Kael had noticed Ausma long before the falcon reached him. A dark silhouette cut through the night sky as Kael stood by the window of his room, staring out without really seeing.

  Since Lia’s visit, he hadn’t said a word about it. The fear was too great to ask Augs what the herbs Lia had sought so desperately and been denied had been meant for.

  He wished she would hate him for what he had done. Hatred would have been easier to endure.

  But in her eyes, he saw something else alongside the grief: defiance. It was a refusal to accept reality as it was. He knew her well enough to understand that she would never surrender when it came to something she loved.

  He had always admired that about her.

  Now, it terrified him.

  Kael lifted his gaze to the star-filled sky.

  Please, he thought. Let one star shine so brightly for her that its light blinds the pain I’m causing.

  He had already lost someone he loved once. He knew what that kind of loss did to a person, and he knew the only way he could survive it was to shut himself away.

  Yet, seeing Lia like that still reached him, no matter how hard he tried to remain untouched.

  His attention returned to Ausma as the falcon descended toward him.

  "If I meet my end on this journey," Kael whispered, his voice barely stirring the air, "I'll follow you soon enough, brother."

  A faint smile touched his lips when Ausma settled on his outstretched arm and pressed his head gently against Kael’s cheek.

  Kael said nothing. He simply allowed the brief, wordless warmth to exist.

  He turned and carried Ausma to the table, where food had already been laid out. He watched the falcon eat in silence, knowing Astra would return soon to explain how tomorrow would unfold.

  After a while, a soft sound reached him from behind.

  Kael turned just in time to see Astra leap effortlessly from the neighboring rooftop. She slipped through the window silently, rolled once, and rose to her feet with fluid ease.

  She didn’t look at him.

  She walked past him, shrugging off her cloak as she headed for the stairs leading down to her sleeping quarters.

  Not a word was exchanged.

  The silence between them lingered—heavy, deliberate, and unresolved.

  Kael noticed the hardness in her expression but only watched her walk away. He had pushed her away deliberately. He couldn’t expect her to confide in him now. He couldn’t expect her to share what weighed so heavily on her.

  So he sat down beside Ausma. The falcon had also stopped eating, watching Astra retreat before turning to groom his feathers with careful strokes of his beak. Kael closed his eyes and stroked Ausma’s head. His face was calm as if he had sealed his thoughts away from everything.

  After a while, he went downstairs to sleep.

  He saw Astra lying in her bed, only a few steps away. The flickering candlelight illuminated her back, but he couldn’t tell if she was asleep.

  He stopped.

  Had her back always looked so fragile?

  He turned away just as Astra shifted, rolling onto her side. Her black eyes fixed on him—calm and composed. Yet Kael could sense that she was wearing a mask, just as he was. A shield against vulnerability. Even now.

  "Go to sleep," she said quietly after a moment. "Tomorrow will be exhausting."

  She turned away again.

  Kael walked to his bed and lay down.

  "What's the plan for tomorrow?" he asked, staring up at the ceiling.

  "A herb merchant will take us to the border," she replied briefly. "From there on, we're on our own."

  He turned his head slightly toward her, waiting for more details, but none came. She wasn’t in the mood to talk.

  He extinguished the candle on the bedside table. Darkness swallowed the room, broken only by the sound of Astra’s breathing.

  Then, softly, so softly that he almost thought he had imagined it, Astra whispered,

  “Do you think...that one day we might be happy, too?”

  Kael opened his eyes slowly. He could feel her looking at him, but he didn’t return the gaze. His mouth opened, and his voice was flat and detached.

  "I don't think I deserve something like that anymore."

  There was a pause.

  "I see," she murmured. "Then neither do I."

  She turned away, and this time, silence truly settled into the darkness.

  ...

  The moon was still visible when they rose and prepared for the journey ahead.

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  Kael packed his belongings, little more than a few pieces of clothing that Astra had procured for him. And his swords.

  He fastened his blade to his hip but hesitated when his hand reached for the Motarith sword.

  Astra, who was finishing her preparations by her bed, noticed his hesitation. Her eyes softened with compassion.

  "We can switch swords," she said gently. “I’ll carry Zaros’s blade, and you can take Cassandra’s.”

  Kael shook his head.

  "No, I have to carry it. So I never forget what I’ve done.”

  Astra opened her mouth as if to argue, but then closed it again.

  She flinched slightly when Kael spoke again.

  "Could you put it in my pack?" he asked quietly. "I'm not ready yet."

  Astra smiled softly and understandingly.

  "Of course."

  When they descended the stairs into Augs’ shop, he was already preparing crates of herbs for the merchant who would soon arrive.

  He looked up when he saw them and smiled warmly.

  "Good morning. It's a perfect day for departure, don't you think? The air smells like change.”

  Astra chuckled and Kael smiled faintly at the old man’s greeting, shaking his head.

  He would miss him.

  Kael glanced at Astra and knew she would too.

  He set his pack down on the floor and rolled up his sleeves.

  "I can't leave all the carrying to you, old man."

  Augs looked as though he was about to protest but stopped when he noticed Kael’s condition.

  Together, they carried the remaining crates into the entrance while Astra packed provisions into additional rucksacks.

  After some time, everything was ready. Augs pointed to several empty crates that were slightly larger than the others.

  "These are for you," he said.

  Seeing Kael's questioning look, he added,

  "You'll need to stay inside until the merchant reaches the Outer District. There are constant inspections of goods coming in and out. The trader has an official permit from Mister Nora, but to be safe—"

  At the mention of Nora, Kael’s eyes widened. He turned sharply toward Astra, anger flashing through his controlled expression.

  “Nora?” he demanded. "Why didn't you tell me he was involved?"

