The morning sun filtered through the dense canopy of the forest, casting long shadows across the

  ground. The group packed up their camp in silence, the events of the previous days weighing

  heavily on them. They had vanquished Conquest, another Horseman, but there was no sense of

  relief. The road ahead felt darker, more treacherous with each step they took. With War dead and

  Conquest defeated, only two Horsemen remained: Famine and Death.

  Lily, sitting by the remnants of the campfire, stared into the dying embers. Her mind churned

  with the weight of her Marks: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, and Wrath. Three more sins awaited her:

  Sloth, Envy, and Pride. The thought of what trials lay ahead was unsettling, but she didn’t voice

  her concerns. She was already too deep into this path, and there was no turning back.

  “We should decide where to go next,” Thalor said, breaking the silence as he rolled up his

  sleeping mat. His voice was calm but edged with tension. “East or north? If we follow the path

  east, it might lead us closer to the remaining sins.”

  Elias, standing nearby with his arms crossed, shook his head. “Lily said we could change

  direction. We don’t have to follow the same path.”

  Nyx, who was perched on a rock, idly scratching Buck, her massive black tiger, looked up. “I

  don’t care where we go, as long as it’s not straight into another Horseman’s arms.”

  Lily stood, brushing dirt from her clothes, and glanced at the others. The choice was, once again,

  hers. She thought about the woods, the uncertainty they’d faced with each step, but also the

  freedom of not being bound to a singular road. After a long pause, she spoke, her voice low but

  firm.

  “We’ll keep heading north,” she said. “Through the woods. Away from the beaten path.”

  Elias nodded, his expression softening slightly. “North it is.”

  The group gathered their belongings and set out once more, the forest enveloping them as they

  ventured deeper into the unknown. The trees grew thicker, the air cooler, and the sounds of the

  forest creatures surrounded them. For a while, the walk was peaceful, with the occasional rustle

  of leaves or the call of a distant bird breaking the silence.

  Nyx, always curious, broke the quiet first. “So… you never really talked much about your life

  before all of this, Lily. What was it like? What were you like?”

  Lily thought for a moment, her gaze distant. “I was just a normal teenager back on Earth. I was

  trying to figure out who I was. I was planning to go to college, maybe study sociology.”

  “Sociology?” Elias asked, furrowing his brow. “What’s that?”

  “It’s... well, it’s the study of how societies work,” Lily explained, her tone thoughtful. “How

  people interact with each other, how communities are structured, the things that influence

  behavior—like culture, economics, politics. It’s about understanding why people do what they

  do.”

  Nyx blinked, clearly lost. “Sounds complicated.”

  Lily chuckled softly. “It can be, but it’s also really interesting. I wanted to understand why

  people behaved the way they did—why some people thrived while others struggled. It felt

  important, like something worth studying.”

  Elias nodded thoughtfully. “So you were always trying to figure things out, even before all of

  this?”

  “Yeah, I guess I was,” Lily admitted. “I thought if I could understand people better, maybe I

  could make things better... but then, well, I ended up here.”

  Nyx snorted, her sarcasm cutting through the somber mood. “Well, lucky for you, there’s plenty

  to figure out in this hellhole. No shortage of people doing messed-up things.”

  The conversation drifted off after that, each of them lost in their thoughts. The forest began to

  grow darker as the trees became denser, and a strange, unsettling feeling settled over the group.

  The further they walked, the more they noticed the air growing heavy, thick with the scent of

  decay. It wasn’t just the natural scent of rotting leaves or the dampness of the forest floor. This

  was something else—something wrong.

  “What is that smell?” Thalor muttered, his nose wrinkling as they pressed onward.

  Elias was the first to see the town. He stopped abruptly, holding up a hand to halt the others.

  “Look,” he said quietly.

  Ahead, through the thinning trees, they saw it: a small town nestled in the clearing, its buildings

  weathered and crumbling. It looked as if it had been forgotten by time, left to decay in the middle

  of the forest. There was no movement, no sign of life—just silence.

  “I don’t like this,” Nyx said, her hand resting on Buck’s massive head. The tiger let out a low

  growl, sensing the unease in the air.

  Lily’s eyes narrowed as she studied the town. “Let’s check it out. But stay on guard.”

  They approached cautiously, weapons drawn, the tension thick between them. As they neared the

  entrance to the town, the smell of rot intensified. Flies buzzed around piles of what looked like

  animal carcasses, their bones picked clean and left in heaps along the road.

  “This place is dead,” Elias muttered, his hand tightening on his sword.

