The sun was little more than a pale disk behind the swirling clouds, its weak light casting a ghostly glow over the desolate landscape. Kael and Alyss walked in silence, the only sounds their boots crunching on the brittle, cracked earth.
Kael's mind was still heavy with the events of the previous day, but as he glanced at Alyss, he found himself growing curious. She had revealed just enough to suggest that her past was as haunted as his own, yet she guarded the details like a fortress.
"You've been quiet," he said, breaking the silence.
Alyss glanced at him, her expression guarded. "So have you."
Kael smirked faintly. "Fair enough. But I told you about my brother. Seems only fair you tell me something about yourself."
Alyss's lips tightened, and for a moment, Kael thought she would shut him down. But then she sighed, her gaze fixed on the horizon.
"My story isn't much different from yours," she said. "I've lost people too. Family, friends. They all slipped through my fingers, one by one."
Kael frowned. "Raiders?"
Alyss shook her head. "No. Something worse."
She didn't elaborate, and Kael waited, sensing she needed time to gather her thoughts.
"When I was a child," she began slowly, "my village wasn't much more than a cluster of homes at the edge of the Known Lands. It was peaceful, quiet—until the Rift opened."
"The Rift?" Kael asked, his brow furrowing.
Alyss nodded. "It's... hard to explain. Imagine a wound in the fabric of the world, a place where the Veil bleeds into our reality. The creatures that come through aren't like the Sentinels we faced. They're wild, unpredictable. And they don't test you—they destroy you."
Kael felt a chill run down his spine. "What happened to your village?"
Alyss's expression darkened. "It was wiped out. Everyone I knew—my parents, my friends—they were all gone in a matter of hours. I only survived because... well, I was a coward."
Kael blinked, surprised. "A coward? You?"
A bitter smile touched her lips. "I was a child, Kael. When the creatures came, I hid. I stayed in the cellar of my house, trembling in the dark while I heard their screams above. By the time I emerged, it was over."
Kael was silent, unsure of what to say.
"I spent years running after that," Alyss continued. "Running from the memories, from the guilt. I told myself I'd survive at any cost, that I'd never let myself feel that helpless again. And I didn't. But surviving isn't the same as living."
Her voice softened, and Kael caught a glimpse of the pain she usually kept hidden.
"What changed?" he asked.
Alyss hesitated, her eyes flicking to the ground. "I met someone. A man named Thane. He was... different. Strong, but not in the way most people are. He had a purpose, a belief that the world could be more than just ashes and ruin. He taught me how to fight, how to think beyond just surviving. For a while, I thought I'd found a reason to keep going."
Kael frowned, sensing there was more to the story. "What happened to him?"
Alyss's expression hardened. "We found a Rift—a small one, like the one that had destroyed my village. Thane wanted to close it, to stop the creatures from spilling into the world. I wanted to run. I told him it was suicide, that there was nothing we could do."
Her voice grew quieter. "But he went anyway. And I let him."
Kael felt a pang of understanding. "He didn't make it."
"No," Alyss said, her tone flat. "I waited for him for days, hoping he'd come back. But he didn't. And when I finally returned to the Rift, it was gone—sealed. He'd done it, somehow. But he'd sacrificed himself to do it."
The silence between them was heavy, the weight of Alyss's confession settling over them both.
"I've spent every day since trying to honor him," she said. "Trying to find a purpose like his. That's why I'm here. The Absolutes—if they're real, if they can truly reshape the world—then maybe I can make up for all the times I ran."
Kael studied her, his respect for her deepening. She wasn't just strong; she was driven by something far more profound than survival.
"You're not a coward," he said finally. "Not anymore."
Alyss gave him a small, tired smile. "Maybe. But the ghosts are still there. And they'll follow me until the end."
Kael nodded, understanding more than he cared to admit. They both carried ghosts, and the path ahead would only summon more.
But as they walked side by side, Kael felt a growing sense of resolve. They weren't just seeking the Absolute for themselves. They were fighting for the people they had lost—for the hope of something greater than the ruins of the past.
For the first time, Kael felt that he wasn't alone in his journey. And that made all the difference.