The garden was silent once more, the weight of Hiraya's departure lingering like a shadow. Medas remained on his knees, his head bowed, tears pooling beneath him. His pride, the very thing that had driven so much pain, now lay shattered.
Morvane, standing with red-rimmed eyes, said nothing. He didn't acknowledge Medas. His heart felt heavy, his emotions tangled in grief and anger. Without a word, he turned and walked away, leaving Medas kneeling in the dirt, lost in his guilt.
Morvane didn't look back as he left the castle. He couldn't. The pain was too raw, too overwhelming. He needed to return to their village, to the only place that still held fragments of his life with Hiraya.
The journey was quiet, save for the faint caw of the black crow that now perched on his shoulder. Hiraya's shadow beast was a constant reminder of her love and sacrifice, but it also felt like a weight—an unspoken burden he wasn't sure he could bear.