  But as they ventured further into the town, they began to see signs of life—or what was left of it.

  Emaciated figures emerged from the shadows, their bodies thin and gaunt, their eyes hollow and

  desperate. They moved sluggishly, as if they had no energy left, their clothes hanging off their

  skeletal frames.

  One of them, a man barely able to stand, stumbled toward them, his voice a dry rasp. “Please...

  help...”

  Lily stepped forward, her expression unreadable. “What happened here?”

  The man reached out with a trembling hand, his eyes wide with fear. “The land... it’s cursed...

  Famine... we have nothing left... no food... please, help us...”

  Nyx’s face twisted with pity as she knelt down beside the man. “How long have you been like

  this?”

  The man didn’t answer directly, instead glancing nervously around. More figures began to

  emerge from the houses, all of them looking just as starved and hollow as the first. They moved

  slowly, their eyes fixed on the group with a strange, unsettling intensity.

  “We’ve had to... make sacrifices,” the man said, his voice barely above a whisper.

  Elias stiffened, his instincts screaming that something was very wrong here. “What do you mean,

  sacrifices?”

  The man didn’t answer, but the look in his eyes told them all they needed to know.

  Lily’s hand went to the hilt of her sword. “They’re cannibals.”

  The realization hit like a bolt of lightning. The people of this town, driven mad by hunger, had

  turned on each other. The gaunt figures around them shifted, their hollow eyes gleaming with a

  mixture of desperation and madness.

  Before anyone could react, the townspeople lunged.

  The fight was brutal and chaotic. Elias’s sword flashed through the air as he cut down one of the

  attackers, his face twisted with disgust. Thalor unleashed a flurry of precise strikes, his

  movements sharp and efficient, while Nyx called on Buck, the black tiger tearing through the

  cannibals with savage ferocity. Lily’s Marks flared to life, her Wrath burning through her as she

  cut down the emaciated figures one by one.

  But there were too many of them. For every one they killed, more seemed to emerge from the

  shadows, their faces twisted with hunger and madness.

  Elias swung his sword, cutting down a man who lunged at him with a rusted blade. “We’re

  outnumbered!”

  Thalor grunted as he parried another attack. “We need to get out of here!”

  But the townsfolk kept coming, driven by their insatiable hunger. Nyx, trying to stay close to

  Buck, found herself surrounded by a group of skeletal figures, their eyes wild with desperation.

  She called out to the others, but the noise of the battle drowned her out.

  And then, in the midst of the chaos, it happened.

  Rylan, her daggers flashing as she cut down two attackers, was too focused on the battle in front

  of her to notice the child behind her. A gaunt, skeletal boy, no more than ten years old, crept up

  behind her, a sharpened piece of metal in his hand.

  Before Rylan could react, the boy stabbed her in the side, the makeshift blade sinking deep into

  her flesh.

  Rylan gasped, her body going rigid as the pain shot through her. She stumbled back, her eyes

  wide with shock as blood poured from the wound.

  Rylan’s breath hitched as the pain tore through her. She instinctively pressed a hand to her side,

  feeling the warmth of her blood spill through her fingers. The boy, his hollow eyes wide with a

  mix of fear and madness, pulled back the makeshift weapon, ready to strike again. But before he

  could, Nyx’s black tiger, Buck, lunged at him, his powerful jaws closing around the boy’s frail

  body and flinging him aside like a rag doll.

  “Rylan!” Elias shouted, his voice thick with panic as he cut his way through the attacking

  townsfolk to reach her. He swung his sword in wide arcs, cleaving through the starved figures

  that blocked his path, desperate to get to her.

  Thalor, now fighting back-to-back with Lily, caught sight of Rylan’s collapse and grimaced.

  “She’s hurt bad!”

  Lily's eyes flickered with Wrath, her grip tightening around the hilt of her sword. She hacked

  through the emaciated townspeople, the fury building within her with every strike. Their sunken

  eyes, their desperation—it disgusted her. She had no sympathy for them. They had chosen this

  path, had become monsters.

  When Lily finally reached Rylan, she dropped to her knees beside her fallen comrade. “Stay with

  me,” she muttered, yanking Rylan’s shirt aside to see the wound. It was deep—too deep.

  “I’m... fine,” Rylan choked out, though her pale face betrayed her. “Just... just a scratch...”

  “Don’t lie to me,” Lily snapped, her voice sharper than she intended.

  Elias was at her side a moment later, his sword coated in blood. “We have to get her out of here.”

