Risen from Ashes

Cain descended the mountain without ceasing.

Evan followed just a few steps behind, his pace quickened. Flakes drifted from the sky like fading, useless ashes—

as if the battle had never happened.

As if they hadn't trusted each other with their lives just moments ago.

"You don't even know where to start!" Evan shouted, flinging his arm toward the storm-swallowed horizon.

Cain slowed—coming to a full stop.

"They couldn't have gone far..." His voice was sharp at the edges.

A brief silence fell before a scoff rose from Evan's chest, a smirk of bewildered disbelief curling across his face as he blinked at the back of Cain's head in stunned stupor.

His stiff-necked arrogance made Evan's blood boil—a part of Cain he'd held onto even after that event.

Who the hell does he think he is?! Evan screamed internally.

Drawing in a breath, his mind coalesced around a single, harsh truth—spoken in pure frustration, but undeniably real.

"You'll never get anywhere without us... That dream of saving your brother might as well bury him in a ditch," Evan said coldly.

Not to mention his memories—lost, or at least the recent ones, ripped from him. He had almost no hope of finding his brother, even if he tried. They had only one option—

Cain spun in an instant, a white blur.

A spear of bone erupted from his forearm, stopping just a hair's breadth from Evan's throat.

Evan flinched, attempting to pull back just out of reach but Cain was much, much faster. Cain's spear aimed directly at his throat forcing him to halt.

"Who are you to tell me anything? I don't remember much—especially not you—so what makes you think I'd trust you? Your noble deeds will leave you dead, your entrails strung across snow and stone. So why not preserve yourself? That's what I'd expect from you."

Evan shouted, even with the spear at his throat. "How about you take your own advice? How about you think real hard about how you ended up in this mess—"

Cain's face twisted at the defiance.

The bone spear thrusting forward, pressing into Evan's neck. Even with his Aspect passively bolstering his fortitude, the tip still nicked his skin, drawing a thin trickle of blood.

"Silence," Cain hissed, his gray eyes darkening. "Why the hell are you so persistent in sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?!"

Evan snapped, anger boiling just beneath his skin. His arm shot forward, seizing the spear in an iron grip, eyes burning molten.

"I'm a selfish bastard too. So how about you drop the cold act."

Cain's eyes widened. He tried to press the spear forward, but it wouldn't budge—not while caught in Evan's grasp.

"Since you clearly need a refresher, let me remind you: you're not the only one who lost someone to those damn things. I lost someone too. And she's probably terrified out of her mind right now. I won't let her die just because you're hellbent on playing the one-man army."

He shoved the bone spear aside—half of it still lodged in Cain's arm, jutting from his forearm—forcing Cain's arm to move with it.

Cain staggered slightly, then straightened, driving the spear into the stone beneath him with a sharp crack.

Evan stood firm, fists clenched at his sides. "Our goals are the same, Cain. So start acting like it—use your damn head."

If it came to blows, Evan would probably lose—not because of strength, but just due to resolve.

Cain was different.

But instead, Cain hesitated—something even Evan hadn't expected. Maybe it was something he said. Whatever it was, that flicker of doubt had to be enough.

Enough to break through to him.

A light thud of footsteps that increased in rate as they approached pulled their attention swiftly to the mountainside.

Seren appeared breathless, quickly rounding a jagged outcrop at full sprint.

Skidding to a full stop between them, her arms outstretched like a human barrier, doubled over and wheezing.

"S—Stop... Stop fighting, please."

Both Cain and Evan lowered their gaze at her hunched form—then, out of the corner of their eyes gave each other a quick glance.

Evan exhaled, internally thanked the gods—Serenity's intervention bringing him much closer to the faith. Her arrival rendering his expectation of a deadly battle with Cain from uncertainty to a zero.

Looking back at her now, that's when he realized something else.

Serenity wasn't wearing a coat.

Something he must've not registered back there—when they were still up on that Crowned Mount.

She stood there, exposed in nothing but a plunging V-neck dress—surprisingly durable for what it was. Her waist was cinched tight by a double-buckled corset, and her arms were bare, the gloves he'd given her earlier nowhere in sight. The sleeveless outfit offered no protection from the elements.

Not to mention the form-fitting pants clinging to her legs—against the winter around them, she might as well have been naked.

He slipped off his jacket—thanks to his Aspect, he never really needed to worry about wearing one—and wrapped it around her shoulders while she tried to catch her breath.

She gasped beneath the veil of her long brown hair, which curtained her face. "Zerin..."

Serenity took a deep breath, then threw her head back, straightening fully, hands planted firmly on her hips as her chest heaved.

"He was cold—and bleeding... I gave him my coat. I think it helped save his life. That and—"

Evan nodded. "You can keep mine then. I don't need it."

