We left Ostros and Nero's company, and leaving the cavern tribe, we returned to the trail. Marching forwards, Arrowfall became a distant, vanishing blip. Working with Gawain and Rosch, we hashed out a proper plan. With the troops they both brought, we'd march forwards, capture and defeat the next sacrifice before making our way towards Cardia City.
Before we could do that, though, we'd have to pass by Windwall, the border checkpoint.
Our flame led us forward, and through Rosch's knowledge of the area around Arrowfall, it led us straight towards the black forest. At least, that's what it was called when he was still alive. My guiding flame led straight to the woods, and with it, we made our final preparations. The soldiers would march on foot with Gawain and Rosch. Meanwhile, Anise and I would scout ahead with Dreihander. Seeing as this trip involved many moving pieces, Gawain gave his blessing to the proposal, allowing us out of his sight.
"I shall accompany the undead legion with my rebel soldiers," Gawain said. "You'll be fine traveling alone on your sled, correct?"
I gave him a nod. "We'll scout ahead," I said. "By the time the rest of you catch up, I'll have located the sacrifice."
The message was clear. With our preparation complete, it was only a matter of time now before the undead legion and the rebels marched into the black forest. After petting Dreihander, I made my way onto a sled — lightening the load as much as possible before we headed off. Climbing on, I took a hold of the reins, and after all the time we spent together, Dreihander grew comfortable enough to listen to my commands.
"Let's go," I told him. Words were enough to get him to listen, and with it, we picked up speed. Sitting alone up front, I glanced back at my partner.
Anise wasn't too talkative. Resting against a bundle of blankets, she gave up all control to me while she sat back. Seeing that, I had a feeling it'd be a long and quiet ride, though at least it'd be a private trip. Truthfully, I partially agreed to work with Gawain knowing he'd threaten me or Anise if I refused.
I was trapped in that cavernous village with no way out, a captured flame within a lantern. Now that we were free, however, we were free to talk about whatever came to mind.
"The black forest," I asked. "Any information about it?"
She laid back with a knife between her teeth and a half-carved bow in her arms. Looking it up and down, she didn't respond.
"Arrows sound helpful," I said. "Mix the arrow tips with some kind of concoction. Something explosive, maybe."
"Noted," she said, carving out the arms of the bow. With the dagger set on a wall rack, she dug through the bags given to them by the native folk, picking out rocks and minerals she ground down in her mortar and pestle.
"Are you prepared?" she asked.
"Whatever is coming, I'll have to face," I said. "Even if the odds are against me, I'll use this flame to leave a mark on history." Anise sat in silence, mixing together her gunpowder concoction. Sensing her tense silence, I spoke up. "Most importantly," I added, "I want to see a green Nordsummer — the snow gone and melted as new life takes its place."
"A green Nordsummer," Anise whispered, her eyes focused on her mixture. "Sounds like a dream."
She set her gunpowder mixture down. Now that we were alone, she felt comfortable enough to come and sit shoulder to shoulder with me. In the harsh winds of winter, there was nothing like having someone to share warmth with.
"Emil," she said. "I've been meaning to thank you."
"For what?" I asked, the reins in my hands, my guiding flame flickering by my side as Dreihander carved through the fresh snowfall.
She sat, her eyes shut, relaxed in every sense of the world. "Back when Prince Petrov chased after us, you could've chosen to take his side," she confessed. "If you had, you'd probably be working alongside the empire who'd simplify the task of gathering the embers."
"Things would be easier with the empire's endless resources," I told her, "but don't think for a second I'd trust Petrov. That false flame of his — it's not something to be toyed with."
Anise nodded. Leaning close, she reached down to touch my hand. "From my own experience, I know it's hard for you to trust imperials like him, but something told me he had good intentions."
I shrugged. "According to myths, this endless winter was the consequence of Eckard's good intentions."
"Probably," Anise said, "but I can't help but regret my actions — saying what I said in the moment. If I had kept my mouth closed, we wouldn't be relying on Gawain for help."
Hearing that, I had to make myself clear — bringing to light a fact that's made this whole journey across Nordsummer possible.
"We never needed anybody's help," I told her. "This whole time, we've managed on our own — gathering the embers, making sacrifices and surviving on our own." With the snap of my fingers, my flame grew — erupting with two sacrifices burning within the ember. "This flame is ours and ours alone," I told her. "Neither Gawain or Petrov hold a claim to this fire. What I do with it is a decision for us to make."
