Sera

I have never been without my brother.

He’s been with me since my earliest memories—before the running, before the hiding, always there. That’s why I knew he was still alive.

I was lucky they didn’t chase me. The thornbacks were giving the soldiers hell, and in the chaos, I managed to escape. Not sure where to go, I turned back toward the village.

By sundown, I saw smoke curling above the trees. When I arrived, there was nothing left—only smoldering ash and broken silence.

If Hani were here, he could’ve pieced together what happened. But no one was. I searched carefully. The dead were burned. The rest were gone.

I tied up the horse outside the schoolhouse. The fire had gutted most of it, but beneath the charred floorboards, a staircase was exposed—one I’d never seen before.

I descended slowly. The basement had been untouched by fire. Dusty, but intact. I rifled through papers and scrolls, half out of habit, half out of dread. That’s when I found it.

Correspondence. Our teacher… and someone signed only as “H.”

We were set up.

I gathered what I could—manastones, a little coin, a few supplies. Then I climbed out, looked at Tamuri one last time—

—and left the village for good.