The base of the great tree was incredibly crowded that morning. The Cloud Folk had started moving almost immediately, since the war was finally over. Warden Moka was helping all who wished to climb down from the tree, carrying their belongings to the ground, since most were going back to their life in the forest. Without the threat of the Lightbringers, the sanctuary would have gradually returned to being a place of meditation. All around there were families carrying bags, trunks, even farm animals, and splitting in different directions, greeting each other and hugging one last time, after a period of coexistence that had brought together people from different places, albeit under unfortunate circumstances.

Nene tried in vain to calm down Oto after they descended into the dragon's clutches. He was so excited that he wouldn't shut up about it. On the contrary, Nila was sitting on the ground, pale, far less happy with the experience. That morning, Adanara had tried to speak to Kora, to no avail. Goro had taken her to his hut to take care of her and had told Adanara that she was feeling better physically, although was constantly crying.

The Cloud Folk elders had gifted them fruits and bark. Even if the latter was inedible to humans, it could have been used to start a fire at worst. So, stocked with supplies and with Nene once again able to walk easily on her own, the time came for them to set off towards Kumhar. Adanara claimed that the few teachings she had received from Kora had been very useful, but whether she really meant it or was just saying it to cheer them up was unknown to Nene.

They followed a group of shepherds heading towards the valley. A woman told them that in the past those pastures were among the most lush in the region and that, without the threat of the Lightbringers, they could re-establish there. Since it was also the most direct path to Kumhar, they travelled together for a while. Oto struck up a conversation with some shepherds, who soon began to treat him like one of their own. The boy ran left and right following their instructions while helping them keep the herd of goats together.

They crossed the forest, which would have suffered for who knows how long of the poisons the Lightbringers had poured into the water. Since winter was upon them, the trees were losing their leaves spontaneously, which made it difficult to distinguish the contaminated area from the ones that weren’t. The adults among the Cloud Folk did not lose sight of the children and goats even for an instant, out of fear that they would wander away and drink from some stream.

It took a few hours to reach the valley. The vegetation gave way to meadows that were turning yellow from the cold. The stumps of felled trees testified to the passage of the knights, who had extensively used trunks to erect the palisade surrounding their camp. Finally, at the bottom of the valley, the Lightbringers' settlement was still there, apparently untouched, just as they remembered it. Unlike a few days earlier, however, the comings and goings of loggers and other civilian personnel had completely ceased, the commotion of their voices, carts and animals had disappeared.

Nene wanted to get closer. It was extremely dangerous, but if Moka was to be believed, there was no survivor. She wanted to see with her own eyes the result of her actions. She felt a certain empathy for the Lightbringers, as descendants of ancient members of the Church, and felt partly responsible for their demise. She would never have been able to find peace had she feigned indifference.

Her companions insisted on accompanying her, despite the danger. Adanara shared her feelings, so they separated from the shepherds, who continued along the edges of the valley, heading towards the ridges where, according to them, the best pastures were located, and perhaps what remained of their village.

The group approached the silent stockade of the camp. The gates were closed, as if in anticipation of an assault, but no structures were damaged. When they arrived in front of the fortifications, the silence seemed even more unnatural. The camp had hundreds of tents and was home to at least a thousand people, how could they have vanished in a single night?

«This way!»

Oto called the others. He had spotted a collapsed portion of the palisade. The trunks, previously stuck deep into the ground, lay bent and shattered, as if they had been broken from the inside. Nene went to inspect, and what she saw made her head spin.

A group of corpses lay helplessly inside the breach. Some had collapsed on top of the felled trunks, perhaps in an attempt to crawl out of the camp. The others were piled up behind them, huddled on top of each other. They had desperately tried to escape from their settlement to the outside, after having closed themselves inside. Although only a few hours had passed, the bodies appeared in an advanced state of decomposition. Their features were barely recognisable, a terrible stench tainted the wind that came out from the breach. Nene covered her face, to little avail. She couldn’t muster the strength to warn the others, who ran to her side and could see with their own eyes.

«How… w-what…», Nila stammered.

Adanara remained silent. Like Nene, she also felt responsible for that massacre. Although indirectly, they had taken a stand in that war. The blood of the Lightbringers was on their hands.

«I don’t wanna stay here», Oto whined.

«Wait a minute, maybe there are survivors», Nene protested.

«Don’t get close», Nila held her back. «I-I think they died from... some sort of epidemic. It could be d-dangerous»

«It must be the power of the Evil One», Adanara explained.

