"Did you know this would happen?"
Vastarael did not look at Asenane at first. His eyes were fixed on the kneeling corpses. When he finally spoke, his tone was too calm.
"I had an idea. Not the outcome though."
He gestured faintly to the town.
"Why would people live this far from civilization, in a place abandoned by trade routes and history? Why would the entrance to the Hidden Citadel of all places, be here? Broomshaven was never a town. It was a lock."
Runner stared at him, horrified.
"You're saying this like it's obvious."
"It is obvious. Just not comfortable. I expected the Golden Fawn method. That was the clean option. But since they chose the second condition, it made things easier."
Runner shook her head violently. "No. No, that's insane. We can take the dangerous path. There are two paths to this decision, right? We can't just—"
Asenane crossed the distance in a single step and slapped Runner so hard the sound echoed down the street. Runner staggered, stunned by how strong the slap was,.
"Enough, You don't get to say that after this."
She pointed at the bodies.
"You interfered. You chose mercy without understanding the system you were stepping into. You stopped the Golden Fawn's death because it made you uncomfortable, and this," her hand trembled as she gestured to the street, "is the cost."
"I didn't—"
"You did. Intent doesn't absolve consequence, Runner. Answer me this. If your father had told you, explicitly, that the Golden Fawn must die for us to pass safely, would you have agreed?"
Runner opened her mouth. Nothing came out. Asenane turned away from Runner and summoned a blade of ice into her hand,
"Then you will finish what you started. Kill the Golden Fawn."
Runner recoiled as if burned.
"No—"
"She was never going to be your companions forever. Divine Creatures do not exist for your comfort, especially if they will leave you after becoming an adult."
She walked back toward Vastarael, dismissing the blade.
"She's been… soft," Shimmer said quietly, eyes fixed on Runner. "Too soft."
Asenane nodded once. "She's thinking like a human, not like an Aeterium."
Then she turned to Vastarael.
"You went too far. You let people die so she could learn."
"Hey, I didn't know they would kill themselves. I truly didn't. I expected resistance, not mass sacrifice."
His gaze flicked briefly to Runner.
"This feels less like my lesson and more like fate correcting interference."
Shimmer stepped forward and reached for the Golden Fawn.
"I can do it. I'll snap its neck. Should be painless—"
"No!" Runner shouted, lunging forward and yanking the fawn away, clutching it to her chest as it trembled violently. Shimmer turned on her with a glare.
"Stop being weak. This will get you killed someday."
"People already died!"
"Yes, because of you."
The words hit harder than any blow.
"You didn't let Dad kill it. You chose what felt right instead of what was right. And this is the consequence."
Runner sank to her knees, clutching the Golden Fawn. Vastarael watched silently. There was no comfort in his eyes or reassurance. Runner's hands were shaking before she even realized she was moving. Her fingers brushed the fawn's golden fur, which was glowing faintly. It leaned into her touch.
"I'm sorry. I really thought… I thought we could be together. I thought you were meant to guide us."
The fawn made a soft sound, somewhere between a breath and a cry.
"All actions have consequences. I have to atone. I was careless. I was stupid. I believed too easily. Who knew that my dad would lie about you leading us just for me to learn a lesson?"
"I wasn't lying."
Runner froze.
"The Golden Fawn can actually lead us through the Hidden Citadel. I simply did not mention that it can do so as a soul."
She turned to him slowly.
"What?"
"I'm an Aeterium. Soul Energy is not a theory to me. I can anchor its soul to yours. Not reincarnation though. Divine Creatures cannot reincarnate. That path is closed to them permanently. But, I can prevent dissolution. I can keep it aware."
"You mean… it could stay with me?"
"Yes. If you kill it properly."
"..."
"A sudden death would cause the soul to vanish from the body instantly. It must be aware it is dying. Fear, pain, understanding... those are what bind a soul strongly enough for me to grasp it."
Runner stared at him.
"That's… that's cruel."
"Yes. It is."
Asenane didn't react. Shimmer didn't even look surprised. Runner's hands clenched into the fur at the fawn's neck.
"Is it even possible? Would it… would she agree?"
"That depends, on whether it chooses you. You caught it. Golden Deer choose who kills them. That choice has already been made."