"Thanks," she smiled lightly, zipping up her new coat.

"—Oh! And we encountered a Fallen rank, and I burned it!" Serenity said with a bit of pride despite her exhaustion.

Evan eyes widened. He couldn't quite believe it, slaying something of Fallen rank while everything else they have encountered thus far was only of Awakened.

"And I got an Echo too!" She then added.

It was like a slap to the face, completely unbelievable.

"An Echo?" Evan's eyes widened.

An Echo—an obedient magical imprint of a slain nightmare creature, earned only by defeating one. Such a thing was immensely prized in the world of the Awakened. And if the Echo came from a Fallen? That meant it was of **Ascended** rank—two full tiers above their own as mere Sleepers.

"Show me."

Evan had to see it for himself. If she'd received something that powerful, something of Ascended rank... what could possibly stop them now? Hell, even Zerin's creature hadn't been that strong—it couldn't have been more than Awakened, at best. And that thing had been a nightmare on its own.

But Serenity's face fell, the excitement draining from her features.

"That's the thing..." Her voice came soft, her head lowering.

"Something's wrong. Very wrong..." She looked back up at Evan. "I can't even access my Soul Sea. So I couldn't summon it, even if I wanted to."

Her words caught. "If I could, I could've helped. Cain wouldn't be like that." She turned to him.

Cain stood with his arms crossed, seemingly detached—Evan wasn't even sure he was following the conversation.

Or so he thought.

A grim sound rumbled from Cain's chest. "The damned Hags' curse..."

Evan blinked, the words sinking in. He shifted, turning to face him.

"Curse?"

Cain's eyes lingered on Evan, then shifted to Serenity.

"That curse—it freezes your soul from the inside out," he said, rolling his neck with a faint crack. "Is that how you'd describe it? I don't know. It's crippling. Annoying as hell."

Evan's brow furrowed. "You've dealt with this before?"

Cain sighed. "Yeah... I broke it twice. With fire."

Evan blinked as the realization hit him.

That's what he was doing.

When he'd first met Cain, he'd thought the man was insane, placing his severed leg upon an open flame. What once seemed like some vile, senseless act... suddenly had meaning. Suddenly, it made sense.

"So... I need to step into a fire? Won't that, like... burn me?" she asked, biting her bottom lip with worry.

Cain exhaled, leaning back against a rock near the mountain's edge. "If you want to break the curse faster, sure—toss yourself into an open flame. But you don't exactly appear to be 'durable,' do you? So I'd say just sit near the fire and wait it out instead..." He paused.

"And hope it works. Otherwise... you'll end up a monster yourself."

Serenity gasped, and Evan's mind raced. A monster? Would she become like the hags—or worse, like that monster lying atop the Crowned Mount—if they didn't break the curse?

"We can get a fire going right away," Evan said, turning to Serenity. "We just need a place..."

"—I know a place..." she interrupted.

***

After tucking the cores into the treacherous pack for later, Zerin made his way toward the Crowned Mount's exit.

The lingering rush of azure through his veins followed each step.

It was invigorating—more than any rest.

Without the chaos of battle, he could finally feel it.

Really feel it.

He lifted his eyes to the swirling skies—chaotic shadows tangled in the clouds—and for a moment, he was back in that blood-soaked land. Not the horror. Not the despair.

But the clarity.

The raw, brutal authenticity.

He was what he was supposed to be.

He stepped away from the Crowned Mount, leaving it behind. One hand rose to wipe the azure trail dripping from his lips to his chin.

His red eyes never left the scene—sweeping from the shifting skies, releasing flurries of snow, down to the cyclone's walls that encased them, the entire landscape like a snow globe.

But the scuffling of feet caught his attention, drawing his gaze to the left.

Then he froze.

Cain stood just a few feet away, staring right at him.

His hand continued its motion, slowly finishing the swipe of the azure stain from his chin—slower now, knowing he was being watched.

Cain's brow furrowed.

"I guess you're right... You can't die." Zerin dropped his stained hand to his side.

"What the hell are you even talking about?" Cain snapped. "I came here to find out what was taking y—"

"I got a little lost... Digging around inside a Nightmare creature that size is new to me. Seems cores aren't always easy to find." Zerin shrugged, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Cain, on the other hand, didn't look impressed. His eyes drifted down to the blue blood dripping from Zerin's hand. The silence hung heavy—broken only by the wind gusting through the Crowned Mount behind Zerin.

Cain exhaled, turned away, and began walking down the slope.

"Well, now that you've finally decided to show up, we can move."

Zerin's red eyes flickered with curiosity.

"Move? Where?"

"You can come see for yourself..." Cain said, continuing down the mountain.

Zerin exhaled through his nose, his body relaxing as he lowered his gaze and followed Cain down.