The fire burned low.
Duskhaven was gone.
The survivors—few as they were—sat in silence, too exhausted, too broken to speak. Their bodies ached from the battle, their minds torn between grief and the brutal reality of their situation.
Arlan stared into the flames, his thoughts a storm of unanswered questions.
Why had the necromancer spared him?
What was he planning?
And why—despite everything—had Arlan felt something other than fear when the sorcerer spoke of necromancy's return?
Bones stirred on his lap, his skeletal form clicking faintly as he shifted. The little rat wasn't as small as before. After his evolution, his once-tiny frame had grown stronger, more refined. The same could not be said for Arlan.
He felt weak. Lost.
And worst of all, he wasn't sure what to do next.
Across from him, Cedric sat with his arms crossed over his knees, his usually pristine armor battered, streaked with dried blood. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes burned with something dangerous.
Revenge.
The Wrath of a Holy Knight
"The capital must know."
Cedric's voice cut through the silence like a blade.
Leila flinched, as if the words had struck her. Mira frowned, shifting where she sat. Tomas looked away, his jaw tightening.
Beren, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed, grunted. "And what exactly do you think they'll do?"
Cedric's knuckles whitened. "What they should have done a long time ago." His voice was raw, but steady. "They will purge this evil."
Arlan felt his stomach twist.
Mira narrowed her eyes. "And what about us?"
Cedric finally looked at them—really looked at them. "You will do what you must."
It was a dismissal.
As if they no longer mattered.
Tomas scoffed. "That's it? You're just leaving?"
Cedric exhaled heavily. "Duskhaven is lost. My duty now is to the world—to make sure this never happens again."
Mira clenched her fists. "And how do you think the capital will react? You think they'll just rally behind you? You think they'll listen?"
"They'll listen." Cedric's voice was iron. "They have no choice. Necromancy is back. And if we do not crush it now, it will spread." His gaze flickered toward Arlan. "You saw him. You heard him. That thing in the crypt—it wasn't just another undead. It was the start of something far worse."
Arlan couldn't argue with that.
But something about Cedric's words made his chest tighten.
As if the paladin wasn't just fighting against the necromancers.
He was hunting them.
Hunting all of them.
Including Arlan.
"The Order will demand answers," Mira said. "They'll want to know what happened. Who was there."
Cedric nodded. "And I will tell them everything."
Leila's breath hitched. "Even about us?"
Cedric hesitated. "I will not condemn you if I do not have to. But do not expect the Order to see you as innocent."
Tomas cursed under his breath. "So that's it, then. We just get labeled as necromancer sympathizers?"
Arlan felt a cold pit settle in his stomach.
He had fought against the undead. He had tried to save Duskhaven.
And now?
Now, he was the enemy.
Beren scowled. "You're just going to let them hunt us down?"
Cedric's expression didn't change. "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear."
Arlan almost laughed.
Nothing to hide?
He had everything to hide.
Mira exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "You really think they won't question why we survived when others didn't?"
"The Order does not deal in half-measures," Cedric said. "They will cleanse this threat, no matter the cost."
Arlan heard the unspoken words.
No matter who gets caught in the flames.
A Final Goodbye
The silence stretched.
Then Cedric stood.
"I leave at first light," he said. "I suggest you do the same."
No one spoke.
Mira turned away, staring into the trees.
Leila chewed her lip, clearly struggling to find the right words.
Beren just shook his head.
Tomas clenched his fists, muttering something under his breath.
Arlan didn't move.
He simply watched as Cedric turned and walked away, disappearing into the darkness of the forest.
It was the last time he would see the paladin as an ally.
And something in Arlan told him…
The next time they met, they wouldn't be on the same side.