  But the townsfolk weren’t done. More were closing in, their gaunt forms barely recognizable as

  human. They shuffled forward, eyes wild with hunger. Behind them, in the distance, something

  was moving—a presence so vast, so overwhelming, that it made the air feel thick and oppressive.

  Famine.

  Lily’s head snapped up, and in the distance, she could see it. A tall, looming figure, cloaked in

  white, its face hidden behind a grotesque mask of bone. Famine’s presence was undeniable, and

  with it came an overwhelming sense of dread. The grass beneath its feet withered to dust, and the

  few remaining crops that clung to life blackened and died in its wake.

  The townspeople, driven by hunger and madness, continued their assault, oblivious to the

  Horseman’s arrival. They were too far gone, consumed by their need to feed.

  “Get her out of here!” Thalor barked, taking up a defensive stance alongside Elias.

  Lily shook her head, her grip tightening on her sword. “No,” she growled. “We end this. We kill

  Famine. Now.”

  Nyx, standing nearby with Buck at her side, nodded grimly. “I’m with Lily. We can’t leave them

  like this. These people are already dead.”

  Elias hesitated, his eyes flicking to Rylan’s pale face, then to the approaching figure of Famine.

  His jaw clenched. “Fine. But we do this fast.”

  Thalor muttered something under his breath, preparing himself for the inevitable battle as he

  adjusted his grip on his staff. "This isn't going to be easy."

  Lily stood, her muscles tensing as she faced the coming onslaught. Wrath surged through her like

  a tidal wave, but this time it was controlled, focused. She didn’t care about these people—they

  were monsters, cannibals who had slaughtered their own. And Famine... Famine would pay for

  what it had done here.

  With a roar, Lily charged into the fray, cutting down the last of the starved villagers with ease.

  Her sword flashed with deadly precision, each strike fueled by the Marks that burned within her.

  Greed shimmered around her as she cut down another attacker, coins and trinkets falling from

  their bodies as if their very lives had been tied to their wealth. Gluttony surged, giving her an

  unnatural strength, while Lust’s allure made her movements almost hypnotic, drawing the

  villagers toward her like moths to a flame.

  Elias fought at her side, his sword a blur of steel as he slashed through the horde. Thalor

  followed close behind, his staff sweeping through the air as he knocked back attackers with

  precision, each blow calculated, each strike intended to incapacitate rather than kill.

  Nyx, meanwhile, was in her element. She had summoned a swarm of smaller creatures from the

  forest—foxes, birds, even a bear—that tore through the starved villagers with savage fury. Buck,

  ever the loyal companion, remained close to her side, his massive form ripping through anyone

  who got too close.

  The battle was brutal, but the group fought with a grim determination. Famine was close now,

  towering over the battlefield like a god of death, its presence suffocating. The Horseman’s eyes,

  dark and hollow beneath its mask, seemed to pierce through them as it raised one skeletal hand.

  Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet began to wither and crack, the grass dying in an instant

  as the air became thick with the stench of decay. The townspeople, what few remained, collapsed

  where they stood, their bodies crumbling to dust as the curse of Famine took hold.

  Lily growled, feeling the weight of Famine’s power pressing down on her. It was as if the very

  life was being drained from her body, but she refused to give in. She had come too far, endured

  too much to be stopped by this.

  With a snarl, she raised her sword and charged, her Marks flaring to life as she closed the

  distance between herself and Famine. She was Wrath incarnate, a force of pure destruction, and

  nothing—nothing—was going to stop her.

  But as she drew near, Famine raised its hand again, and a wave of black energy erupted from its

  palm, slamming into Lily and sending her flying backward. She hit the ground hard, her vision

  swimming as pain lanced through her body.

  “Lily!” Elias shouted, rushing to her side.

  She groaned, pushing herself up on one elbow. “I’m... fine,” she muttered, though her body

  screamed in protest.

  Famine was still standing there, watching them with its hollow, empty gaze. It didn’t speak, but

  its presence alone was enough to convey its intent. This wasn’t just a battle for survival—this

  was a reckoning.

  And then, from the shadows, more figures emerged. Not the starved townspeople this time, but

  something worse. Grotesque creatures, twisted and malformed, their bodies bloated and

  disfigured from the curse of Famine. They shuffled forward, their eyes glowing with a sickly

  yellow light as they moved to surround the group.

  Elias cursed under his breath, his sword raised as he prepared for the next wave of attackers.

  “This just keeps getting better and better.”

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  Thalor, standing at his side, nodded grimly. “We need a plan.”