«How? We… we parted Moka from it»

«I was separated from it too, yet I still feel it and… I can do things that not everyone can. Moka must have somehow managed to exploit the Evil One's gift»

«How can you know that?»

«I... when we were imprisoned in Kumhar... It offered something similar»

«What?!», Oto said. «Was Kumhar about to end like this?»

«No, of course not! I was desperate but... I mean, I would never! But I remember its words. It said it could make everyone perish in their sleep, as if...», she shivered. «As if they would rot while still alive»

«It doesn't make any sense, I've never heard of anything like that», Nene said. «This shouldn’t be within the Evil One’s power!»

«There are many things the Church ignores, Nene»

They watched in dismay, unable to take their eyes off that tragedy.

After a while, Nila convinced everyone to move away, insisting that it was dangerous to remain nearby. She led the group around the stockade. Walking close to what once was a place full of life without hearing a single human voice, only the wind, was unspeakably eerie.

Nene was being tormented by her own conscience, while also feeling extremely sad and resigned, not in the face of what had happened, but of the cruel reality that loomed before her. She had grown up learning that there were just and sacred things in the world, and others that were evil and blasphemous, but what she had witnessed was much more ambiguous: a group of displaced people, fleeing from a hostile place, had waged war on the Cloud Folk, claiming their land and poisoning it. The latter had defended themselves with irrepressible ruthlessness and thus ended the story of the Lightbringer Knights, who in ancient times fled from the Church to pursue the promise of a heretical Saint. Horrible thoughts crept into her mind: confusion, pity, guilt, as she blindly followed Nila, dazed and disoriented. Oto began talking frantically, about whatever was on his mind, probably in an attempt to distract himself from what he had just seen. Unfortunately for him, only Nila was trying to keep the conversation up, while Nene and Adanara instead walked in silence, trying not to think as much as possible.

They went all around the settlement and recognised the side of the valley from which they had arrived days earlier. The hunting lodge they had renovated was a few hours of walking away. Had they reached it, they would have finally been on known land, and Oto could have easily led them home in a matter of days.

They walked away from that ominous place but, after a few dozen metres, Nene turned to take a last look. The banners of the Lightbringers fluttered in the silence, no trace of fires or other signs of life came from the camp of empty tents. The place would have been buried by nature, or burned by shepherds. The story of Arianna's knights would have ended in silence and oblivion.

«There's something I have to do», she announced.

Nila stopped and looked at her, worried. Adanara snorted instead as she leaned on her sister.

«Let's take a break, please», she grumbled.

«D-don't go in there», Nila recommended. «You promise?»

«I promise, no need to worry»

«I'm coming with you», Oto said.

Adanara lay down on the ground, as she was still recovering from the fight with Moka. Nila hurried to her side and they started fighting since Adanara complained about her sister making a fuss over nothing, arguing to be good and healthy. Nene and Oto left their bags in the care of the sisters and walked towards the stockades.

«What are you gonna do?», the boy asked.

«Pray for them»

«“Pray”? What is it?»

«You'll see»

They reached one of the gates at the fortifications. As she got closer, Nene made out what looked like a guard post out in the open: there were benches arranged in a circle around the remains of a temporary fireplace. She noticed a small table with some glasses left on it. A little further on, some playing cards had been scattered across by the wind, some of which had remained trapped among the weeds. There was a pair of boots in front of a bench and a bottle spilled on the ground. The post had been hastily abandoned.

Nene knelt in front of the boots. It was customary to pray for the dead in the presence of an object or place that represented them. Priests usually celebrated prayers in the homes of the deceased, on the spot where they died, but also at the church, where relatives brought something that reminded them of their loved one, whether it was a garment or something they had owned in life. Oto remained behind her, silently observing. Nene thought for a moment about what to say, but creativity wasn't her strong point, so she stuck to common places.

«God almighty, I testify to the innocence of these people. Grant them salvation, for they have never associated themselves with the Evil One. Have mercy on their loved ones, who still walk this world. Let them know that their dead do not suffer eternal damnation»

She picked up the cross. Not being a priest, she could not make water holy, so she brought the cross to the boots. She remained silent for a few moments, overcome by melancholy. Finally, she stood up, gathered her things and went back to Oto.

«Did you ask God to be nice to them?», he said.

«God knows better than me who is pure and who is not, who deserves salvation or doesn't. It doesn’t need reminders. Prayers are for the living, to make us feel better»

«Do you feel better?»

«No», she admitted. «I feel bad... I killed them...»

Tears blurred her vision. Oto hugged her gently. She rested her head against him, let him envelop her, and the horrible thoughts began to fade.

