Chapter 121: Embers or tomorrow
The forest exhaled a cold mist, curling like serpents around the feet of the three young warriors as they made their way back toward Eldralore. The sky had begun to lighten, a pale golden hue touching the treetops. The battle was over—for now—but vengeance still licked at their heels.
Rina danced ahead of her cousins, spinning through the trees with the ease of someone who held no fear, only fire.
"We should stop soon," Azrael Jr. murmured, his eyes trained on her but distant, still wrapped in the echo of the fight.
Caelan nodded. "The villagers ahead will recognize us. We need rest. Especially her—she's been burning nonstop."
Rina turned, her face flushed, hair wild, lips pulled into a wide grin. "I'm not tired. You two just need better stamina."
Azrael Jr. sighed, a twitch of a smile forming on his lips. "You're five."
"I'm a goddess of destruction," she replied dramatically, throwing her hands up. A nearby tree caught a spark and ignited instantly.
Caelan quickly doused it with a snap of his fingers, his power drawing from the wind. "Less goddess, more chaos."
They walked into the next village just as the sun stretched fully over the horizon. The villagers recognized them immediately—especially Rina—and parted like a sea.
The elders bowed, but fear still shadowed their eyes.
"You've become legends already," whispered a baker woman, clutching a small child close. "They say even the crows fly away from your path."