Reprieve and Reckoning

The days that followed were filled with light.

Not sunlight—not entirely—but something brighter than war, softer than victory. For the first time in weeks, the group remained within Callestan's walls not out of strategy, but choice. They walked its streets. They slept through the night. They spoke to people not in defense, but in peace.

Reprieve was a fragile thing. But it held.

Koda stood at the edge of a quiet overlook just inside the southern wall, his arms folded, the wind tugging faintly at his cloak. Beyond the ramparts stretched the flat fields they had once crossed under starlight and fog. Now they were simply earth. Real. Quiet.

He took a breath, exhaled slow.

The others were scattered—Maia speaking with Order priests at the temple's edge, Terron overseeing distribution of weapons to the outer districts. The others, resting. Regathering.

They would leave for Delrest soon. Another waystation on the road to the capital.

But before that…

Koda's system window shimmered to life at his mental prompt.

LEVEL: 40

NEW SKILL SLOT UNLOCKED

Choose one of the following:

Voidrend Arc (Active)

Channel a sweeping arc of compressed mana that cuts through all enemies in its path. Scales with Intelligence and Wisdom. 30 Mana.

Cooldown: 10 seconds.

Willpiercer Lance (Active)

Summon a high-speed mana construct that targets a single foe's weak point. Damage bypasses armor and resistances. Scales with Intelligence and Willpower. 45 Mana.

Cooldown: 20 seconds.

Aegis Flare (Active)

Emit a pulse of radiant mana that damages enemies and grants brief damage reduction to allies. Scales with Wisdom and Endurance. 60 Mana.

Cooldown: 30 seconds.

Koda narrowed his eyes slightly as he read through them.

Three options. Three reflections of what he'd become—and what he still needed to be.

All three mana-based. A shift in focus.

Not simply blades anymore. But will in its purest form.

The choice, once again, would shape not only how he fought—but who he fought for.

Koda's eyes scanned the list again, slow and deliberate.

Voidrend Arc. Simple. Efficient. A wide, slashing wave of compressed mana—destruction in its purest form. It matched his instinct: fast, clean, forward. The kind of strike he could imagine carving through dozens of undead in one motion, his momentum unbroken.

His intent had nearly settled on it.

It was tempting.

It was familiar.

But as the wind stirred again, another memory rose—unbidden, unwelcome.

Maia.

Thrown like a ragdoll, her body skidding through blood-soaked stone. The look on her face before her head hit the ground. The sound—the absence—of her voice in those long seconds before he reached her.

He had been too far.

He had been too late.

And Voidrend wouldn't have changed that.

Koda's jaw clenched.

His focus shifted.

Aegis Flare.

He re-read the description. Not just area damage—protection. A radiant burst to clear the field and shield his allies. A moment of defense—one that could mean everything.

It wasn't as elegant.

It wasn't as fast.

But it was what he'd needed then.

What he might need again.

And the cost?

60 mana. A steep toll by most standards. The average mage might use it twice before being drained dry. Three, and they'd collapse from overexertion.

But Koda glanced again at his own stat window.

Mana: 660 / 660

He could fire it ten times—and still stand.

He wouldn't just fight through the mobs anymore.

He'd burn a path.

And guard the ones following him.

His mind locked in place.

He selected it.

—

SKILL ACQUIRED: Aegis Flare

Radiant mana pulses outward in all directions.

Deals damage to nearby enemies and grants damage reduction to allies for 6 seconds.

Scales with Wisdom and Endurance.

Mana Cost: 60 | Cooldown: 30 seconds

—

The choice settled over him like armor—not the weight of war, but the readiness to face it again.

He breathed deep.

Not because he needed to.

Because he chose to.

The sun was just beginning to crest the inner walls when Koda arrived at the courtyard. The morning air was crisp, the kind that hinted at the coming shift in seasons. A pair of Order caravans waited by the gate, their wheels freshly repaired, the horses restless but well cared for.

