Farewell To Insignia, For Now

The sun had risen and fallen twice since the storm that shook the Western City. Though the skies had cleared, the scent of scorched soil and the phantom of tension still lingered in the alleyways and marketplaces. The Invisible Beast Ghost had come and gone like a nightmare, leaving behind shattered buildings, fractured pride, and scattered hearts.

But in the quiet aftermath of chaos, life began to mend.

The Western City was rebuilding. Artisans resumed their trades with calloused hands and heavy eyes. Merchant stalls stood again, not as proud as before but tall enough to remind people that this city did not crumble for long. Children ran in packs once more, their laughter returning like hesitant birds to a broken nest.

However, not all the scars left behind were on stone and wood.

If Raika once had hope of redeeming herself in the eyes of the city, it had all but vanished. Where once murmurs of uncertainty about her intentions floated through hushed taverns and crowded corridors, now the whispers had turned venomous. Some claimed she had conjured the Invisible Beast herself.

Others insisted that she and Veyn were secretly conspiring against the West all along, having made a pact with the ghost-creature in some underground rite. There were even exaggerated tales, ridiculous to any rational mind, of her being born of void-blood or kissed by curses from hell itself.

None of it was true, but truth had no home in the aftermath of fear.

Had it not been for Zarvana's personal intervention and her protection, it was all but certain that the Western citizens would've turned on Raika and Veyn like wolves. Execution wouldn't have been debated. It would've been expected.

But while the city brewed with accusations and unease, elsewhere Vastarael and Elyonari had been... absent.

They barely left their quarters and the servants of Krepsuna Castle had learned quickly to stay away from the designated wing, especially after the entire hallway had been sealed under sapphire with complex runes flickering at every corner.

But now it was time to return to the real world.

At the Southern Gate, where the city thinned into layered snowdrifts and trails, the group gathered.

Zarvana stood tall, her eyes steely as she stared at the horizon. Seyna was to her right. Beside her stood her husband Kezren, his large hands resting easily on the hilt of his blade.

Vastarael and Elyonari came last.

Shimmer was the first to notice them walking up the snowy steps toward the caravan formation. Her silver hair bounced with each step as she tugged at Runner's arm.

"Look! Elyonari's glowing again!"

"She's always glowing," Runner muttered, more aware of people's energy shifts now after her Ascension started. "But... huh. That's weird. Her glow feels... warmer now."

Elyonari was humming. She was actually humming a soft, twinkling forest melody that made it seem like there were little birds nesting on her shoulders. She wore a long white robe. There was a small scratch on her collarbone, curved like a bite mark. Shimmer raised a brow.

Shimmer smiled, skipping in front of her and walking backward

"You're happy today. Did something... happen?"

Elyonari paused her humming and tilted her head, smiling.

"You're imagining things."

Runner raised her hand slowly. "You smell like Dad."

Elyonari's grin widened just a bit too knowingly.

"I suppose I would, after spending two days straight with him, wouldn't I?"

Shimmer squinted at her, then at Vastarael who walked a step behind, looking... suspiciously relaxed. His expression was calm, but the slight upward curl of his lips betrayed his mood.

Elyonari just giggled, twirling around with her arms wide like the blizzards couldn't reach her. She was beyond shame and basking in something only she and Vastarael shared in those two days.

Behind them, Vastarael watched her with a slow exhale, eyes half-lidded, golden irises gleaming. Whatever storm lay ahead, he had peace now.

But there was a conversation still hanging between the group about the route ahead. Zarvana turned toward them as they gathered. Her voice was crisp.

"We leave now."

Seyna frowned. "Are we sure about this? The Mountain of Illusions has been acting up lately. Travelers haven't returned."

Zarvana didn't flinch. "It is the rite of the Northern Chieftain to travel the world by compass. North to West. West to South. South to East. Then Central. I will not break tradition, not even for survival."

"But the route—" Kezren began.

"—is dangerous. Yes." Zarvana cut in. "But that's precisely why we must go. If we can't face it, we don't deserve the final step."

Vastarael nodded. He looked toward Zarvana, nodding once more to her with finality.

"We've altered the plan. When we reach the Mountain of Illusions, we'll split. Elyonari and I will form one group. You, Seyna, Kezren, and your people will take the other route."

Zarvana crossed her arms. "You're certain?"

"I am. I hate to admit it but that mountain's name alone tells me what we're walking into. It doesn't care who you are or what you're capable of. The illusions don't bend to strength or intention. And moving as a large group? It's suicide. I learned that the hard way when I was on the Island of Peony. That place... it doesn't forgive numbers."

