Chapter Seventy-Two:

  “What’s Right”

  With the Aetheris hovering silently above, Emberwood welcomed back its crew.

  The moment Keira stepped onto the softened earth, the scent of campfires, familiar, yet now laced with the ghost of lingering frost, filled her senses.

  The village had changed since she last left. The snow had melted, but the red and orange leaves of fire did not return, leaving the trees skeletal, bare against the overcast sky. Yet, the lanterns still burned in the windows, the steady glow a quiet promise of warmth and rest.

  A figure broke from the gathered villagers. Elyndra, the Sage of Healing, moved swiftly through the thinning fog, her deep red cloak brushing the ground. Her arms wrapped around Keira in an embrace that was firm yet gentle.

  Keira stiffened for a moment before sinking into it, the exhaustion making it impossible to resist. Elyndra held her close, not speaking of the missing faces she had hoped would return. Instead, she simply whispered, "Come." Her touch was steady as she guided Keira away from the others.

  Not far from them, a short, stocky figure approached the rest of the group. Tobias. His hand brushed against the worn shield strapped across his shoulder, his dark eyes sweeping over the group with the scrutiny of a man taking inventory of the fallen. He stopped first at Emily, then at Leo, his expression unreadable. His fingers flexed against the leather strap of his satchel before he exhaled sharply. "... No one else, then?"

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  Emily lowered her head, her fingers tightening at her sides. The silence was answer enough.

  Tobias nodded solemnly, his wrinkled fingers gripping the strap of his satchel tighter. "It's not right."

  Asha stepped forward, her voice steady, unwavering. "None of this is right. But we still have to do what is."

  Tobias regarded her for a long moment before nodding again, slower this time. "Well said."

  Ankit stepped up and smacked Leo lightly on his big arm, the impact barely registering on Leo’s solid frame. "What's up, man?" He’d noticed it the moment Keira walked away, Leo hadn’t stopped staring after her.

  Leo blinked, shaking his head as if snapping back to the present. Leo shrugged, brushing the question off like it was nothing. “She just... looks like someone I knew.”

  Lucinda tilted her head, studying him. “Someone you cared about?”

  Leo didn’t answer right away. Instead, he turned, his feet already carrying him in the direction Keira had gone. Over his shoulder, barely above a whisper.

  “Someone I loved.”

  Emily and Evelyn exchanged a glance as Leo walked off, then shrugged. Whatever that was about, it wasn’t their place to pry.

  Kaelith approached, his crimson robes flowing with each purposeful step. Kaelith, the Ember Sage of Wrath. His piercing amber eyes locked onto Amari, his expression that of a man who already knew what was coming.

  His eyes lingered on Amari's spear before meeting his eyes.

  "We need to talk about the Guardian of Fire." Amari didn't ask.

  Kaelith inclined his head. "Yes. The time for withholding the truth is over." He turned on his heel. "Come. There is much to explain."

  Emily stepped forward before he could move too far. "Is the Guardian here? Are they safe?"

  Kaelith stopped. "No… and yes. And yes." His tone was absolute despite the elusiveness. "Like I said, there is much to explain."