The sun hung low over the coastal village as Lin Che, Su Qing, Li Wei, and Xiao Ya walked along its quiet streets. Fishermen were rolling up their nets, children chased each other with handfuls of seashells, and the air smelled of salt and freshly baked bread— a welcome change from the smoke of the factory and the damp of the tunnel.
Su Qing walked beside Lin Che, her injured ankle wrapped in a cloth Xiao Ya had found in the lighthouse. She'd refused to slow them down, but Lin Che could see the pain in her eyes when she stepped wrong. "We can stay here a few days," he said softly. "Let your ankle heal. Let us all rest."
Su Qing nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. "I'd like that. The ocean air might do us good."
Xiao Ya had already run ahead, stopping to talk to a group of children who were playing with a stray dog. Her hands glowed faintly green, and the dog trotted over to her, nuzzling her palm. "The dog says he's hungry," she told the children, who laughed and ran to get him a piece of bread.
Li Wei walked beside them, his hands in his pockets. "I heard the village has an inn—cheap, clean," he said. "We can get rooms there. I'll go find it—you three wait here." He nodded toward a bench outside a small bakery, then walked off.
Lin Che and Su Qing sat down, watching Xiao Ya play with the children. The light shard in Lin Che's pocket glowed softly, its warmth seeping through the fabric. He pulled it out, turning it over in his hand. It was smoother now, its silver light calmer— as if it too was at peace.
"The last Shard is gone," Su Qing said, her voice soft. "The Syndicate's ritual is over. We did it."
Lin Che nodded, but a small part of him felt empty. For weeks, they'd been running— fighting— focused on stopping the darkness. Now that it was over, he didn't know what to do next. He thought of the Iron Rust Workshop, of Lin Han, of the life he'd left behind.
"I don't know where to go from here," he admitted.
Su Qing took his hand, squeezing it. "We'll figure it out. Together. We could go back to the village—Ma Lan would let us stay. Or we could go to the slums, help Li Wei with his scrapyard. Or… we could travel. See the world. The forest, the coast, places we've never been."
Lin Che smiled. Travel. The idea sounded nice— no more running, no more fighting. Just him, Su Qing, Xiao Ya, exploring.
Li Wei returned a few minutes later, grinning. "Inn's got four rooms—cheap. The owner says he'll even give us free bread for breakfast. C'mon."
They followed him to the inn— a small, wooden building with a sign that read "The Wave's Rest." The owner, a kind-faced man with a bushy beard, showed them to their rooms. Xiao Ya's eyes lit up when she saw hers— it had a small window overlooking the ocean.
That night, they ate dinner in the inn's common room— bowls of fish stew and crusty bread. They talked about the journey, about the fights, about the friends they'd lost— Mo Ying, Jax. Li Wei said he'd heard rumors that Mo Ying had escaped the scrapyard, that she was in the city's central district, working as a mechanic.
"We'll find her," Lin Che said. "And Jax. They helped us—we owe them that."
After dinner, Lin Che and Su Qing walked along the shore. The moon was bright, casting silver light over the waves. The air was cool, and the only sounds were the crash of the waves and the distant call of a seagull.
"The light shard," Su Qing said, nodding to Lin Che's pocket. "What will we do with it?"
Lin Che pulled it out, holding it up to the moon. It glowed softly, matching the moonlight. "My grandmother's notes said it's a Guardian relic," Su Qing continued. "It belongs in the Spirit Plant Ruins. With the other Guardian artifacts."
Lin Che nodded. "We'll take it back. When we're ready."
They stood in silence for a while, watching the waves. Su Qing leaned her head on Lin Che's shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her.
"I'm glad we're here," she said.
"Me too," Lin Che replied.
The next morning, they woke to the sound of seagulls and the smell of fresh bread. Xiao Ya was already outside, talking to the innkeeper's cat— the cat was sitting on the porch, and Xiao Ya was feeding it pieces of bread.
Li Wei walked out, stretching. "I talked to the fishermen," he said. "They say there's a boat leaving for the city tomorrow. We could take it—find Mo Ying, check on the slums. Then… go to the ruins, return the light shard."
Lin Che nodded. "That sounds good."
They spent the day exploring the village. Xiao Ya helped the fishermen mend their nets (the plants told her which knots to use), Su Qing read her Arcane Manual in the inn's garden, and Lin Che walked along the shore, collecting seashells for Xiao Ya.
That night, as they sat in the common room, the innkeeper told them stories— about the lighthouse, about the Great Storm, about the Guardians who'd once protected the coast.
"They say the Guardians' spirits still watch over us," he said. "That they're the ones who keep the darkness away."
Lin Che thought of Ling An, of the vision he'd had of her in the Spirit Plant Ruins. Maybe the innkeeper was right. Maybe the Guardians were still watching.
The next morning, they boarded the boat. Xiao Ya waved goodbye to the innkeeper's cat, and Li Wei joked with the fishermen. Lin Che stood at the bow, Su Qing beside him, watching the village grow smaller in the distance.
The light shard was in his pocket, warm against his hip. The Star Marrow on his wrist glowed faintly, a silent reminder of his journey.
They had a lot to do— find Mo Ying and Jax, return the light shard to the ruins, figure out their future. But for now, they were together. They were safe.
The darkness was gone.
And a new beginning was just ahead.