  Lily, her eyes still fixed on Famine, slowly rose to her feet. “No plan,” she growled. “We kill it.”

  Elias glanced at her, his expression a mix of concern and determination. “Then let’s finish this.”

  With renewed resolve, the group prepared for the final confrontation with Famine. The twisted

  creatures shuffled closer, their bloated bodies oozing with rot, but the group stood firm.

  They had come too far to fail now.

  The battle erupted in a cacophony of noise and violence, the twisted creatures surging forward as

  the group met them head-on. Lily’s Marks flared to life once again, giving her the strength and

  speed she needed to tear through the bloated monsters with ease. Her sword cut through their

  rotting flesh like butter, each strike leaving behind a trail of blood and ichor.

  Elias fought beside her, his sword a blur of steel as he cleaved through the attackers. His

  movements were precise, methodical—he was a warrior born, and this was his element. Every

  swing of his blade was backed by years of training and experience, and it showed in the way he

  moved.

  Thalor, ever the strategist, focused on keeping the creatures at bay, using his staff to knock them

  back and create openings for the others to strike. He fought with a calm, calculated efficiency,

  his movements smooth and controlled.

  Nyx, meanwhile, was a whirlwind of chaos. Buck was at her side, tearing through the attackers

  with savage fury, while Nyx herself called upon the animals of the forest to aid in the fight. Birds

  swooped down from the trees, their sharp beaks tearing into the bloated creatures’ eyes, while

  foxes and wolves darted in and out of the fray, biting and clawing at the monsters with feral

  intensity.

  But even as they fought, Famine stood at the edge of the battlefield, watching them with its

  hollow, empty gaze. It didn’t move, didn’t react—it simply observed, as if waiting for

  something.

  Lily’s breath came in ragged gasps as she cut down another twisted creature, her muscles

  burning with the effort. She could feel the weight of Famine’s power pressing down on her,

  draining the life from everything around her. The grass beneath her feet had turned to dust, and

  the air was thick with the stench of death.

  “We can’t keep this up forever,” Elias muttered, glancing at her between strikes.

  “I know,” Lily growled, her eyes flicking to Famine. “We have to take it down.”

  But how? Famine was a Horse man, an entity of pure devastation. It loomed just outside the fray,

  as if relishing the spectacle, waiting for the moment to unleash its full wrath.

  Lily tightened her grip on her sword. "We have to close in on it, get Famine to engage directly,"

  she muttered to the others.

  Nyx, wiping blood from her cheek, called Buck to her side. "And how do you suggest we do

  that? It’s just… watching us."

  Elias gave a grim nod, catching Lily’s eye. "It’s like it’s feeding off this. The more we struggle,

  the stronger it seems to get."

  Thalor glanced around, his mind racing through possibilities. "If we draw it into a trap—perhaps

  we could weaken it by collapsing part of the structure on it. These ruins might work to our

  advantage."

  But Lily was already shaking her head. “No,” she said, her voice steely. “This isn’t just another

  monster. It’s one of the Horsemen, one of the roots of this place’s suffering. It needs to be taken

  down with finality, not by chance.”

  As she spoke, she felt the Mark of Wrath pulse within her, pushing her forward, intensifying her

  focus. The anger of a thousand betrayals, of lives shattered by this entity, surged within her, and

  she could feel the strength that came with it. Her other Marks—Greed, Lust, Gluttony—flared

  alongside Wrath, each amplifying her abilities in unique ways. She felt an almost unnatural

  confidence, an energy that seemed endless, and it was as if she was in two places at once: both

  within herself and beyond, observing as she let the Marks guide her actions.

  Without another word, she took a step toward Famine, her gaze never wavering. The others

  followed, spreading out around her. The bloated creatures stumbled forward, but they were

  different now—slower, as if unsure of themselves. Famine tilted its head, sensing the shift. Its

  hand slowly rose, and the creatures lurched forward once more, driven by the dark energy that

  flowed from the Horseman.

  “Stay close,” Elias warned, positioning himself to shield Rylan, who was still struggling to

  recover from her wound.

  As they advanced, Famine’s presence grew heavier, the weight of its gaze like a physical force

  pressing down on them. The closer they got, the more oppressive the air became. Lily could feel

  her strength being sapped with each step, her Marks straining to keep her upright.

  “Lily,” Thalor called out, his voice strained. “Your Marks—they’re reacting. They’re…

  absorbing something.”