  Astra met his gaze calmly.

  “The plan is sound, and he has no intention of betraying us. Why are you so upset? He is your mentor, after all.”

  “Yes, he is,” Kael replied coldly. "And that’s exactly why I know how dangerous he can be.”

  His gaze hardened.

  "You should have told me you met with him."

  Astra clenched her hands into fists.

  "I decided that our conversation wouldn't interest you anyway," she said sharply. “Didn’t you choose to distance yourself from me?”

  Kael tried to answer, but the words caught in his throat when he met her gaze.

  She turned away and walked toward the empty crates to pack her things. Kael remained where he was, her wounded expression lingering painfully in his mind.

  Augs witnessed their dispute but did not intervene. Still, his old eyes rested on Kael, observant and knowing.

  When the time came, Astra and Kael hid inside the last two crates. Soon after, the merchant loaded them onto his cart.

  Kael carefully lifted the lid of his crate just enough to look outside as soon as he felt the cart begin to move, signaling that all goods were loaded.

  Augs stood there, watching them go.

  Kael gave him a brief nod, silently promising to do his best.

  Augs noticed the gesture. He smiled faintly, then shook his head and pointed at himself, his expression suddenly turning serious.

  Kael closed the crate again, unsure of what Augs's last gesture meant.

  The cart began its journey over rough, uneven roads. Each jolt sent fresh waves of pain through Kael’s body.

  When the cart finally stopped, Kael froze. He barely dared to breathe.

  Authoritative voices sounded nearby. Kael shut his eyes as someone climbed onto the cart.

  "I will conduct a brief inspection of the goods before you proceed," a man announced.

  Kael heard a crate being opened and was certain it was the one beside him.

  After a short silence, the crate closed again. The man jumped down from the cart. Moments later, the cart resumed moving—the inspection was over.

  After a brief pause, Kael and Astra simultaneously opened their crates. They exchanged a silent nod.

  The hardest part was over.

  Now, all they had to do was endure the long ride.

  They settled beneath the covered cart, sitting opposite each other with their legs lightly touching.

  Still, neither of them spoke. They were careful not to make a sound.

  Suddenly, a loud voice echoed outside, carrying across streets and houses alike.

  "Let us now honor the memory of two heroes," the voice proclaimed, "who were destined for greatness yet met such a tragic end."

  Murmurs of grief and approval seeped through the cart's thin wooden walls.

  Kael froze as the voice continued.

  "Prince Arthur, son of our beloved King. And Zaros Lorne, son of the Commander of the Order. They were both loved. They will both live on in the hearts of our people, even after they have passed away. Bear witness now as the Commander offers his son’s sword and with it, his most precious memory to bid him farewell.”

  Kael’s eyes widened.

  Before Astra could stop him, he moved to the side of the cart and pulled the tarp aside just enough to look out.

  The cart was passing a wide road beside an enormous square packed with thousands of people. Two coffins stood at its center. Mourners gathered around them.

  Kael recognized Princess Artelia, standing stiffly with empty eyes fixed on the coffin. Beside her, an older woman sobbed openly.

  On the other side stood Zaros’s father, the Commander, his posture rigid. Next to him stood a woman who looked painfully like Zaros; she wiped tears from her face.

  Astra saw Kael’s hand begin to tremble as he stared.

  Zaros’s father stepped forward with an expression carved from iron and handed a sword to a man standing in the center of the square.

  Kael recognized the sword instantly.

  Zaros’s sword.

  The man spoke a single word.

  The square fell into an unnatural stillness, as if the world itself were holding its breath.

  Then the air shifted.

  It grew colder. Leaves tore themselves from the trees and spiraled down as if trying to flee.

  And then—

  A voice echoed in Kael’s mind.

  It was a voice he had missed so deeply that he never wanted to hear it again.

  At the same time, the sword began to glow.

  Threads of light spilled from the blade and wove together to form a figure.

  The crowd fell to its knees as one, heads bowed. They had never witnessed power like this before.

  Kael let out a broken sob.

  In his mind, a deep voice asked,

  "Are you prepared to join the Order and swear to protect the Empire for all eternity?"

  The translucent figure of Zaros lifted his head and gazed past the crowd into the sky.

  "I swear it," Zaros answered without hesitation.

  Then he shook his head, his expression softening.

  "But only because there are two people I want to protect."

  A bright, almost blinding smile formed on his face.

  "One is a tiny menace who isn't afraid to force her strange potions on anyone," he said with amusement in his voice.

  "The other is an idiot who never knows when to rest."

  The grin Kael had known since the beginning of his memory spread across Zaros’s face. His fingers dug into the wooden frame of the wagon, leaving splinters in his skin.

  "Still," Zaros continued gently, "they are my family. I would die to protect them.”

  The words echoed in Kael’s mind, then faded.

  The projection dissolved.

  The square fell silent.

  No one spoke.

  Only the distant sound of a cart rolling onward cut through the stillness, so brief that it might have been imagined.

  Kael slammed his fist into the inner wall of the cart.

  Pain flared. Blood filled the air.

  He didn’t care. He needed the pain. He needed something loud enough to drown out the voice still echoing in his head.

  He drew back to strike again—

  But Astra was faster.

  She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. Kael struggled, tears streaming down his face, trying to lash out again, but Astra held him in place.

  "Let me go," Kael rasped.

  Instead, Astra cut off his air.

  His body went slack.

  He collapsed against her.

  She cradled him, pressing his head against her chest and staring forward through the small opening in the tarp.

  Outside, Zaros’s coffin began to burn.

  "Farewell," she whispered.

  Somewhere beyond the city, snow began to fall, quietly covering the ashes.

  End of Volume 1