Chapter Forty-Seven:

  "A Night Without Fear"

  The soft hum of conversation had dwindled, replaced by the quiet clinking of mugs being collected and chairs being tucked away.

  The atmosphere within the café had grown warmer as the lanterns dimmed, their dim glow stretching in faint streaks across the polished wooden surfaces. The scent of spiced brews and roasted coffee beans still lingered, comforting in its own way, as the last patrons departed into the night.

  Emily stretched her fingers along the rim of her now-empty cup, staring at the faint swirls of residue left behind. Hours had passed without her realizing it. The warmth of the place, the slow and easy cadence of Rendall’s presence beside her, had made time slip away without consequence.

  The door creaked open, allowing a rush of cool night air to filter in. Elara Wynsong stepped inside, her expression light with relief as she took in the peaceful scene before her.

  “Praise the gods,” she said, clasping her hands together. “A quiet, uneventful evening. We should be grateful for such nights.”

  Emily exhaled, the words settling something inside her. A quiet night. It had been too long since she’d experienced one without the weight of survival, of expectation pressing onto her spine.

  Elara offered them a small smile before gesturing toward the exit. “Come, I will show you where you may rest for the night.”

  Rendall glanced at Emily, that familiar trust me expression tugging at his lips.

  "Don't get any ideas." Emily said, flashing Rendall a smile.

  Rendall threw his hands up into the air. "I wouldn't dream of it."

  With easy steps, they rose to follow, stepping out into the cool, lantern-lit bridges of Oakspire's highest branches. The café’s doors shut gently behind them.

  The night air was crisp and cool, carrying the faint, earthy scent of the towering oaks around them. Tiny lanterns hung from twisting branches, their glow reflecting off the wooden pathways and bridges that stretched high above the forest below.

  Oakspire's high branches at night was something out of a dream, its soft luminescence making the treetop city feel suspended between reality and some untouched realm of the divine.

  Emily let out a breath, eyes drifting to the distant peaks barely visible beyond the canopy. "Alright, I’ll admit it," she said. "This place is beautiful."

  Rendall, walking beside her, smirked. "Was that so hard to say?"

  She shot him a sidelong glance. "I’ll deny it in the morning."

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  He chuckled, hands slipping casually into his coat pockets. "Noted."

  Elara walked ahead of them, her steps light and sure on the suspended bridge as they crossed deeper into the village. Below, laughter echoed through the quiet air. Emily looked down to see Finn and Isla once again, their energy seemingly endless as they tossed a small glowing orb between them, dodging and weaving in a game only they seemed to understand.

  "They don’t sleep?" Emily asked, watching as Isla leapt gracefully onto a platform, catching the orb midair before twirling and tossing it back to Finn.

  Elara glanced over her shoulder, smiling softly. "Nature and Wind do not sleep."

  Emily watched them for a moment longer, their laughter pure and unburdened. There was something oddly comforting in it, as though their joy existed outside the weight of fate.

  As they continued forward, the bridge widened into a small landing overlooking the glowing treetop dwellings. The warmth of the evening, the gentle sway of the bridge beneath their feet, the quiet hum of the village settling into the night, it was enough to make Emil finally exhale and let go of the tension she hadn't even realized she was carrying.

  Without thinking, she reached out and placed her hand over Rendall’s.

  For a moment, he was still. Then, with that same quiet confidence he always carried, he placed his other hand gently over hers.

  Their eyes met, the world around them fading into quiet.

  Emily parted her lips to speak, her voice barely above a whisper. "Rendall, I don’t really know how to say this."

  A gloved finger pressed gently against her lips, silencing her.

  "You don’t have to," Rendall said, his voice smooth, reassuring. "I feel the same way. And I don’t really know how to tell you this... other than... " His signature smirk twisted, turning sharp, wicked. "Sorry... not sorry."

  Before Emily could react, darkness swallowed his features, an eerie gleam overtaking his skin. His head and face were instantly masked by that familiar, horrifying visage, the antlered mask from above the Kolnheim Warfront. A grotesque, deer-like skull with massive, sprawling antlers, its empty sockets devouring the light around them.

  A chill shot through Emily’s veins.

  Rendall threw his head back and laughed, the sound cutting through the peaceful night like a blade. "I cannot believe you fell for that!"

  In one fluid motion, he unsheathed his sword, its blade catching the moonlight. His stance was effortless, terrifying.

  "Funny, isn’t it? You sent me to stop what causes the innocence to scream… and now, I’m the one causing it."

  Before Emily could react, Rendall leapt from the bridge, landing effortlessly where Isla and Finn were still playing. The two children blinked up at him, their pure, untainted minds unable to recognize the nightmare standing before them.

  Finn grinned. "Hey! Cool sword, can I hold it?"

  Isla rolled her eyes. "If you think I’m going to allow any such thing, you are out of your mind."

  Rendall gave them one last look, a look of utter disbelief. The kind that mocked them for their naivety, for their trust. For their innocence.

  Emily didn’t hesitate. Her bow was in her hands, arrow already nocked. She fired.

  Rendall deflected it with a flick of his blade.

  Elara gasped, stumbling back before turning and sprinting deeper into the village. "I have to warn the others!"

  Emily gritted her teeth, firing again. Again. And again.

  Rendall deflected them all with ease.

  "I can do this all day!" he called, lazily batting away another arrow. "But, Goddess, do you bore me."

  His attention shifted back to Isla and Finn, who were still watching with bright, curious eyes. They thought this was a game. A show.

  They didn’t know.

  Rendall tilted his head. "Time to end this."

  Emily screamed as he swung his blade.

  One strike. One devastating swing.

  Their laughter turned to agony, their screams cutting through the night as their bodies transformed before Emily’s eyes.

  Finn became a flawless, clear diamond. Isla, a deep, dark emerald.

  Rendall scoffed, lifting the gemstones in his palm. The antlered mask on his face seemed to grin as he turned his gaze to Emily one last time.

  A dark portal unfurled beside him, a void of twisting blackness.

  She reached for her bow, but her hands wouldn’t move. She knew, he was already gone."