has fallen with it."
Kabe knelt, fist pressed to hi chest. "Your Majesty, Tina-sensei… she gave her life to seal the breach. We couldn't -"
Qinglua raised a hand. "You did what she would have done - protect those who remain." His eyes softened. "Her name will be written in the Eternal Records."
Inside the capital, the council chamber was already burning with candlelight. Maps covered the tables, marked with inked symbols of the fallen fortress. The air was heavy with the scent of wax and fear.
"The hybrids are evolving faster than we expected," said Reka-sensei, voice strained. "If Durama could fall, then Amakatsu may not stand long."
"Then we reinforce it," Qinglua answered. "Harama must send every able shinobi. The academy is no longer a school - it's a fortress now."
Ken's hand trembled slightly at his side. "And if Amakatsu falls too?"
The room went still. Qinglua looked toward the window, where the northern horizon shimmered faintly under lightning. "Then we will face the sea itself."
That night, Ken couldn't sleep. The capital's quiet was heavier than battle. He stood on Evalia's outer wall, staring toward the unseen ruins of Durama.
The wind whispered his name again - but not like before. This time, it carried a voice deeper, older.
"You have touched the ash of beginnings. Do you still wish to walk the Trail?"
Ken turned. The mist behind him seemed to breathe. For a moment, he saw the faint shape something vast - wings made of starlight and fire.
Rudhana.
He didn't answer. He simply nodded. The vision faded, leaving behind only the faint glow of the trail below.
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At dawn
The bells of Evalia rang. Soldiers gathered, caravans prepared, and new banners rose - the same sigil once flew over Durama, stitched with a single line of crimson thread to honor the fallen.
Kabe stood beside his brother.
"Ready?"
Ken looked toward the north. "No one's ever ready." He smiled faintly. "But we'll go anyway."
Together. They walked down the path that led out of Evalia - toward Shinganatsu, toward Amakatsu, and toward the storm, and toward the storm that waited beyond the sea.
Far in the horizon, a faint glimmer moved - a forge's glow. Kurogane was waking.