The valley lay silent after the battle.
Shadows that once howled and clawed had melted into ash, their crimson eyes extinguished like sparks drowned in water. The stream crawled sluggishly again, no longer choked with the black haze, though its surface still rippled with unease.
Elira stood with her sword lowered, chest heaving. Sweat dripped from her brow, soaking the collar of her tunic. Her arms ached as though made of stone, but her grip on the hilt refused to loosen. For a moment, she simply listened—to her own ragged breaths, to the faint crackle of Kael's fading lightning, to the whisper of Mira's rings as they dimmed.
Kael slid his blade back into its scabbard with a sharp click. His dark hair clung to his forehead, and static still licked faintly across his knuckles, grounding itself into the earth. He looked at Elira, eyes steady.
"You stood," he said simply.
Elira blinked, taken aback by the brevity of the praise. Yet the weight of it struck deeper than a dozen cheers. She managed a small nod. "I… did."
Mira brushed soot from her sleeves, her silver rings orbiting lazily once more. A sly smile curved her lips. "Not bad for your first mission. Though next time—" her sapphire eyes flicked knowingly "—try not to freeze when the claws come too close."
Heat rushed to Elira's cheeks. "I didn't freeze," she muttered, though she remembered clearly how her body had stalled in that one desperate moment.
"Of course not," Mira said lightly, her tone walking the line between teasing and encouragement.
For the first time since stepping into the valley, the tension cracked. Not gone, but thinned enough for air to pass through.
By the time they turned back toward the Sanctum, the mist had begun to thin. The sun dipped low, painting the jagged cliffs in gold and crimson. Their gryphons waited tethered on the ridge, feathers rustling as they sensed their riders return.
The march uphill was quiet at first. Elira trailed a step behind, the weight of exhaustion pressing down on her shoulders. Her blade felt heavier with each stride, but she refused to let it drag.
It was Mira who broke the silence. "So… Elira. Tell me—what made you join the Order?"
Elira hesitated. The question twisted in her chest. She thought of Rho, of her promise to protect, of the Oracle's warning that dreams were threads of fate. But those truths felt too heavy to share. She settled for something simpler.
"My village. Rionne. They… needed me to be more than I was. So I came here."
Mira's gaze lingered, curious, though she didn't press further. "A village girl who shattered the testing crystal." Her voice carried a spark of amusement. "Interesting."
Kael glanced back once, his expression unreadable. "Crystal or not, strength is proven in battle. Today was a start."
Elira tightened her grip on her sword hilt, forcing herself to answer. "Then I'll keep proving it."
Kael gave no reply, but the faint nod he offered was enough.
As they reached the ridge, the gryphons shifted impatiently. Feathers bristled, talons scraping against stone, wings stretching wide in the dying light.
Mira climbed into her saddle with practiced ease, the rings dimming until they vanished into the folds of her cloak. She looked at Elira again, a half-smile tugging her lips. "Next time, you lead the strike. Let's see what you're really capable of."
The words jolted Elira more than any scolding. Her? Leading? She almost protested, but caught the gleam in Mira's eyes—it wasn't mockery. It was challenge.
Kael mounted his gryphon, his presence steady as bedrock. "Train harder. The valley was nothing compared to what's coming."
This time, Elira didn't flinch. She met his gaze, steady. "I will."
The flight back to Sanctum Auralis was swift. Night had fallen by the time the gryphons touched down on the stone platform, their talons clattering against the marble. Torches burned along the walls, throwing long shadows across banners of deep blue and gold.
A knight in silver armor stepped forward to meet them. "Mission complete?"
Kael inclined his head. "The valley is clear. The beasts dissolved once their leader fell."
The knight's eyes shifted to Elira, lingering on the soot and blood staining her uniform, the faint tremor still in her shoulders. For a moment, she thought he would dismiss her entirely as dead weight. Instead, he gave a curt nod.
"Noted. The report will mention all three names."
Relief washed through her, sharp as a blade drawn free.
Later, back in her quarters, silence settled again.
Elira sat by the narrow window, the glow of the Sanctum's sigils faint on the horizon. She removed her sword, setting it carefully beside her. Her fingers strayed to the necklace at her throat, the black metal cool against her skin, the carved "E" hidden at its back.
When she closed her eyes, she swore she felt it—faint, rhythmic, like a pulse not her own. As if something within waited for her to notice, to call.
Her chest tightened. What did Father leave behind for me? What am I meant to awaken?
She clenched the pendant in her fist. The memory of Mira's smirk, Kael's steady gaze, the roar of the shadow beast—all of it burned through her mind.
"I won't fall behind," she whispered. "Not to them. Not to anyone."
The wind slipped through the crack in the window, brushing her braid across her shoulder. It carried no words, yet she felt its answer—a quiet, patient stirring.
The following morning, the Sanctum rang with new alarms.
Messengers rushed through the halls, voices clipped and urgent: more sightings of shadow beasts, their appearances spreading wider, closer, faster. Patrols doubled. Missions multiplied.
When Elira arrived at the yard, still sore from the valley fight, a parchment was already waiting for her. Orders inked in sharp strokes: Prepare. New assignments will be given.
Her hand tightened around the letter. Whatever trials were coming, she would face them. With Mira and Kael—or without them.
And somewhere deep within, the faint pulse of her pendant beat once more, steady and waiting.