Kael spoke for a long time. The fire crackled in the hearth, casting shifting shadows on the stone walls. He told the dream. The human city, the false weakness, the shattered memories, the cultivation, Valerius, the brutal awakening in the empty palace.
Serya listened, motionless. Her washed-out eyes never left Kael's face. Kira, leaning against the wall, said nothing.
When Kael fell silent, the silence returned, thick as the mist outside.
"You lived all that?" Serya finally asked.
"Yes."
"And you came out of it."
"Yes."
"How?"
"I don't really know. The spell broke. Perhaps because of time. Perhaps because of something else."
"You haven't recovered everything."
"No. Pieces are missing. Memories. Faces."
"Like me."
Kael looked at her.
"You lost memories?"
"No. I lost the will."
She stood, poured water into a kettle, set it on the fire.
"For ten years, I lived here. Alone. With the mists. I saw seasons pass, beasts, lost travelers. I let them leave. Some died. I did nothing."
"Why?"
"Because I didn't care."
"And now?"
"Now you're here. And I don't know what to do with your presence."
Kael leaned forward.
"You don't have to know. You just have to remember."
"Remember what?"
"Who you were. What you wanted. The general I knew."
Serya let out a dry laugh.
"That woman died with you."
"No. She's there. I see her."
"You see a shell."
"I see a mage powerful enough to test me before letting me in."
Serya froze.
"That was a trap?"
"No. It was a trial. To see if I was still worthy."
"And?"
"And I'm here. I entered. And you spoke to me. That's not nothing."
She didn't answer. The kettle whistled softly.
"You were the brightest of my generals," Kael continued. "Not the strongest. The sharpest. The one who understood illusions, lies, fears. The one who could turn a battlefield into a theater."
"And now?"
"Now you've become your own illusion. A hermit in the marshes. A shadow in hiding."
"I'm not hiding."
"You refuse to return. It's the same."
Serya poured the water into cups. Her movements were precise, but slow.
"You think it's easy?" she asked. "You think I haven't thought about returning? Every day, every night, I tell myself: 'Get up. Go back to the palace. Take your place.' And every time, I stay."
"Why?"
"Because I no longer have a reason to fight."
"The kingdom is a reason."
"The kingdom survived without me."
"It survived. It didn't shine."
"And it will shine with me?"
"It will shine with us."
Serya looked at him for a long moment.
"You really have changed."
"You already told me that."
"No. Now I believe it."
She sat across from him.
"I'll try."
"Try what?"
"To come back. But not right away."
"When?"
"Give me some time. A few days. Time to leave the mists."
"Do you need help?"
"No. I need silence."
Kael nodded.
"I'll come back for you."
"I'll be ready."
"You promise?"
"I never promise."
"Then I'll take your word for it."
Serya managed a tired smile.
"You're still as stubborn."
"It's my best quality."
"It's your worst flaw."
"Probably both."
They finished their infusion in silence. Outside, the mist slowly lifted, revealing the black waters of the marsh.
Kael stood.
"We're leaving."
"Already?"
"The kingdom doesn't wait."
"The kingdom waited ten years."
"Exactly."
Serya stood in turn.
"Kira."
"Yes?"
"Take care of him."
"I do my best."
"That's not enough."
"I know."
Kael cut them off.
"I'm capable of taking care of myself."
"No," they said in unison.
Kael sighed.
"You're unbearable."
"That's why you keep us," said Serya.
"That's why I put up with you."
He walked out. Kira followed. Serya remained on the threshold, a pale silhouette in the grey light.
"Come back," she said.
"I will."
They mounted and left the marsh. The mist closed behind them.
---
On the road back, Kira rode beside Kael.
"She'll come back?"
"Yes."
"You're sure?"
"No. But I want to believe it."
"That's new."
"What?"
"You. Hope."
"Hope leads to nothing."
"Then why believe in it?"
"Because the alternative is worse."
Kira didn't answer. Twilight spread over the land, tinging the marshes with purple reflections.
"You told her about the dream," said Kira.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because she needed to understand I wasn't the same."
"And that's what convinced her?"
"No. That's what reassured her."
"Reassured?"
"She was afraid of finding the king from before. The one who didn't speak, who didn't doubt, who didn't ask for anything."
"And she found something else."
"She found someone who seeks."
Kira nodded.
"That's better."
"Maybe."
They rode in silence, leaving the marshes behind.
The palace awaited them.
And with it, what came next.