«Now the shepherds can go home», the boy said. «Thanks to you»

«I guess that’s also true»

«We can go home too. Jiriel will be happy to see us back»

She nodded and wiped away the tears. They went back to the sisters. Adanara didn't hesitate for a second, shrugged off Nila and got to her feet. None of them wanted to stay any longer. Losing sight of that cursed place was the only way to leave behind its horrors and the terrible memories associated with it. They entered the woods and traversed the steep terrain that led to the hunting lodge.

----------------------------------------

Nene and Adanara's conditions were not optimal yet, so they had to stop more frequently than usual to catch their breath, which resulted in them arriving at the prairie in the afternoon. The sight of the dilapidated shack built by Kumhar's hunters brought a smile to Nene's face. The idea of returning home made her feel a little better, as did the thought of seeing the Emissary again. She had so many questions for her that she didn't know where to start. She should have written down a list.

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She was walking, lost in her thoughts when she almost hit Adanara, who had suddenly stopped.

«Those aren't ours», the witch said.

There were two horses tied in front of the shed. The animals were resting lazily among the tall grass of the clearing, their saddles decorated with yellow and green banners: the Lightbringers.

«The knights?», Oto realised.

«Yes. Be on your guard», Nene ordered.

«I thought they saw you as s-some sort of a-authority»

«I wouldn't bet on it. Their General was on my trail, and they might consider us enemies or traitors»

She drew her sword. Oto picked his bow and nocked an arrow, with little conviction.

«Let's just go», the witch suggested. «Even better, let's steal their horses»

«Stop right there!», a familiar voice roared.

Their hesitation had cost them dearly: they had been caught. From the tall grass, an armoured figure emerged, what remained of the Lightbringer regiment.

«Inquisitor?»

«Captain Emeria?»

The woman stared at them from afar, her hand tight around the hilt of her sword, still safe in its sheath. Having taken out hers, Nene looked more hostile than she intended to. She put it away and showed her bare hands to the captain. The captain’s subordinate, Dolano, peeked out from inside the shack. He slammed the door open and ran out.

«Captain! What's happening?!»

«Rest, soldier. It’s not the savages»

The man stared at the group and breathed a sigh of relief. The captain walked towards them. The knights didn't seem hostile at all, rather relieved to see familiar faces instead of the Cloud Folk.

«Are you coming from the camp?», she asked.

Nene nodded. Lying was useless since it was obvious. Emeria's expression darkened, the wrinkles on her face became even more evident and her look turned fierce.

«They killed everyone...»

«The dragon!», the man shouted. «The dragon has returned and attacked the camp!»

«How did you manage to save yourselves?», Nene asked.

«Sheer luck. The General had sent us here, awaiting your return. He intended to ask you to mediate negotiations with the Church on our behalf. Not that it matters anymore…»

Dolano continued to fidget, his light, bulging eyes shining with terror, framed by his thick beard and dark hair. He looked like a poor fool, by how upset he was, a complete madman.

«I saw it! I swear, captain! Like in the legends!»

«I already told you that I believe you. Now calm down, we're safe here»

«Yes…», he gasped. «Yes, captain. Forgive me»

«Say, Inquisitor, have you met any other survivors?»

«I'm sorry...», she replied.

Emeria ran a hand through her grey hair, disheartened. She looked at the sky for a few moments. Finally her posture relaxed and a melancholic smile drew on her face.

«Well, Inquisitor, apparently the two of us are all that remains of the Third Lightbringer Regiment. Pray for us»

«Where are you going now?», Nila asked.

«Where to? Good question. Dolano, where would you like to go next?»

«Captain, please don't dismiss me! I will do everything for you, I promise!»

«I didn't mean ... I won't leave you, don't worry»

The mental state of the younger knight was terrible, such was the despondency of someone who had lost everything, their homeland, their family and their purpose. Nene felt awful, consumed by the sense of responsibility, made even worse by not being allowed to confess her sins, to avoid tensions with those two.

Unexpectedly, Oto stepped forward. He brought a hand to his chest and pointed towards the woods.

«Come to Kumhar with us», he said.

«The nearby village? In the past, they rejected our messenger»

«They sent away your general's messenger, but you had nothing to do with it. The mayor can help you find a home and a job»

«Oto, don't make promises you can't keep», Adanara suggested.

«The mayor will help them. That’s how we do it. We help each other to survive»

Oto's unusual eloquence seemed to rekindle hope in the two knights. Emeria turned to Nene but kept her gaze lowered.

