Desa had wandered off deeper into the cave system after hearing the news about Dashan. I couldn’t blame her. Sometimes grief demands solitude, an empty space where the pain could sit with you like an old companion. The cave offered that in abundance—the oppressive stillness, the darkness pressing in from every corner, swallowing sound and thought alike.

I stayed by the entrance, my back pressed against the rough stone wall. Trendil leaned against the far wall, his breathing steady but strained. The battle had taken more out of him than he wanted to show. His face, usually calm and sharp, looked pale under the flickering lantern light. His eyes drooped with exhaustion, and his hands shook slightly when he clenched them. I understood—the fight against the Bonebreaker had left us both battered. My muscles ached in ways I hadn’t felt since my days of fighting on the front lines.

The silence between us grew, but my anger was still raw, barely contained under the surface. I wasn’t about to let things stand as they were. The Ministry had taken enough from me, from all of us. My fists clenched until my knuckles ached.

“I’m not sitting back anymore, Trendil,” I said, my voice low, but the sharpness in it unmistakable. “I’m not losing anyone else. I don’t care about Villias or his damned prophecy. We’re the ones stuck in the middle of all this. Where’s the Smoke of legend? The one who fought and won? Or were those stories nothing but lies?”

Anger still ebbed within me, like a wave washing on the shore—quick to come in, just as fast to drift back out into an ocean of pain,only to surge back again. Regardless, I was determined. I had fought in other men's wars, true, but I had fought for what was right, not for what this world had become. I had never just sat back and let things happen. And since arriving here, I had let this young body take hold, acted more child than man. No more.

“I’m not the young man I once was," Trendil said quietly. "Time has taken its toll on me.” He looked down, inspecting his hands. He looked older than I had ever seen him—grey and gaunt. His hands trembled slightly as he turned them over, inspecting his palms. Slowly, he clenched his fists, squeezing so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

“But you’re right, lad,” he said, his voice firmer now. “Enough is enough. A thousand years of watching people die, of things only getting worse... no more. Let’s take them down—the enforcers, adepts, Lord Arcanists, the whole bloody Ministry itself. At least then we can pull back the curtain and see what’s really behind all this.”

I felt a surge of pride, hearing him say those words. It was like a fire was rekindled inside me, burning away the doubt. “Then it’s settled. Where do we start?”

“Well, not here!” Desa said, returning to the entrance of the cave where Trendil and I had been resting. Her eyes were blood red, her cheeks stained with tears. .

She turned to me, her expression unreadable at first, but her eyes softened, filling with tears. "I know that look," she said quietly. "You’ve had enough. We all have. But you can’t fight them all, Ragan."

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"The hell I can’t," I growled. "I will make them pay for what they’ve done, one by one, if I have to."

Desa sighed, casting a glance toward the mouth of the cave. The night beyond was still, but we knew better than to trust the silence. The Ministry would be scouring the city by now. A Bonebreaker had been killed; the city would be in chaos. Enforcers would be hunting for us, and it wouldn’t be long before they searched the mountains, too.

"We can’t stay here," Trendil said, pushing off the wall. "Not with the Ministry out in force. They’ll have the whole city on alert after what we did. Desa, is there anyone in the Ministry who could recognize you, link you back to the Lock Pin. We’ll have to take precaution if so?”

She hesitated, her expression clouding with uncertainty. After a long pause, she nodded. "There is someone. He... he could recognize me. But I trust him," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

My gut tightened. How could anybody from the Ministry be trusted? I stared back at Desa, waiting for an explanation.

She looked down, avoiding my gaze. An explanation never came.

“Fair enough, Desa. I trust your judgement. But I think we might still take a few precaution when we get out of here. There's nothing for us in Elvensham now. I’m sorry, but that means you too, Desa. The flames took care of what remained of the Lock Pin. We move out back up the mountain.”

I starred at Trendil, Why was he retreating after what we both agreed. He noticed my disdain.

“There are things there that we will need, plus I think a few days rest and deciding on where we first strike a blow might come in useful. I’m sure you understand the logic, behind a tactical plan, lad”

I did, I already had some ideas, but laying them out discussing our option would be the best option.

“We’ll take the caves. It’s too dangerous to travel outside the city. The Ministry will have patrols everywhere after what happened with the Bonebreaker,” Trendil said, his tone more practical than emotional.

Desa stood frozen for a moment, staring down at the rocky floor, her emotions warring inside her. I could see it—the struggle to let go of everything she knew. But what was left for her now? Nothing but ashes.

“Desa,” I said, stepping closer, my voice gentler, “I promise you—those that hurt Dashan will pay. We can change this world. Fight back. Join us. Be part of something good, something worth fighting for.”

I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince her or myself, but it didn’t matter. She nodded, her resolve finally setting in.

Trendil grunted, standing taller now. "Right, let’s get a move on. It’s been, what... two, three hundred years since I’ve been in these caves? But I think I remember my way."

Desa shot him a look of disbelief. "Wait—how old are you, exactly?"

"It’s a long story, Desa," I said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood despite everything. "I’m close to 80 winters now, but Trendil here? He’s pushing twelve hundred. Maybe thirteen."

Trendil snorted, a flicker of amusement in his tired eyes. "Depends on how you count," he muttered.

Desa just stared, her shock evident. The weight of everything seemed to sink in deeper as the silence stretched between us.

“I’ll tell you on the way," I said, stepping forward and falling in line with Trendil. "It’ll help pass the time.”

We moved deeper into the cave system, the ancient stone walls closing in around us with each step. The air grew heavier, thick with the cold weight of the mountain’s presence. The only light came from the small lantern Desa carried, its flickering glow casting long, shifting shadows across the jagged rocks. Somewhere in the distance, the faint sound of dripping water echoed through the tunnels—a reminder that, despite the darkness, the mountain was very much alive around us.