Renn stood by the front wagon, her bow slung casually over one shoulder, though the leather straps on her bracer had been newly tightened. Seta leaned against the side, arms crossed, her eyes scanning every passerby in that measured, calculating way she never quite turned off. Elise sat atop the second wagon, legs swinging slowly, quiet as always. And Eno stood just beyond, checking the balance of his summoned bow before dismissing it with a subtle flick.

Koda approached without words.

They looked up—each one in turn—and the quiet settled into something heavier.

"Leaving before the sun's warm, huh?" he said gently.

Renn gave a dry smirk. "Figured it's harder to cry in the cold."

Seta rolled her eyes, but didn't argue.

Elise jumped down silently from her perch and walked over. "You good?" she asked, her voice low, as always.

"I will be," Koda said. "This road… it's not going to be like the last. You four have done more than enough."

Eno nodded. "We know."

Renn looked him dead-on. "You better live. I didn't spend two weeks sleeping next to you just to hear you died in some holy hole in the capital."

Koda chuckled. "I'll be sure to scribble your name in my will, just in case."

Seta finally pushed off from the cart and walked up beside him. "If you ever need eyes again—"

"I'll call you," Koda finished. "You've earned more than trust."

She looked away. "I'm not great at goodbyes."

"Good," he said. "This isn't one."

They each came to him in turn.

A clasped hand from Eno.

A brief but tight hug from Renn.

A nod from Seta.

And Elise… placed her palm over his heart for a moment, then walked away without another word.

Koda stood by as the caravans rolled out, watching until they disappeared beyond the bend in the outer street.

The sound of hooves and wheels faded behind him.

Koda stood at the edge of the stone gate a moment longer, staring down the road that would take Renn, Seta, Elise, and Eno back to Oria. A piece of his past was leaving with them—not the beginning, not the end, but the bridge that had carried him this far.

But his future…

It was waiting just beyond the gate he turned to now.

The city still bustled. News of Greed's fall had spread far beyond the Order's walls—quiet rumors in market squares, whispered awe in training yards, cautious admiration in temple halls. A peace had settled over Callestan. One earned through blood.

But Koda knew better than to call it safety.

He cut through the heart of the city with sure steps, until he found them.

The courtyard of the inner barracks had been cleared and repurposed for training drills. His party stood in the far corner near a table marked with maps and supply ledgers. Thessa looked up first, her hands folded behind her back, spine straight as iron. Wren was scribbling into a fresh journal. Deker was setting down a crate of potions with more care than his usual chaotic energy suggested. Junen watched it all from a half-shaded bench, her shield resting against her knee. Terron leaned against the opposite wall, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

Maia stood in the middle of them all.

Waiting.

Koda approached, his presence quiet but instantly felt.

They turned toward him as one.

"We've lost four today," he said, tone measured. "But not to battle. To peace. They're heading back to Oria."

"Good," Junen said without hesitation. "They deserve it."

Koda gave a slight nod. "But it means we stand as the ones who'll move forward."

He stepped to the table, placed a hand flat on the parchment that showed their path to the capital. A red line traced the road from Callestan to Delrest. Beyond that: the borderlands, the mountain passes, and eventually, the heart of the kingdom.

And more scars.

"Greed was only one piece," Koda continued. "There are other fragments. Pride. Wrath. Envy. Lust. Sloth. Each of them waiting. Maybe already spreading. Maybe already watching."

He looked around the circle.

"I'm not asking if you're strong enough. You've proven that."

His gaze swept across them—each face already hardened with experience, but marked now with purpose.

"I'm asking if you're ready to chase this all the way to the end. To the capital. To wherever the rest of the dead god's sin waits."

A silence fell.

Then Maia stepped forward, placing her hand next to his on the map.

"We followed you through death," she said quietly. "We'll follow you through what comes after."

Terron grunted. "As long as the food rations don't get worse."

Thessa drew a slow breath. "We should strike before the next fragment grows too bold."

Wren, without looking up: "We need to revise our logistics for a multi-month trek."

Deker cracked his knuckles. "And someone's going to have to build new mana capacitors. Again."

Junen simply nodded. "I'm with you."

Koda closed his eyes for just a moment.

Then opened them.

"Then we leave for Delrest in two days."