"She acts like that maybe because she knows that I don't want to make any more weapons because of my past..."
"...maybe she doesn't want me to fall into the same despair as her because of the past. But my past isn't something that needs to be talked about because of how much suffering there is."
"I..." Before Greg could respond, Kael and Marina emerged from the fog, both looking alert and purposeful.
"Found it," Kael announced. "The runes lead to a cave system about half a mile north, and it looks really old."
"Any signs of danger?" Denna asked, immediately shifting into professional mode.
"Nothing recent," Marina said. "But the entrance has wards carved into it. It could be protective magic or sealing magic. It's hard to tell from a distance."
"Then let's get closer," Ryn said as she stood up. "We came all this way, might as well see what someone went to such trouble to hide."
They packed up camp and followed Kael's lead through the foggy forest. Sure enough, the cave entrance loomed ahead, a massive opening in a cliff face covered in the same rune markings they'd been following. But these had different patterns, more complicated, and almost aggressive.
"Definitely protective wards," Ryn confirmed, examining them closely. "But old. The magic has faded significantly. Whatever this was sealing, it's either long gone or significantly weakened."
"Are we going in?" Denna asked, holding her axe.
Marina said, "We're going in." She glanced at Greg. "This is technically your vacation, so are you okay with this?"
"At this point, I'm invested," Greg said. "Besides, you didn't bring me out here just to rest. You wanted me to see something."
Marina smiled a little. "Smart guy."
...
The cave system was so big that it went deep into the cliff and had many chambers that branched off the main path. There were more runes on the walls that glowed faintly in the dark, giving off just enough light to see by.
They found it in the deepest room with a small, old, and worn shrine with offerings that had long since turned to dust. In the middle was a stone tablet with writing on it that none of them could read completely.
Ryn said, "It's a memorial," after looking at it for a few minutes. "The runes are markers of grief. This whole system is like a tomb, but not for bodies. It's likely for memories."
"Someone wanted to remember something important enough to build all this," Kael said in a low voice.
"Or someone," Marina said softly as she ran her fingers over the stone. "Someone they couldn't help."
They stood in respectful silence for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts about loss and memory and how far people will go to keep their loved ones alive in their hearts. Greg looked at Marina, and she knows the face she showed right now is rare for his own sight.
...
The fog had cleared by the time they got out of the cave and back to the beach. The world was bright and clear. It felt like a big change, like coming out of the dark and into the light.
Marina pulled Greg aside that night while the others set up a camp to celebrate finishing their exploration. They walked along the beach in silence until they couldn't hear the other people anymore.
"Thanks," Marina finally said. "Thanks for listening last night and not making it weird."
Greg said, "Your friends already made it weird, so I just went along with it."
Marina laughed, and it sounded real and lighter than usual. "They do that. It's both annoying and kind of wonderful."
They walked a little farther before Marina spoke again, this time in a softer voice. "Greg, the truth is that I'm scared."
"Of what?"
"Of losing people again," Marina said simply. "I built this family with the Falcons, and it's everything to me."
"But every time we take a dangerous job and one of them gets hurt, I remember that night and how helpless I felt."
Greg responded, "You no longer feel helpless."
"No, I'm not," Marina said. "But that doesn't stop the fear."
"And then I see you working yourself to death, refusing help, and carrying everything by yourself. I see myself in you, and it scares me because I know how that ends."
"Marina—"
"Greg, I almost died," Marina said, turning to face him. "Not from the fire, but from what came after. If Denna and the others hadn't found me and made me live again, I would be dead in a ditch somewhere, and the world would have just moved on."
"Or even worse... I might just end it all right there!"
"But they did find you," Greg said softly. "And you're here. You forge something beautiful out of the worst time in your life."
"I want that for you too," Marina said, and there were tears in her eyes. "I want you to have what I found. The people who won't let you fall and a family that chooses you back."
Greg said, "I already have that."
"You made sure of it. The workshop and the Brotherhood. You helped build that as much as I did."
"Then promise me something," Marina said with a lot of emotion. "Promise me you won't push us away."
"Promise me that when things get tough and you feel like you have to do everything by yourself, you'll let us help and even let me help."
Greg looked at this woman who had been through fire, loss, and loneliness. Who had rebuilt herself through sheer stubbornness and found family in the people who wouldn't give up on her. She was now doing the same thing for him.
Greg said simply, "I promise."
"I'm done carrying everything by myself. I'm done pretending I'm okay when I'm not. I'll let you all help."
Marina smiled even though she was crying. "Good. I'm not going to give up on you, Greg Greyson. You're stuck with me now."
Greg said, "I think I can live with that," and he meant it more than anything else he'd said in a long time.
As the sun set over the Crystal Coast, they stood on the beach. They were two people who had lost everything and somehow found a way to live again. The waves crashed softly, the wind was warm, and the Crimson Falcons were probably getting ready to ask them more embarrassing questions.
But for now, it was just them. Two people who had survived and chosen to keep going, who had chosen connection over being alone, and who had chosen to trust even though they had every reason not to.
Greg realized that was the real treasure they had found on this trip. Not whatever memorial was waiting for them in that cave, but this understanding they had. This is a promise that you won't have to face the dark alone.