The fire had burned low, its orange heart shrinking to soft embers that pulsed like a dying heartbeat. The woods around them were quiet—too quiet. Even the insects seemed to hold their breath.
Elira sat nearest the fire, her knees drawn close, eyes lost in the glow. Every crackle reminded her of Nakea's voice—cold, certain, final. No. The word still echoed through her skull, cutting deeper with every breath.
Haco sat across from her, silent, sharpening his blade with a patience that felt older than the stars. Mira and Kael watched from beside the log pile, uncertain whether to speak. The air between them was brittle.
Elira finally broke it.
"Haco." Her voice came out thin but steady. "Tell me the truth. About the hero. About my father. About the queen."
The sound of the whetstone stopped. Haco didn't look up at first. He let the silence stretch, as if weighing whether her heart was ready to hear what her blood already knew.
When he spoke, it was not his usual voice—no teasing, no smirk, just the weight of someone who had lived too long with ghosts.
"...So. It's time."
He set the blade down beside him, the steel catching the last of the firelight.
"Eighteen years ago," he began slowly, "there was a man named Kyder Veylan—the Hero of Dawn. Brightest of our age. Loved by every race. Even by those sworn to hate."
Mira's head lifted slightly, her expression tightening. Kael's jaw set.
"He didn't walk alone," Haco continued. "He was followed by the steadfast and the brilliant—Teln Dravern, Susan Solenne, myself… and Nakea."
Mira flinched as if struck. "Teln and Susan—"
Kael swallowed. "Our parents."
Haco's gaze held theirs for a breath. "Yes."
He looked past them, eyes lost to the dark horizon. "We followed Kyder through wars and storms and through the kind of darkness words can't describe. We thought we were saving the world." He paused, then added, quieter, "But the world doesn't want saving. It wants balance. And that balance came from the one he was meant to destroy."
Elira's fingers curled into her palms. "The Demon Queen… Tina Syvun."
Haco nodded once. "Yes. She fought beside him for months, hidden beneath a false name. He was the first to see through it. And the only one who didn't turn away. He loved her, Elira. And she loved him."
The fire crackled. Shadows trembled along the dirt.
"When the final war ended, the world was told the Demon King had fallen. That the hero triumphed. In truth, Kyder and Tina vanished. They left behind crowns and thrones to build a life of their own. For a time… they were happy."
His tone darkened. "But happiness draws envy. And envy brings ruin. Vaelis found them. He poisoned Kyder's faith, twisted his mind until the blade meant for the enemy fell upon the woman he loved."
Elira's breath hitched. "Stop…"
But Haco went on, soft and relentless. "Kyder lived five more years—a hero with nothing left to save. When he finally broke free of the control, he couldn't forgive himself. I was there when he ended it."
Mira's hands trembled. Kael looked away. Elira could only stare into the fire, tears gathering but refusing to fall.
Her voice was small. "Then why am I here? Why did you save me?"
Haco's eyes flicked toward her, sharp and tired all at once. "Because even in ruin, there are embers worth keeping."
The fire whispered between them.
His gaze shifted to Elira, heavy and knowing. "Before the end," he said slowly, "Tina bore children. That truth didn't die with her."
The fire answered with a sudden roar, sparks leaping into the night.
Elira's breath caught. Me…? Her heart thudded so loud it drowned the crackle of wood.
Haco's tone deepened. "Blood like that never disappears. It divides—so the world can bear it."
Elira's fingers trembled, but her voice held. "Rho is still in Rionne," she said quietly. "I left her there. It was safe… it was home. I thought—she deserved to stay where the world was still simple."
Mira turned toward her, surprise flickering in her eyes. Kael said nothing.
Haco inclined his head, neither approval nor blame in his gaze. "Then you chose mercy," he murmured. "But remember this, Elira—between you and her, the world drew a line. One half born of man's light… the other of demon flame. And lines like that don't stay buried forever."
Elira stared into the fire, its glow reflecting in her wide eyes. The thought of Rho—smiling, waiting in that quiet town—tightened her chest until she could barely breathe.
A memory slid through her mind like a blade drawn from a sheath: Dust Ruin—the cold hall, the Keeper's voice, and the stone ledger near the choir screen. Four names carved with a care that hurt to look at.
She lifted her head slowly. "Those names in the Ruin… the four we found on the stone. That was Kyder—and Teln Dravern, Susan Solenne—the hero's party." She swallowed. "Then who are Hiuo Gishan and Lucy Lates Fardonas?"
The question struck the fire like a gust. The embers jumped.
Haco didn't answer at once. For the first time that night, his composure slipped—just an inch. His hand rose, then stopped short of the pendant at his throat. The movement was small, but it was there: a tremor, a crack in stone.
Mira's eyes narrowed. Kael held his breath.
Haco looked back at the flames. When he spoke, his voice was steady again, but the steadiness felt earned. "Those two… not yet."
"Not yet?" Elira pressed, blood loud in her ears.
"Knowing their names is a weight," Haco said. "You will carry it soon enough. Tonight, you already carry too much."
Silence settled, heavy as chain.
Elira wet her lips. Her next words came out barely louder than the embers' sigh. "Then which side am I?"
Haco didn't answer. Not right away. He only watched the coals breathe in and out, his expression unreadable, the quiet between them thick with what he would not yet say.
The night stretched thin around them, and the air seemed to hum faintly—like something unseen had begun to stir. Then, with a low chime, Elira's vision flickered.
[AXIS VEIL WARNING]
Subject: Elira Veylan
• Attributes — Wind, Water, Grass, Light, Dark
• Void Slot 1 → Consencrate
⚠ Instability Detected. Unidentified Skill Signature in progress.
The black glyph pulsed once, draining the color from the air around it. Mira gasped; Kael reached instinctively for his weapon.
Haco's expression hardened. "Close it."
"What—"
"Now," he said, sharper. "Before it answers you."
Elira forced the interface shut, the light collapsing into nothing. Her chest burned.
Haco let out a slow breath. "You're not ready to face that yet. The Void reacts to truth—and tonight, you've heard too much of it."
He stood, the glow of the fire tracing the edge of his cloak. For a while, he said nothing more. The forest was still except for the slow rhythm of his breathing.
Then, from somewhere deep in the trees, a voice—familiar, distant—seemed to ride the wind.
"Stop hiding, Haco. Reveal your true form."
The whisper lingered like memory.
Mira glanced around. "Was that—"
But Haco only exhaled. The look in his eyes was the same he wore before a fight: acceptance, not defiance. Slowly, he reached for his hat.
The world seemed to still.
He lifted the brim away. Light unfolded around him—soft gold, then brilliant white. His outline shifted, shrinking, thinning. When the glow faded, the man who had stood before them was gone.
In his place stood a boy no older than fourteen. His hair glowed faintly under the starlight, and from it rose two pointed fox ears. Behind him, nine luminous tails drifted like banners in the night.
None of them spoke. Even the fire seemed to bow.
Haco looked at them with calm, ageless eyes.
"This," he said quietly, voice carrying the weight of countless dawns, "is the truth you asked for."
The embers pulsed once more, then fell still.
And in that fragile quiet, the world felt both older—and far more dangerous—than it had moments ago.