She said nothing in return, only lowered her gaze for a long beat of silence. Then, Vastarael turned toward Shimmer and Runner.

His two daughters were huddled close to each other, both wearing layered jackets. Biolumine was curled nearby, half-asleep and radiating soft heat. The girls' faces were tense, like they already knew what he was about to say.

Still, he dropped to one knee in front of them, resting a gloved hand on each of their shoulders.

"You two are going with Insignia. They'll take you toward Central. You won't enter the capital itself. At least not yet. You'll wait outside the city border. Chainless and Chrysanthemum will lead the way."

Shimmer's lower lip twitched. "But we wanna be with you..."

He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, tucking it gently into her hood.

"I know. I want you with me too. But this isn't a normal path. The Mountain of Illusions isn't something I can gamble your lives on. Even the Chieftains fear that place."

Runner held her father's gaze. "You're afraid something might happen to us."

"Yes," he said, without flinching. "I am."

There was something in the way he said it that made both of them straighten. They knew he didn't speak of fear often and when he did, it meant he saw something far worse than what they could imagine.

"We'll be good," Runner said. "We'll stay close to Obsidian. And Chrysanthemum."

"And I'll protect Runner," Shimmer added, puffing her chest a little. "Like you taught me, with my Tether."

Vastarael pulled them both into a tight hug, his arms causing a wall of warmth around their smaller frames.

"I'll meet you in Central. That's a promise. And you know I don't break those."

They nodded into his shoulders, hugging him back just as tightly. When he let go, he turned to Obsidian, who has finished relaying the message of the plan to Insignia.

"Obsidian, I'm trusting you with my daughters' safety. I want you to lead them and make sure they're protected until I arrive in Central."

Obsidian lowered her head.

"I swear on your name that no harm will come to them. I will wait outside the capital. I'll keep them safe, master."

He nodded once, then turned toward the women behind her, Chainless and Chrysanthemum.

Chrysanthemum stepped forward first.

"We'll get them there. I won't let anything stop us."

Chainless stood beside her. She said nothing but the way she placed her hand over her chest and nodded twice was enough. She moved closer to the girls and rested a hand gently on Shimmer's head, then Runner's, before looking back to Vastarael and giving a small, deliberate thumbs-up.

He smiled at her.

"I trust you, Chainless. Keep them steady. Chrysanthemum will do most of the talking anyway."

Chrysanthemum grinned. "She likes it better that way."

Vastarael looked back to his daughters one last time.

"I love you both. Be brave, be clever... and don't forget to feed Biolumine. I'm leaving her with you to protect you two. And also I left the Bowl of Wisdom with you, Shimmer. At least your Boon won't affect you in any way."

Shimmer giggled through a sniffle. "Biolumine eats too much.."

Runner pulled at her gloves, a soft grin playing on her lips.

"Just get back to us soon. And bring Elyonari too. She's nicer when you're around."

That made Elyonari, standing just behind them, laugh lightly. She had been watching the whole thing with her arms folded and a distant smile on her lips. There was a warmth in her gaze that hadn't been there before. She leaned her head just slightly to one side, watching Vastarael with a softness that didn't need to be said aloud.

He was going to be a good father.

The gates opened with a loud groan, iron and wood scraping against old hinges. The wind that swept through the opening was colder than before, as if the mountains themselves were exhaling.

It was time.

Chainless mounted her wolf, the girls climbing up onto Biolumine's cat form. Obsidian walked beside the cat, her eyes always scanning. Chrysanthemum and Chainless took the lead on top of the wolf. And just like that, the girls turned back one last time.

Vastarael raised his hand in a farewell wave, Elyonari doing the same beside him. The girls mirrored the gesture, smaller hands in thick gloves.

"See you in Central!" Shimmer called.

"We'll wait for you!" Runner echoed.

And then they were gone, heading east along the outer path, veiled by distance and the curling mists of snow.

The rest of them turned to face the other direction.

Westward, toward the edge of the city. Toward the Mountain of Illusions.

A place that did not welcome visitors.

As the wind picked up again and the group made their first steps onto the old trail, Elyonari leaned close to Vastarael, her hand slipping into his.

"They'll be okay," she whispered. "You raised them right."

He squeezed her fingers gently.

"They're stronger than you think. But I do worry a little."

And with nothing else spoken between them, they all left the Western City behind, Zarvana leading, Seyna and Kezren beside her, Obsidian's towering silhouette was now absent, and Elyonari and Vastarael walked together through the fog of the future.

Little did they know that Vastarael's intuition actually saved all their lives.