«Inquisitor, I beg you, help us»

«My title bears no value in Kumhar», she explained. «You will have to convince the mayor yourselves»

The woman looked at her subordinate, who was biting his nails, terrified. His condition was terrible, they would not have survived for long, alone in the forest.

«I understand. At least allow us to travel together»

«Ugh…», Adanara snorted.

«We owe them», Nene pointed out.

The witch folded her arms and stared at the two knights for a few moments. She snorted once again but finally nodded.

«You can come with us. Maybe you can start a new life over there»

«Thank you»

«Are we safe? Captain, are we safe?»

Emeria invited everyone to enter the shed. She spent a lot of time calming her subordinate and explaining what was about to happen, since he seemed shocked to the point that he had difficulty understanding the most basic things.

Evening fell and the captain put poor Dolano to sleep. Once she was done, she told Nene how they had searched the camp in the morning. After sighting the dragon, they managed to climb the fence and found that all their companions were dead. Most had perished in their tents as if they had starved to death in their cots. Fearing a curse of some kind, they had then returned to the shed. According to her report, Moka had simply flown above the Lightbringers' settlement, waited for everyone to take refuge inside, and then cast some arcane spell on them, a foul curse from the Evil One’s vicious grimoire.

Nene spent the night with her eyes wide open, staring into the darkness, unable to stop tormenting herself. She felt back to square one, like when she had met the Emissary for the first time: she had betrayed her principles. She felt as if her existence no longer had any value. She had killed an innocent and helped shaman servants of the Evil One to commit genocide. Since then she had done nothing but drag her feet, she had kept moving forward hoping to suffer no more, but that wasn't the case. Every moment of silence became torture, her wake tormented by nightmares. Was that the real damnation? It was her just punishment for betraying God and the Archangel. She was too weak to subvert things, too scared to return and face judgement, and so she was stuck in that waking nightmare. The next day she would have done what she always did: move forward and try not to think.

They travelled together with the two knights, heading towards Kumhar. Nene tried to act normal, to smile at Oto, to make conversation when talked to. Every night she spent it staring into the dark. Fatigue began to overwhelm her, attracting Nila's attention. She tried to dodge her questions and concerns, but it was clear that she hadn't succeeded in deceiving her. Until, on the third night, as was predictable, while she was lying down and busy tormenting herself, she heard footsteps approaching her blanket. She turned lazily towards Nila's shape. As usual, she wanted to try to comfort her, but it was impossible even for her. Nene sighed and sat down.

«What is it?», she grumbled.

«Shut up», Adanara ordered. «Come with me»

Recognizing the witch's voice, she felt even worse. Adanara was the last person she wanted to talk to. Adanara wasn’t listening to reason, tho, as she tore the blanket off her and grabbed her by the arm.

«Come. Please», she insisted.

Exasperated by her insistence, she stood up. The faint light emitted by the will-o'-the-wisps allowed her to distinguish the silhouettes of the trees, which cast mysterious shadows in the night. Adanara dragged her away from the others, basically groping. At that rate, they risked getting lost. Nene suddenly stopped.

«We're going too far», she protested.

«I know how to get back», the witch said.

She didn't argue any further, she couldn’t be bothered to do so. She kept following her until they almost stumbled into a bramble bush. Finally, Adanara thought they were far enough. She retrieved a jar from a bag and held it up. Inside it, one of those will-o'-the-wisps began to shine with an intense greenish light, illuminating the immediate surroundings. Adanara's expression was terribly dark. The witch sat on the ground and she imitated her.

«Where did you get that?»

«Are you kidding? Yesterday, Oto helped me capture it. He's been talking about it all day»

«Oh, right…»

Adanara sighed very deeply. They both stared at the light for several moments, in a silence that would have been embarrassing, if not for the fact that Nene was absent.

«I want to talk to you about something. I think only you can understand»

«Me?»

They fell silent again, for a long time. Adanara took a breath several times, but never found the courage to speak. Finally, she left the jar on the ground and turned slightly, as if not to look at her face.

«The others weren't there when...»

«Yes. It was just us»

«I talked about it with my sister, but... it's different. She doesn't… she…»

Adanara's voice trembled. Her unexpected tone caught Nene's attention, and she temporarily awoke from her apathy.

«It's my fault», the witch sobbed. «Those people… died because we freed Moka. We freed Moka because we wanted Kora to be my teacher...»

«I also feel responsible», she confessed.

Adanara ignored her completely. She began to cry. Nene felt the urge to touch her, to comfort her, but she was a witch. Were they allowed to be close?

