By sunrise, the small army was already recovering after the fight against the possessed men.

The three men’s bodies had disintegrated the moment the Mind Wraith—as Luna had named it—was defeated.

They had won, but the mood around them wasn’t a celebratory one. No one was happy. No one felt the need even to smile because so many soldiers had fallen in one night, including Adam who was stabbed by a shadow spear while fighting against a possessed pilot.

Their numbers had fallen to less than twenty in one night. Most of the dead were mundane soldiers who died bravely at the hands of the surprise shadow manifestation. This was bad because how exactly were they supposed to fight against the portal guardian if they kept dropping like flies?

You could argue that ascenders were crucial to all of this but mundane soldiers were great strategists and great support. It's because of these reliable members that Ascenders didn’t need to go all out while in combat. And it's not like mundane soldiers couldn’t keep up. The nanosuits significantly enhanced their physical abilities.

Regardless, Luna was shocked that she hadn’t seen this coming. Even with her calculative mind that usually saw through all possibilities, she didn’t expect the mind wraith to do this much damage with just two possessed men. This type of loss was new to her…especially after losing someone she got to know over the past weeks.

Adam was an ascender working under house Feng. He was only in his late twenties when he opened his third gate and became Summoner. The files Luna was given designated him as someone with the potential of becoming a sorcerer someday. He was an exceptional soldier and gentleman. In another timeline, Adam would’ve grown stronger and later become a sorcerer. In this one, he died young. That was the cruelty of this world.

Just like when she lost her father years ago, Luna didn’t how to feel about this. The feeling of losing someone she was close to left her like this. She felt a whirlwind of emotions at the moment, emotions that felt so alien to her being.

She felt responsible, even though it wasn’t her fault. Adam had died protecting his teammates and that was a heroic death…

‘Darkness said you smiled.’ She said inwardly as she stared at the pale body. She had crouched down to get a better look at the ascender. As he lay, he wore a peaceful expression that Luna hadn't seen on him since she met the large man. Was death this peaceful?

With a painful sigh, she gave him one last look and covered the man’s body with a black burial shroud. She had no words for him, he wouldn’t hear them anyway. Only a few whispers left her mouth:

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“Death is not the end. As long as you’re remembered, you continue to live on. You’ve served me well Adam Lightwood, I won’t forget you.”

After that, she stepped away from Adam’s body and joined her sister and the rest of the cohort. The ascender’s body had been aligned with the other fallen soldiers. It was morning, but the desert was cooler than usual. Taking them back to the real world was the best choice, but time was of the essence at the moment.

So, the only form of a proper send-off they could give was burning them so that they wouldn’t become undead or get eaten by the giant snake that occupied the red sands.

“It's hard, isn’t it?” Luna turned to her sister who had been quiet since they started the ceremony.

“It is.” She replied through gritted teeth. She was in a worse state than Luna herself. Her pale face was whiter and she had dark bags under her eyelids.

“If I was stronger, these men and women could be celebrating right now.”

Luna wanted to tell her sister that it wasn’t her fault. But did she even have the right to say that if that’s the same thing she was thinking about?

Len turned to her little and patted her shoulder before forcing out a weak smile.

“Don’t blame yourself for Adam’s death.” She said, her grey eyes staring directly at Luna. They were trying hard not to look sad and remain devoid. “There will always be loss as long as this battle for survival continues.”

After saying that, the beautiful pale woman moved forward and faced everyone. She steeled herself and put on a brave face before she began:

“It is a devastating morning for all of us. But I guess this is the price we have to keep on paying as humanity’s last stand against the horrors trying to lead us to extinction. These fallen men and women are not the first to fall in this hell and I am sure they won’t be the last to. But…”

She paused for a moment and exhaled. "But we cannot let their deaths be in vain. Each soldier here has sacrificed their life for humanity and we’ll carry that torch forward till we burn down whatever monster that guards this tower and win this fight. I’m not asking you to die. But I’m asking you to continue fighting…don’t lose hope. I, The Ghost of Winter will be one of your many swords as we move forward.”

Her last statement was indeed a powerful one. The soldiers alive remained silent through her speech, but the expressions on their faces changed during the final sentence. The battle-hardened men in women were now looking at Len with eyes filled with hope and determination.

How could they not look at her like that? The Feng family was blessed with one of the strongest ascenders in the world. The great clan was great even before the fall and everyone in it was born with a special responsibility to maintain its greatness.

To humans and other ascenders, people born within Legacy clans such as Feng were the new gods of humanity. This was not the truth of course. They were still humans, with real-life emotions, with the fear of death like everyone else, with pain like everyone else.

But…

If not them, who else was capable of saving the world?

Luna turned to Mira who was standing still and staring at the Len. It was surprising the young woman had made it this far without even getting injured that much. Though she was aware of how much of a tactical thinker the legacy from house Hong was, there was more to her than just that.

Unlike everyone here, Mira knew when to run. She wasn’t so prideful soldier. No. She was a smart one. Also, she was able to keep up with ascenders despite depending mostly on her suit for energy.

‘Her file did say she trained with ascenders. So maybe that’s why.’

When Len was done with her speech, she turned to the aligned bodies and saluted them before an ascender stepped forward and summoned a creature.

It was a beautiful white stallion with a body covered in silver flames and protected by silver armor that wasn’t affected by the flames.

The ascender commanded the fiery stallion to use its flames. It then placed its head on one of the covered bodies. Just then, the silver flames on its head danced steadily and flowed down, engulfing the shroud in flames. They continued to consume, slowly spreading from body to body until all of them were engulfed in silver flames.

Luna watched the white flames, they burned beautifully and in contrast with the crimson rays from the red sand.

In the dead silence, only the sound of rustling flames could be heard. Then finally, Darkness broke the silence. She didn't know the ascender much, but she did feel a deal of respect for the man as a warrior.

Her voice was bitter as she said:

“Thank you, Adam.”