One of the gods stepped forward onto the elevated platform, raising his hands to quiet the celebration for just a mont.
He then announced, "Before the night grows too late, the All-Father will make an announcent. Sothing of great importance to share with all gathered here. Look forward to it, everyone!"
There was a wave of curious murmurs that passed through the crowd before the festivities resud their natural flow.
At the Ravens Grave table, the atmosphere remained warm and jubilant. Stories and old jokes were still exchanged.
But at so point during the revelry, Innis quietly pushed her chair back and stood.
"I’ll be back" she said to no one in particular.
Elena glanced up with concern. "You alright?"
"Yeah, just... need a minute." Innis forced a smile.
Before anyone could press further, she’d already slipped away from the table, weaving through the crowd toward the square’s outer edges.
She kept walking, putting distance between herself and the celebration until the sounds of music and laughter faded to a dull
background hum.
Eventually, she found herself in a quieter section of Eden, a small garden area with stone benches and flowering plants that glowed softly in the darkness.
Finally alone, Innis let out a breath while staring out at nothing in particular.
The truth was, she felt left out and displaced.
Like everyone else had found their place in this new world while she remained adrift.
It was easy when they’d all been part of the guild.
They were Ravens Grave, they cleared dungeons, protected people. That was who they were. But the guild wasn’t what it used to be anymore.
There were no more demons to fight. No dungeons appeared anymore. The tasks that ca to Ravens Grave now were mundane things: either escort missions or diplomatic deliveries.
Everyone else had moved on to sothing more.
Laela and Arianna were mothers now. Prior to today, they’d spent most of their ti either in Eden or in Aiden’s house, which wasn’t even on their planet.
They existed in a different sphere entirely, one Innis couldn’t access or relate to.
Rin and Aeris were always with them too, serving as both guards and companions. They’d found their purpose in protecting Aiden’s family.
Elena wasn’t bad or anything, but Elena would spend most of her ti buried in books and magical research at the academy.
Her passion was knowledge, studying, teaching young mages. All admirable pursuits.
Oliver did whatever Elena did, content to follow her lead and support her academic interests.
And books just weren’t Innis’s thing.
Bernard had his inn. Piers and Katherine had each other and their life in Zahka. Even Ambrose, isolated as he was, seed to have so kind of purpose driving him.
But her? What did she have?
She worked at Bernard’s inn, which was fine. The work was honest and the pay decent. But it felt like just passing ti
"Hey."
Innis jumped slightly at the voice behind her. She turned to find Kayden standing a few paces away, then turned back to face the garden.
"I didn’t know we were on talking terms now." She said
Silence stretched between them for a mont. Then Kayden walked forward, closing the distance until he stood beside her.
"Being here in this place," Kayden began quietly, "seeing our friends, seeing what Aiden’s accomplished... it made realize we shouldn’t be fighting over what we’re fighting over."
Innis’s hands clenched into fists as she said, "It took you a year and the birth of Aiden’s children to realize that?"
"Innis—"
"I don’t want to talk, Kayden." She cut him off. Then sighed and added, "Can I just have this mont to myself? Please?"
Kayden’s face contorted into a frown. For a second, it looked like he might argue to push the conversation forward despite her request.
But then his shoulders slumped slightly. "Yeah. Okay."
He turned and walked back toward the celebration.
Innis remained where she was, staring out at the glowing flowers, with tears almost forming in her eyes.
Their fight had started a year ago.
Kayden had been ready to take their relationship to the next level and approached her with all the earnest intensity he brought to everything, explaining that he wanted her to beco betrothed to him.
But Innis hadn’t been ready for that level of commitnt.
They’d fought, and it was bad.
Innis had tried to reach out afterward, attempted to explain her feelings more clearly. But Kayden wouldn’t talk to her unless she agreed to accept his proposal.
He saw it as rejection, as her not taking their relationship seriously.
And so they’d been at this impasse for a year now.
She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, letting the night’s air wash over her face.
Why did everything have to be so complicated?
——
Back at the Ravens Grave table, Ambrose had been sitting quietly for most of the evening, nursing a single glass of wine and contributing little to the conversations flowing around him.
But he had been waiting. Specifically, for a mont when Aiden had fewer people surrounding him.
The Dragon God had been constantly engaged since arriving, with friends and well-wishers approaching in a steady stream.
Finally, there was a lull. Aiden only had hand resting on the back of Laela’s chair while she held little Tristan.
His attention seed montarily free.
Ambrose then stood from his seat and approached Aiden’s corner. Then lowered his head towards him and asked,
"Can I speak with you for a mont?"
Aiden turned toward him as the casual smile on his face faded.
"Of course." Aiden glanced at Laela, who nodded understanding, then gestured for Ambrose to lead the way.
They moved away from the table, and found a relatively private spot.
Aiden turned to face him fully. "What’s wrong?"
Ambrose took a breath, trying to organize thoughts. "First of all," he began, "I think I might be going crazy. And I don’t know how to deal with it."
Aiden’s expression sharpened with concern "How so?"
Ambrose continued, "I have conflicting mories. Ever since you remade the world, I’ve had mories that don’t match what everyone else rembers."
"When people talk about what happened three years ago, they rember the battle in Dragonhold. They rember getting teleported to the sa forest lands where the gods were gathered. They rember how it looked like all hope was lost, and then you reappeared and defeated Samael."
"That’s all anyone rembers. And it’s not like I don’t rember that too. I do. Those mories are there, clear as day."
He paused, then added.
"But I also rember more.
Aiden said nothing except watch intently.
"I have this other mory," Ambrose continued. "A recollection of the demon king actually killing everyone right there in Dragonhold. No teleportation or last-minute rescue. Just... death. Everyone dying. The kingdom falling. Everything ending."
"And what confuses the most is that both mories have no coinciding point! They’re completely separate. I’ve tried to reconcile them, or at least figure out which one is real or if maybe I’m just misrembering sothing. But every ti I think about it, it only gets worse."
Ambrose’s voice cracked slightly. "I think maybe, after failing to make sense of these conflicting mories, my mind just...broke and went mad"
He looked down at his hands.
"For the last three years, there’s been this voice in my head. Constantly raging. Telling to kill humans. Over and over. ’Kill them, kill the humans, kill all of them.’"
His eyes lifted back up to Aiden’s desperately.
"I isolated myself because I was afraid I might actually do it. I’ve been trying to understand what’s wrong with , but nothing works. The voice never stops."
Silence fell between them.
Aiden’s expression had beco completely unreadable, and without a word, his gaze intensified.
Ambrose felt it imdiately. A presence pushing into his mind, not forcefully but with undeniable authority.
The sensation was strange but not painful. Aiden was peering directly into his consciousness.
The Dragon God had chosen not to do this earlier, preferring to hear Ambrose’s account in his own words first.
But now, with the full picture laid out, he needed to see for himself what was happening inside his friend’s mind.
After a mont, Aiden stopped and his eyes widened.
User Comments
0 comments from readers