«... We wanted Kora to teach me because I'm an idiot, and in Kumhar I tried to ask the Evil One for help, again. We ended up in Kumhar because I wanted to continue my father's experiments... Dad, he... invented that ritual to save me, because I succumbed to the Evil One when I was little. At the end of the day, it's all my fault! And Nila, you, and everyone get involved with my crap. Everyone who comes near me!»

Nene rested a hand on her back and noticed that she was shaking. She felt like crying herself, faced with that confession, those feelings that reminded her so much of her own.

«Are we... Are we bad persons?», she asked.

«I certainly am», Adanara said.

The sobs were making her words almost incomprehensible. The woman continued to cry for a while. She began to calm down after a few minutes, caught her breath and cleaned her face.

«Don't tell Nila»

«As you wish. I thought you two had no secrets»

«I could never tell her that...»

Her hesitation foreshadowed something big. Nene almost held her breath, worried about what was to come. For some reason, she didn't want that conversation to end, even though it was causing her even more discomfort. She spoke first.

«I feel like my life no longer makes sense», she said.

«I wished you had killed me», Adanara replied. «Back in Dena»

The witch covered her mouth, still trembling. Almost in disbelief at what she had just said, she finally looked Nene in the eyes. She and Nila looked alike, of course, but there was something in Adanara's expression that made her immediately distinguishable: there was the light, or rather, the lack of it, typical of a person who, despite her young age, felt of having hit rock bottom more than once.

«It’s awful, I know», she added. «I know very well. I could never leave Nila, but… I really wished for it. I thought that without me, everyone would be better off»

Nene remained silent. Having Adanara, of all people, expose her exact same feelings caused her confusion, and perhaps a hint of comfort, knowing that she wasn't the only one carrying that burden.

«It's stupid, isn’t it? My sister wouldn't feel any better. She would be alone without me... and without you»

«Without me?»

«Oh, come on, don't make me…!»

Adanara went back to her familiar, contemptuous tone, which made Nene smile. It was amazing how she had just confessed something very deep and personal but was still incapable of admitting that they were getting along.

«We have to move on, don't you think?»

«I don't know. I grew up in the Church, I always believed I had a purpose. What should I do now? Come up with a new one?»

«Maybe. Any idea?»

«Err… I can't tell you. You would be pissed»

«What?! You little…!!! Phew. Calm down... Calm down…»

Nene laughed. Adanara shrugged her hand away. The atmosphere had lightened and, although the shadows of the previous days were still haunting them, as they probably would forever, they were talking about the future, at the very least.

«I have no clue either», the witch confessed. «I thought I would go around healing the damned, that I would be happy and satisfied, but that's not the case. I want to do something for myself. I'm... I'm tired of letting the Evil One and my father's legacy persecute me»

«Will you no longer practise the ritual?»

«I didn't say that. Just... What will become of me?»

«You will always have a family to go back to»

Adanara did not respond. Nene wished she could fix everything, for herself and her too. Unfortunately, she couldn't do that with a simple wish, but seeing that side of Adanara, that vulnerability that she was also experiencing, inspired her to want to try again.

«We'll find a way», she said. «We will find a purpose»

«In the meantime, what do we do?»

«Um... we could... enjoy ourselves?»

She shrugged. Contrary to her expectations, Adanara smiled. She stood up and stretched loudly.

«Not bad, as a plan. I can't wait to sleep in a bed again»

«You should come and visit me now and then. You know… Oto's cooking is great»

«Oh, I'd love to, but... The witch sharing the table with an angel? Sounds like a bad joke»

«I think the Emissary likes you»

«Yes, it’s obvious, but… it's complicated. Let's say that maybe... Just as you don't trust me, I don't trust her»

«I understand. But I have learned to trust you»

Adanara remained silent. She picked up the luminescent jar and took a couple of steps, before turning around.

«We should go back. If you don't sleep tonight either, my sister will hit you in the head with a pan to force you to rest»

Nene also stood up and walked towards the light source. When she was close enough, she looked at Adanara, saw her with new eyes, and smiled.

«Let's go»

Fortunately, the witch had kept her word and was able to lead them back to the camp. No one had noticed their absence, nor did wake up hearing them return. Nene lay down on her blanket. Adanara did the same. The greenish light disappeared, giving way to darkness again. Nene rested her head on the fabric and closed her eyes. She was still feeling horrible, but the tormenting thoughts gave her a moment's respite. She smiled as she imagined her future at Nila's farm. Maybe she still had a chance to be happy.