The fire flickered, sputtering out the side of the sled, torching the nearby wildlife. Rising up the bodies of trees adapted to the freezing world of Nordsummer, they rose up, licking the leaves and torching them an ashen white.
"I won't let them manipulate me," I promised her. "Every one of them is lying for their own gain. Be it imperial, loyalist or rebel, they want to use me — shaping the world to their image, locking me in a lantern if they have to."
"And what makes you believe I'm any different?" Anise asked, sitting close.
"You're not," I said, "but you're honest — one of the few honest people I've met in my life." To her surprise, I took her hand — squeezing it tight with no intention of letting go. "The empire razed your home to the ground," I said. "That's a debt that has to be repaid."
Anise, who rested under my arm, looked up to me with an expression that was as sleepy as it was dumbfounded. "You'll burn the empire down for the Razed Hollows?" she asked. "For nothing more than a tribe's worth of victims?"
"I don't need a reason to do what I'll do," I said. "Whatever happens, I promise that when the ashes settle, we'll be the only ones left to decide the fate of Nordsummer."
Anise, hearing that, didn't need to speak. The only response I needed was for her to rest her head against me. There, along with her raven hair, sat the fate of Nordsummer.
There was no denying it. Past the civil war between the north and south, there was the coming threat of the mainlanders who wanted to conquer all of Nordsummer. The only way to repel them and to protect our home was to gather the sacrifices, light the primordial flame, collect the ashes of the white winds and wield the immortal's sword like a flag.
Despite my selfish desires, I felt a duty to protect Nordsummer. Once our home was protected, I had a fiery, treacherous desire to do more after. That desire formed a dream.
"A boat," I said out loud. "In the future, I want to sail far away."
"Where to?" Anise asked, drifting to sleep.
"I don't know," was my answer — a blatant lie.
In truth, I saw myself on that boat — flaming spear in hand, immortal sword at my side — sailing towards the mainland with an army. Following me were the eternal winters, white winds I alone commanded, winds that would bury the Vale Empire where I would crown myself king.
I could see it, how I sat upon that throne, how I crushed all opposition and had the world bow to me. I would share my fire so the people could survive through the eternal winters I brought with me — spreading intentional misery to crush war beneath a wintry heel.
The more I thought about it, the more I wondered if this was the flame's all-conquering nature or my own desires bubbling up to the surface. The flame danced hypnotically in my mind, guiding me forward against a background of bleak, bitter cold.
Hypnosis was an understatement. The longer I stared into the flame, the more I wished to spread it — to see not a world of green but red. Those emotions rose up from under the surface. Be it good or evil, my mind and morality slowly morphed from the human corpus to a conqueror's furnace.
In my arms, Anise was falling further and further to sleep. Slipping away, I had the opportunity to let her go — to save her from the flames I was marching towards, but I chose not to. I selfishly chose to hold her close, marching forward with Dreihander leading the way. With that flame within me, I let her sleep through the night while I sat, unable to sleep. Marching ever forward, Dreihander kept strong as the guiding flame grew stronger — proof we were making our way to the black forest.
Night took over. Before I knew it, the moon above was hidden away by a canopy of ash. Trees stood, their bodies scorched, their leaves reduced to ash. We witnessed what remained of the black forest.
"This is it," Anise said. "The Razed Hollows."
Peeking through the torched bark, I could see the hollow center of split trees. To my dismay, I saw footprints in the snow — more than I could count.
Dreihander stopped. Sniffing the air, he let out a howl. Anise sat stern, perking up to the danger that surrounded the two of us.
"Imperial soldiers," she said. "It looks like Nanna led them here."
Anise whistled, ordering Dreihander to stop. Axe in hand, bow on back and knives sheathed, she stepped off. I followed — carrying arrows tipped with gunpowder explosive ends.
Marching through the snow, we crept along the forest's rising hills, tracking the footsteps as best we could. I kept my flame calm and still, peeking up past a hill, past a set of dead branches and towards the night. One glance was enough for Anise who snapped her fingers.
"Dreihander! Fly!"