  Lily could feel it too. There was a pull within her, as though her Marks were reaching out to

  Famine, a tug-of-war that was both empowering and draining. Wrath was flaring brighter than

  ever, burning like an inferno within her. She had to use it, harness it, or risk being overwhelmed.

  With a roar, she surged forward, her sword cutting through the last line of twisted villagers as

  she closed the final distance to Famine. The Horseman didn’t react, its hollow eyes still fixed on

  her with that same inscrutable gaze. But as she raised her sword, Famine’s hand shot out, faster

  than she could see.

  The world went dark for a split second as Famine’s bony fingers closed around her wrist, its grip

  like iron. She gasped as the energy of her Marks flared in response, but Famine’s power was

  unlike anything she had felt before—a hunger so deep it seemed to swallow light and life itself.

  “Lily!” Elias shouted, lunging forward to strike Famine’s arm with his sword, forcing it to

  release her. She stumbled back, clutching her wrist, her skin cold where it had touched her.

  Famine finally spoke, its voice like dead leaves rustling in the wind, hollow and haunting. "You

  bear the weight of sins that fuel me. And yet you resist.”

  Lily straightened, meeting its empty gaze with defiance. “Your time is up,” she hissed, her

  Marks flaring brighter in response. “This ends here.”

  Famine tilted its head, almost curiously. “So much fury, so much greed. You think you can

  consume me?”

  The Horseman raised both hands, and the ground around them cracked, dark energy seeping

  from the soil. The air grew colder, the plants wilting, the life draining from everything in its

  vicinity. Even the creatures under Nyx’s control faltered, shrinking back in fear.

  Lily braced herself, focusing all of her Marks into a single point. She could feel Greed

  demanding to take, Lust compelling her forward, Gluttony aching for more power, and Wrath

  raging to destroy. She let the energy build, channeled it through her blade, and struck.

  The sword connected with Famine’s arm, and for the first time, the Horseman recoiled, its white

  cloak torn and dark energy spilling forth like thick smoke. Famine’s hollow eyes seemed to

  narrow, as if it were realizing the true threat she posed.

  “Now!” Elias shouted, and the others surged forward, each focusing their attacks on Famine with

  renewed vigor. Nyx called Buck to her side, the tiger charging forward with a snarl, his claws

  sinking into Famine’s cloak, tearing it as the Horseman staggered.

  Thalor stepped back, his staff raised as he chanted a quiet incantation. “Lily, I’m focusing my

  strength on you—don’t hold back.”

  With Thalor’s support, Lily felt her power surge, the Marks within her blazing with an intensity

  she had never known. She felt as if she were on fire, her vision narrowing until all she could see

  was Famine, all she could hear was the steady thrum of her Marks resonating within her. Wrath

  took over, driving her forward, each strike more ferocious than the last, each movement guided

  by a fury that was both hers and beyond her.

  Famine faltered, its movements sluggish, its strength waning as Lily’s Marks consumed the

  darkness around them. The Horseman stumbled, its hollow gaze fixed on her with something

  akin to fear, as if it realized it was facing a force it could not comprehend.

  And in that moment, Lily saw her chance.

  With a final roar, she drove her sword through Famine’s chest, her Marks blazing with a

  brilliance that shattered the darkness. The Horseman let out a terrible, hollow wail as the energy

  within it unraveled, dissolving into nothingness.

  The ground beneath them began to shake as Famine’s form crumbled, the dark energy

  dissipating into the air. The withered plants around them began to stir, life returning to the soil as

  the curse of Famine was lifted.

  Lily stood there, panting, her sword still buried in the ground where Famine had stood. She could

  feel the weight of her Marks settling within her once more, a quiet power that thrummed beneath

  her skin.

  “It’s over,” she murmured, though the words felt hollow.

  The others gathered around her, their expressions a mix of relief and exhaustion. They had won,

  but at what cost? Rylan was gone, and the townsfolk, once cursed and now freed, lay dead in the

  streets, victims of their own desperate hunger.

  Elias placed a hand on Lily’s shoulder, his gaze solemn. “Let’s get out of here.”

  With one final look at the ruined town, Lily nodded, her heart heavy. She had come here seeking

  answers, seeking justice, but all she felt now was emptiness.

  After Famine’s defeat, as the eerie silence settled over the ruins, Lily bent down and pried the

  ring from Famine’s fallen form. It was cold, a bone-white band etched with symbols that seemed

  to shimmer faintly in the dim light, and as her fingers closed around it, she felt a weight settle

  within her. There was only one Horseman left now—Death.

