Chapter 150: Into the Sun
The streets were still dark when Qingyue returned to the inn, the quiet before dawn stretching thin across Emberfall.
She moved through it without hesitation, her steps steady despite the restlessness that was unraveling in her chest.
Nothing had changed when she slipped back into the room. Lieyin was still asleep, the only difference was her sleeping position.
She laid on her side, one arm half-tucked beneath her. Her breathing was deep and even, untouched by the decision Qingyue was about to make alone.
For a moment Qingyue simply stood there, watching her, committing the sight to memory in a way she could not admit out loud.
Then she moved.
Quietly, she reached for the satchel resting near her things. The worn leather felt familiar beneath her fingers as she opened it and began the things she needed.
From beneath her folded robes, she retrieved the map General Sheng had given her, the parchment still bearing the creases of the many times she had studied it and traced its lines in complete silence.
Her fingers lingered on it for a moment before she placed it into the satchel.
Then came the scrolls.
A few, selected with intention, each one holding knowledge or contingencies she might need. She closed the satchel softly when she was done.
She looked at Lieyin again to make sure she hadn’t woken up.
Qingyue stepped closer when she saw that her eyes remained close, her gaze softening in a way she rarely allowed.
The distance between them felt heavier now that she knew she would not be there when Lieyin woke up in a couple hours.
She leaned down slowly, her voice so quiet it barely existed beyond the space between them. "Goodbye." She pressed a light kiss to her forehead. "Till we meet again."
The words lingered, fragile and final.
Qingyue tried to remind herself that she was doing it for their own good, that she wanted them to live a good life.
Yet something screamed at the back of her head.
What about you? She could almost hear Ru Yi’s voice whisper to her— Please...don’t go.
Qingyue shook her head. Was she so stressed that she was beginning to hear things? Her fingers hovered over Lieyin as if she might reach out. But she didn’t.
She straightened up, her cold exterior coming back on. "I hope you find something worth loving that doesn’t require you to wield a sword."
It wasn’t an apology or permission, but it was the closest she could come to both. Finally she turned and left.
By the time she was outside, the horizon had begun to pale. The faintest hint of dawn pressed against the edges of the sky.
Kael was already there, exactly where he said he would be. Two horses waited beside him, their breath visible in the cool morning air.
Their restlessness was contained but present, mirroring the quiet urgency of the moment. Kael himself looked at ease, one hand resting loosely against the reins as he glanced up at her approach.
"Right on time," he remarked, a faint smirk pulling at his lips. Though his eyes were sharper than his tone suggested.
Qingyue did not respond to that.
She simply adjusted the satchel at her side and moved toward the horse he had prepared for her. She did not hesitate as she mounted, settling into place like she had done this a thousand times before.
Kael watched her for a moment longer before following suit, swinging onto his own horse with easy familiarity. Without another word between them, they set off.
Emberfall was quiet as they rode through it, the streets still asleep. The world was not yet aware that one thread had already begun to unravel from the rest.
And by the time the first true light of dawn touched the rooftops, they were already nearing the outskirts.
It was only then that Kael spoke again.
"So," he said, glancing at her from the side, his tone casual. "What exactly are you looking for in Ashen Fortress? You don’t strike me like a bounty hunter."
Qingyue had no intention of answering. Her eyes remained forward, fixed on the path ahead, but her grip on the reins tightened.
"This journey isn’t going to be bearable if we don’t talk to each other," he teased. "Do tell, I’m curious. The only thing in Ashen Fortress is ruins of an old empire. I’m sure all the treasures there have been looted already."
For Qingyue, Ashen Fortress was the only place tied directly to her mother, the former Empress. General Sheng had said it sheltered remnants of her loyal forces, soldiers who had never bent the knee after her fall.
Over time, they became a myth—whispers of a hidden faction waiting, watching, refusing to forget.
Ashen Fortress was the only place where her claim to the throne might be recognized without question, where loyalty did not need to be earned through fear or politics. It was already rooted in who her mother was and what she stood for.
That was why it felt constant to her. Even when everything else had shifted, the fortress remained the one thing she could rely on...the one place that promised both power and belonging.
"I don’t really know," was the answer she gave Kael without bothering to look at him.
Kael raised a brow, clearly not expecting that. "That’s not very reassuring."
Qingyue’s expression did not change. "It’s the truth," she replied calmly.
The wind shifted as she rode, carrying the first real breath of the morning with it. For a moment the only sound between them was the steady rhythm of hooves against the ground.
"Ashen Fortress is a dangerous place to explore," Kael said. "It’s not where you risk your life just for the sake of it."
"That’s why you’re here," Qingyue looked at him then. "Your job is to make sure I get there in one piece. Is it not?"
Kael cracked a genuine smile. "Not only will you get there safely, I’ll make sure you have the time of your life."