Dreihander flew, fleeing the scene with our sled dragged behind him. A platoon of soldiers marched ahead, walking alongside armored snow trucks and imperial war machines. Analyzing the miniature army, I had a feeling they weren't Petrov's men.
"Looks like the royal army," I told Anise. She paused before pointing ahead.
"Look," she said, towards a familiar old lady who sat on the back of a transport truck. "They must be working alongside Petrov's guard."
"They have to be," I muttered.
Together, we hid behind the hill — checking behind ourselves, that way we don't get caught off guard like last time. Anise quickly checked her equipment once more while I pulled out my guiding lantern, peeking inside to find that they were going the right path. Glancing around, I found an offshoot, a path too rocky and hazardous for the convoy to take.
"Come," I told her, and the two of us took a shortcut, following the natural ledge that faced a ravine. Guided by my lantern, we dipped in and out of short caverns while we closed in on our destination.
"I recognize this part," Anise said. We had found a cavern hut, and rising up a ladder, we popped out of a hidden hatch in the snow.
Looking around, I saw the remnants of a village. Torched, the Razed Hollows burned eternally — lit by those familiar false flames. Black fire flickered, eating away at the remains of ashen huts and houses like ghosts. The sight of it hardened Anise's expression, one she had trouble hiding from me. We saw the imperial convoy who lagged behind us, soon making their way to the ruins of the tribal village.
"Look ahead," Anise said. She took my hand, guiding me through the remnants of her home village. Creeping through the crumbled buildings and ashen, bloodstained dirt paths, she paused at homes she recognized — pausing briefly before continuing on.
The convoy was quicker than we expected. Sliding across the ashen snow, we hid behind rubble. It felt like a back-and-forth game of cat and mouse — a game between us stalkers and the imperial convoy who marched ever forwards. They were unstoppable. We could easily be crushed if we were discovered by one quick glance. I could put up a fight, but making enemies out of Petrov wasn't something I was planning to do — not yet.
"There," I muttered. Despite the risks, I took Anise by the hand and dashed forwards, pulling her into a hug before diving behind cover, just narrowly avoiding the gaze of a paranoid soldier.
"Hush," I whispered. Together, we listened to a conversation between soldiers.
"Have you heard the rumors?" a soldier asked.
"Rumors?"
"The guards in Windwall claim that there are ghosts in the Razed Hollows: lingering, vengeful spirits. Rumor has it, the false flames here are the result of a curse — a warning to any imperial who steps in that the village, while razed to the ground, will never die."
"Never die? How?"
The two of them were interrupted by an officer. "With the emergence of the flame scourge, the undead have begun to rise again," the officer told them, "but, the undead are nothing to fear. One swipe of a sword is all it takes to put them in their place."
"And where is that?" the soldiers asked.
"Six feet under."
With a huff, the officer put the soldiers in their place — having them march with the convoy. I laid, still holding Anise who got back onto her feet. "You picked a good place to land," she said. Confused, I watched as she brushed away some rubble. To my surprise, she smiled — not out of joy but out of nostalgia.
"The old tunnel," she said to herself, unveiling a hatch.
Together, we dove down into a series of underground tunnels. "They were built in case of an attack," Anise said. "The villagers were to dive underground, making their way out to safety in case of an emergency."
"Did they work?" I asked.
"I don't know," was her answer. "I wasn't there during the massacre."
Together, crawling on our hands and feet, we made our way through the tunnels. I insisted on going first, but she was more insistent on going ahead — claiming she knew the way through the maze. "I was gone that day," she said as she crawled. "I was hunting with Dreihander when he got distracted — running off after something."
"I didn't take him for the disobedient type," I told her.
"He isn't. He's stubborn but loyal, always listening to my commands. That day, however, he caught a glimpse of something else." She crawled through the tunnels before coming to a stop — to confess it all. "I chased him through the woods, following his tracks and tufts of loose fur he shed as he ran. I almost lost him, only finding him when I heard the sound of screaming."
"Screaming?" I asked.
We made our way to the end of the tunnel. With a hand on the ladder, she turned to me with a smile. "He found an imperial soldier and pinned him down, his jaws clamped on the man's skull, ready to crush him on my command," she said. "He begged me to let him go, to spare him."
"Did you?"
Her smile remained. Moonlight poured in above, illuminating a broken heart.
"I wanted to," she said, "but when I turned, I saw the burning village."