Daniel

It’s amazing he didn’t die. The skyglass—while not exactly glass—is closer to obsidian than it is granite, so it fractured in a way that could have been bad if Daniel hadn’t taken precautions.

“The mana shield was a good technique to learn,” Daniel said, collapsing onto his side, trembling violently. “That could have been bad.”

“Glad you’re still alive,” Ethan commented. “But this would have been a dumb place to die.”

Daniel snorted but didn’t respond.

The pieces of skyglass lay in larger fragments, seeming to glow with leftover mana. They pulsed softly as he placed them in the containment sleeve but slowly became inert. He had succeeded. But the cost of that success…

He knew what this place was now. It was a monument to the true horror of the Demon Sect. A destruction so absolute, it erased even the lingering spirit, leaving only the raw, undying stain of emotion. And the skyglass, in its purity, had held it all.

He wasn’t sure what made him do it. But before he left, he took Qinglan Silence, which reacted again to his touch, and he cut some words into the stone.

On impulse, he imbued the words with mana:

Rest in peace. I will avenge you.

Daniel took a step back and bowed.

“It’s not likely that they can actually understand you. This is most likely just a mana-infused echo. Nothing actually behind it. A memory.”

Daniel shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Hopefully, somewhere, it helps them find some peace.”

He wiped the cold sweat from his brow. The ascent from the deepest chamber was a silent, solemn affair. The glyphs on the walls—once frantic etchings of despair—flickered once more as he passed, like tired eyes watching a final departure.

At the mouth of the cave, daylight broke in soft beams through thinning fog.

Daniel stepped into it, heart still echoing with what he’d felt. Their pain, their loss, their fear…

He stood for a long moment at the entrance, listening. But the mine made no sound. Behind him, the last pulse of resonance flickered… and went still.

He hoped—he truly hoped—that the silence wasn’t temporary, the relief wasn’t buried. He hoped for a true release.

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The descent back down the ridge was harder than the climb, as the quiet was suddenly relentless. It was the kind of quiet that comes after a funeral of a loved one whose death is unexpected.

Daniel moved with mechanical efficiency, retracing his route through the winding forest trail. Every root he’d stepped over, every faint scar of an old mountain rail track—he hit them all again. But the mountain didn’t feel the same.

It was lighter now. But emptier too.

“You okay?” Ethan asked.

Daniel nodded once. “Yeah.”

“You haven’t said anything for like an hour.”

“I was thinking.”

“Clearly. About?”

“Violence is part of our world too. We’ve had wars that have killed hundreds of thousands, millions even. In the last century and a half, we’ve had it happen twice—where some crazy asshole tried to take over the world and almost succeeded. He murdered—I cannot tell you how many people. I’ve seen the remnants of his actions. Whole towns, dead. Entire family lines, gone. There’s a memorial in a place that shows all the shoes of people who died. It was… hard. But this… this is happening here too. It’s a bit different when I can feel the emotions of those lost. And you’re telling me… you’re telling me that the things that caused this suffering are trying to make their way back. It’s just a lot.”

Ethan didn’t answer right away. Then: “Yep. And part of the problem is… we don’t have millions left. If the demon hordes invade this time, we probably won’t survive. We, as in, humans.”

Daniel righted himself. “Then we’d better make sure we are ready. Remind me to ask you about the Demon Sect later. It’s time for me to try to figure out my enemy.”

“Our enemy. You aren’t alone.”

Daniel smiled at that.

The field transport came into view at the edge of the ridge—a sleek, dark-mirrored construct resting just where they’d left it, low to the ground, armored and rune-sealed.

Daniel opened the rear compartment and slid the satchel of shard cases inside, securing them in the spirit-insulated stasis box. The internal shielding flared once, then sealed with a low hum.

One less variable to worry about.

He climbed into the front seat and keyed the ignition crystal.

“Where to now?”

Ethan’s voice was steadier. “The blood copper is actually in an old battlefield. There is tons of the stuff, but the route is pretty dangerous, so we’re going to want to go on the main thoroughfare toward Mount Serathune.”

Daniel raised an eyebrow. “Anything as bad as what we just walked out of?”

“It won’t be pleasant, but probably not that bad,” Ethan’s voice echoed in Daniel’s mind, “The blood copper is located on an ancient battlefield from several long-term conflicts—including the last demon war. At one point it was incredibly dangerous, but there isn’t a lot of travel there these days. It lies far from any settled Imperial lands, and there aren’t many settlers because it’s desolate. The whole area is treated with chaos energy, from which it has never truly recovered. The lingering chaos magic from that conflict still permeates the very air—a heavy, distorted current that actively prevents normal natural regeneration and makes the region inherently hostile. Oddly enough we actualy have a home just up the coast from the city. We haven't been there in years.”

Daniel let out a sigh. “That sounds awful. Can’t wait.”

Ethan continued like he couldn’t hear him. “The only group daring enough to venture regularly into these treacherous wastes does so with the aim of forging a passage to the Eastern Kingdoms across the perilous sea. Their sole point of contact within this blighted landscape is the independent port town of Ashenport, a desolate haven controlled by the Shore Warden—a reclusive ruler who unfortunately shows little real care for anything beyond his own chaotic domain.”

Daniel stopped listening at that point. Attempting to focus as he made his way to their next destination.