CHAPTER 69: GOALS

The golden and violet light bathed Lucy’s skin, warm and gentle, like sunlight kissing him for the first time in a month.

He closed his eyes and breathed in deep.

The air was alive, carrying the scent of wet earth and wild grass. Even the sound of the wind stirred something in him. Llarm’s laugh rang out behind him, bright and sudden. Footsteps crunched stone. The world felt loud, real, and overwhelming.

Lucy opened his eyes and turned to the others.

Their faces said it all—tired, drawn, but lit with quiet relief. Joy and exhaustion tangled in equal measure. No one had truly slept in the Dark Zone, not deeply, not safely. Now, outside of it, every breath tasted like freedom.

But the shadows hadn’t disappeared.

Behind them, the Dark Zone still loomed like a living wall—massive, endless, and waiting. Just looking at it sent a cold shiver down Lucy’s back.

"Let’s move a little further up," he said, his voice startling him. "We’ll make camp there."

"Aye, aye, Captain," Llarm replied, snapping off a mock salute with exaggerated flair.

It earned him a snort from Fenric and a laugh from Lucy—real, honest laughter that felt like it had been locked in his chest for weeks.

They started walking.

And for the first time in what felt like forever, they left the darkness behind.

The sun had long since dipped below the horizon, leaving the world wrapped in darkness. But this wasn’t the oppressive, suffocating dark of the Zone. The air was still cool, but not freezing. And here, they could finally speak.

Lucy knelt beside the small fire he’d kindled from silver grass. The brittle stalks had flared to life with a hiss, casting flickering orange light across the camp. Everyone gathered around it—except Eri, who was curled tightly in her bedroll a few feet away, her back to the group.

’Hopefully, a real night’s sleep will help,’ Lucy thought, watching the rise and fall of her shoulders.

He turned to the others, his gaze landing on Bruma. Now that they were finally free of silence, it was time to talk—time to ask the questions that had clawed at him since the church.

Lucy began slowly, retelling everything they had seen in Seraph’s Hollow. The ring of human corpses encircling the blood-slicked pentagram. The stained glass window portraying Nyxaris and Seraphine as a savior and a demon. And then, the vision he’d seen when he touched it. A trembling girl. A yawning abyss. A smile that didn’t reach the eyes.

He spoke until the fire snapped low and the words stopped burning in his throat.

Bruma listened with a furrowed brow. Llarm, Gindu, Fenric—and even Carlos—watched in tense silence. No one interrupted.

It was Llarm who finally broke it.

"Every story I’ve ever heard says the gods forced themselves into existence to exile humanity," he said quietly. "They say humans were corrupted. But this... this changes everything. What if it’s all just a lie?"

Fenric shrugged, rubbing Carlos behind the ears. "History’s overrated. As long as there’s something to stab, I’m happy. Right, buddy?"

Carlos gave a soft woof, his tail thumping the grass. The pup had been visibly calmer since leaving the Dark Zone, no longer the panicked creature that had once lunged through fog.

Lucy expected Gindu to speak next, but the horned warrior remained silent. His distant and heavy gaze lingered on Eri.

Then Bruma shifted.

Her voice was low, but firm. "It’s terrifying... the thought that the gods existed before the exile. Why stay hidden all this time? Was it because of humanity’s corruption... or is there something larger moving behind the scenes?"

She scratched her chin with one thick, green hand.

"And about Nyxaris—her holding Seraph’s Hollow. I’ve heard rumors, stories passed down in whispers. I always thought they were just myths. But it makes sense. The goddess of secrets guarding a vault of divine knowledge..." She trailed off, her eyes reflecting the firelight. "But then Seraphine came and took it. Why? Why this planet?"

She looked directly at Lucy.

"But what you said last... that Nyxaris used to be mortal—that’s what truly scares me. If it’s possible to ascend, to become a god... then how many others tried? And how many more could?"

Her words echoed in Lucy’s mind. They were the same questions he’d been turning over, night after night.

He had hoped Bruma might have answers. But clearly, she was just as lost.

Only one thing felt certain now: he couldn’t trust Seraphine. Not completely.

He’d known it after the battle with Ithriel. But now... now it was undeniable. Seraph’s Hollow was soaked in contradictions, and Seraphine stood at the center of it all.

She hadn’t just rewritten history. She’d abandoned her own people—left them to die at the hands of Caelgor the Hollow.

A monster of impossible power.

One, they were marching straight toward.

Then Llarm spoke again, his voice quiet but cutting through the fire’s crackle.

"What are we even fighting for?"

The flamelight danced across his face, painting his golden hair in soft golds and reds.

Lucy hesitated. He knew his reason—to kill the gods—but how could he say that out loud? No one but Vorn had ever believed in that goal. To most, it was madness.

Then Gindu answered, his voice steady, eyes still on Eri. "I fight to protect."

Fenric grinned. "I fight for joy and pleasure. Preferably both."

Bruma leaned forward, the shadows stretching across her face. "I want to uncover the truth. All of it. I want to know why the gods are lying to us."

Lucy shifted slightly, the firelight casting long shadows across his face. He eyed Bruma with something between curiosity and disbelief.

"Can I ask you something?"

Bruma glanced up, brow raised. "You just did."

He huffed a quiet laugh. "Seraphine... she doesn’t seem like the kind of goddess who’d just let someone as powerful as you vanish. Especially not someone who could be leading armies."

Bruma didn’t answer right away. She poked at the fire with a stick, sending sparks fluttering into the air. Then, calmly, "She didn’t let me. I didn’t ask."

That caught him off guard.

"You just disappeared?"

She met his gaze. "I wanted answers. And I knew I wouldn’t find them if I stayed in her army. So I left. And I’m sure Seraphine’s furious with me." Her lips twitched into a half-smile. "But if she really wanted me dead, I would be."

Lucy leaned back, staring at the sky. After a moment, he said, "Then I guess we have something in common."

Bruma tilted her head. "You didn’t tell her either?"

"No. I think Seraphine sees more than she lets on... but I never said anything. If she knew I was coming here, she didn’t stop me."

Bruma chuckled low. "Then maybe she wants us to find the truth."

Lucy frowned. "Or maybe she wants to see if we survive it."

Silence fell again.

The fire popped, and a breeze stirred the grass.

And then he realized—everyone was still looking at him. Waiting.

He rubbed the back of his neck, gave a crooked smile, and said it plainly.

"I fight to kill the gods."

For a heartbeat, no one said anything.

Then Fenric laughed. A deep, manic sound that broke the night open.

"Killing the gods? I could get behind that."

Llarm grinned. "You’ll probably need a hero for that, huh?"

"The gods treat us like wyrmlings," Gindu muttered. "They deserve to die."

Bruma gave a slow, thoughtful nod. "If chasing the truth means fighting them... then I’ll fight too."

Even Carlos barked in agreement.

Lucy stared at them, stunned.

He’d expected disbelief, mockery. But instead, he found something else—solidarity. Purpose. A strange, reckless kind of loyalty.

Back on Earth, he’d never had friends like this.

And for the first time since being dragged into this world—since being branded #4000—he was glad he was.

The fire crackled low. Sparks drifted up into the sky.

It was getting late. Time to rest. Tomorrow, they would keep moving.

Toward Caelgorr the Hollow.

And this time, they would be much closer.