Runner turned back to the fawn, Tears were spilling freely now.
"Can I… Can I kill you and keep you with me?"
The fawn whined. It didn't pull away. It pressed its head weakly into her chest. Runner sobbed, wrapping her arms around it's neck.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this. I didn't want them to die. I didn't want you to die. I just..."
Her fingers slid up its throat and closed.
The fawn struggled. Its legs kicked weakly against the stone. Its breath became erratic, shallow and panicked. Its golden eyes widened. It knew what was happening. It knew who was doing it. Runner's grip tightened as tears soaked into its glowing fur.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry—"
She raised the ice blade in her other hand.
She hesitated just for a second before she drove it forward. The blade pierced the fawn's chest, sliding between ribs and straight into its heart.
Golden blood spilled out slowly, dripping across the cracked street, soaking into Runner's clothes, hands, and knees. It glowed against her skin like molten sunlight. The fawn convulsed twice then went still.
Its eyes stayed open.
Runner collapsed over its body, clutching it as it died fully in her arms. She cried openly now, violently, choking on apologies that no longer mattered.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
Behind her, Shimmer exhaled sharply.
"This is really annoying. Crying over a dead animal..."
Runner didn't hear her. Or maybe she did and it just didn't matter anymore.
Vastarael raised one hand as Soul Energy unfurled from him, dragging something delicate out of the corpse. A small, trembling shape of gold manifested above the corpse in her arms. The Golden Fawn's soul looked nothing like its body. It was thinner and more fragile. Its light pulsed unevenly, reacting to Runner's anguish.
The physical body dissolved right there, in her arms.
The fawn's flesh broke apart into motes of fading gold, drifting upward and slipping through her fingers like sand she could never hold onto again. Warmth vanished completely, leaving behind the unbearable emptiness of absence. The street drank the last of its blood, and then even that glow dimmed.
Runner let out a broken sound.
"No—"
"It's done."
He reached forward and closed his fingers around the soul. The soul shrank. Vastarael shaped it with terrifying precision, compressing its awareness, stabilizing its existence and anchoring it so it would not tear itself apart. Then he turned to her. In his palm rested a small, golden soul sphere.
"Take it."
"I… I don't know how."
"You do. You're an Aeterium."
She hesitated only a moment before reaching out. The instant her fingers brushed the soul, it reacted, leaping into her chest like it had been waiting for her specifically. Runner gasped as it slid into her Aeterium soul. Pain followed. It felt like something had been stitched directly into her being without ant ways to kill the pain. She collapsed forward, clutching herself.
"It hurts..."
"It should. You're making room for another existence after all."
He crouched slightly so he was level with her. His voice softened for the first time that morning.
"I can make it functional immediately. Give it awareness, direction, obedience, but I won't. You deserve the chance to let it grow. Use your own Soul Energy. Let it adapt to you. That connection will be stronger than anything I could force. And there's one more thing," Vastarael added.
"What is it?"
"You have to name it. If you don't, it will never fully anchor to the world. A soul without a name is forgotten."
Runner closed her eyes. Tears slid down her face again, but this time they were quieter. She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling the faint, timid presence curled inside her.
"I'll think of one. I promise."
A golden portal tore itself open in the air nearby. Light spilled out in heavy waves that distorted the ruins of Broomshaven. Brumwald Bexlesworth clapped his hands together in delight.
"Ah, at last. The adventure awaits."
Vastarael stood up and groaned.
"I have a feeling that I'll collapse as soon as we cross."
Asenane turned sharply toward him. "You're joking."
"I don't joke about my own limits, Every time I pass through a portal into another dimension or world, I lose consciousness."
"That's ridiculous."
"And this still happens."
"Are you doing something dangerous?"
"No. Take care of me okay?"
Asenane clicked her tongue. "You better wake up fast."
Runner rose unsteadily, one hand still pressed to her chest, the other trembling at her side. Shimmer watched her with a look that was somewhere between irritation and something that almost resembled understanding.
The moment they crossed the threshold, Vastarael collapsed.
His body went slack instantly as if his consciousness was extinguished mid-step. Asenane caught him without hesitation as the portal swallowed them whole.