  The group made their way out of the deadened, twisted landscape of Famine’s influence, cutting

  through the forest in silence. The air was somber, and Rylan’s absence felt like an open wound,

  raw and constant. No one spoke much; the sting of loss seemed to hang over them like a heavy

  shadow. Lily tried to shake it, but every time she caught sight of Elias’s weary gaze or Thalor’s

  lowered head, it came rushing back.

  After a few more days of quiet travel, they approached a new town. It was surprisingly large and

  fortified, the kind of place where guards were stationed at the gates, and stone walls loomed

  protectively over the perimeter. As they approached, the guards at the gate raised a hand to halt

  them, their expressions cautious but not unfriendly.

  “State your business,” one guard said, looking over their travel-worn gear and worn expressions

  with an appraising eye.

  “Just passing through,” Elias replied, his voice rough but steady. “Looking for a place to rest and

  resupply.”

  The guards exchanged a glance, then nodded, stepping aside to let them through. The town

  within was a sharp contrast to the bleak and cursed villages they had recently seen. People

  bustled along the cobblestone streets, vendors called out from their stalls, and children laughed

  and ran by without a care. The air was lively, the colors vibrant, and the scent of fresh-baked

  bread wafted from a bakery nearby.

  The normalcy felt jarring after everything they’d been through, like stepping out of a nightmare

  into daylight. For a moment, they just stood there, taking it in.

  “Maybe this place will give us a chance to catch our breath,” Thalor murmured, his eyes

  scanning the town with relief.

  The group moved forward, each finding their own small reprieve in the town’s bustling markets.

  They restocked on dried foods, medicines, fresh clothes, and some simple luxuries they hadn’t

  seen in ages. Nyx even found a traveling merchant with exotic animal supplies, purchasing a new

  collar and harness for Buck.

  In a small, unassuming inn at the town center, they found rooms with simple beds and fresh

  linens. After a quick meal, they retreated upstairs, taking the time to relax, clean up, and sleep in

  relative safety. Lily lay on her bed for hours, her mind heavy with Rylan’s loss. She stared at the

  ceiling, tracing every swirl and crack, her thoughts drifting back to all the laughter, the

  camaraderie they’d shared.

  The next morning, they gathered around a small wooden table in the inn’s common room. Elias

  raised his mug in a somber toast, his gaze resolute but shadowed.

  “To Rylan,” he said, his voice soft.

  The others echoed him, each murmuring Rylan’s name with a mix of respect and grief.

  Thalor cleared his throat, his expression distant. “Rylan wouldn’t have wanted us to linger too

  long. She’d probably tell us to stop moping around and do something useful.”

  Lily smiled, a small, bittersweet curl of her lips. “That sounds like her.” She glanced down at the

  white ring of Famine on her finger, turning it slowly. “She fought beside us… and she’d want us

  to see this through to the end.”

  Nyx crossed her arms, her usual sarcasm dulled by grief. “So, we’re one Horseman away from

  the end of all this. Think Death will be the worst of them?”

  Elias shrugged, his gaze hard. “They’ve all been the worst in their own way. But if Death’s even

  half as strong as the others, we’ll need to be ready.”

  Thalor nodded in agreement. “We should rest and resupply as much as we can. There’s no telling

  what’s waiting for us ahead.”

  The town gave them a space to breathe, a chance to remember Rylan’s courage and spirit without

  the pressure of survival looming over them. They wandered the streets, speaking little but taking

  comfort in the mundane activities around them—street performers, vendors hawking everything

  from fruits to trinkets, and townsfolk who moved without fear of monsters or Horsemen.

  In the afternoon, Lily found herself alone, walking along the outer edge of town near the stone

  wall. The memory of Rylan’s laugh echoed in her mind, the weight of the four Marks she bore

  pulling at her thoughts. She clenched her fists, determination filling her. She wouldn’t let

  Rylan’s sacrifice be in vain.

  That night, they gathered around the fireplace in the inn. The flame flickered, casting shadows

  that danced across the room. Buck lay curled at Nyx’s feet, his breathing slow and steady. For

  the first time in what felt like ages, they were able to sit in relative peace.

  “We keep moving tomorrow?” Elias asked, his gaze moving between them all.

  “Yes,” Lily replied firmly, meeting each of their eyes. “There’s still one more Horseman left.

  Death. And we’re going to finish this.”

  They all nodded, an unspoken resolve settling over them. They’d faced unimaginable darkness,

  endured loss and pain. But together, they would continue forward, one step at a time, until their

  journey was complete.