Between the thick canopy above, the first stars began to appear. The crackling fire broke the silence, its flickering light dancing across the ground, the nearby stones, and the dark armor of the woman sitting motionless before it.
Tessa pulled her knees up, resting her armored arms over them as she stared into the flames. The warmth was soothing—a rare comfort in a world so unfamiliar.
Finally, a moment of peace.
Mike said nothing. He was still there—present, always in her head—but even he seemed lost in thought.
They were both quiet.
But the silence wasn’t unpleasant.
It was… familiar.
Slowly, an old memory rose in Mike’s mind.
Another fire. Another life.
He had been a child. A summer evening, camping in the woods with friends. They’d built a small fire, learned from their parents how to light it with dry sticks, how to shield it from wind.
Then, they told stories.
Ghost stories, legends, silly memories. They laughed. They got spooked. They tried to scare each other.
The warmth of the fire. The scent of burnt wood. The soft crackle of the embers.
It had been a good time. Long ago.
Tessa was thinking too.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
She knew this feeling.
How many nights had she sat by the fire with her comrades, after long marches, after brutal battles?
How many stories had she traded with grizzled veterans, how many songs had they sung? How often had she simply… existed, in that moment, before duty called again?
Her eyes blinked slowly as her fingers absentmindedly traced the engravings on her armor.
The past… it never truly leaves us.
Then she spoke.
Softly. Almost casually.
“You used to tell stories around the fire too.”
It took Mike a moment to register it.
Then he nodded mentally.
“Yeah… and so did you.”
Tessa snorted.
“Of course. It’s tradition among warriors. We share our stories. We honor the past.”
Mike thought about it.
“Actually, we do that in my world too. Maybe not as epic, but… the fire was always a place where people came together. To tell stories. To feel close.”
Tessa said nothing.
But she understood.
Maybe we’re not so different after all…
The fire continued to crackle. Night had fully fallen now.
Above them, the sky was blanketed with stars—alien constellations in an unfamiliar universe.
Tessa took a deep breath.
She could feel exhaustion creeping into her limbs.
Despite all her power, despite her endurance—even she needed rest.
She stretched slowly, one hand resting on the sword at her side as she scanned the area again.
Nothing. No threats. No strange creatures.
She let herself lower to the ground, resting her head against her armored arm.
The fire burned on, casting long shadows across her sleeping form.
Mike couldn’t sleep.
He wasn’t even sure if "sleep" was an option anymore.
But for the first time, he felt no panic. No fear.
Only calm.
Maybe… this isn’t the end.Maybe… it’s a beginning.
With that thought, he gazed through Tessa’s eyes up at the stars—as the goddess in armor slowly drifted into sleep.
End of Chapter 8