Vol. IV Chapter V: The Six Heroes

The sun hung low and clear, glinting off the snow, and nothing remained of the storm that had raged over them the night before.

Liviana stood at the edge of the cornice, peering down into the depths.

The avalanche had scraped the slope bare, leaving it like a frozen river plunging over the cliffside into shadow.

“I’m going down.”

Her voice was rough, her claws digging into the rock’s edge as her feline eyes scanned the snow, still searching, still hoping.

Findergwyn stepped up beside her.

“Don’t be foolish.”

“But she could still be alive! There, look…”

Liviana pointed toward a spot where a ledge jutted from the snow.

“If she managed to hold on, if...”

Fin placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Let it be. There’s now way she could have survived this.”

Liviana wrenched her arm free as though his touch had burned her.

“Don’t say that.”

He withdrew his hand, gazing up at the sky before speaking again, calm but firm.

“The sky’s clear for now… but at this altitude, the wind can turn quickly, the weather can change in moments. And if the sun disappears again, the light-shy Snow Guardians will return. We need to be gone before then.”

She shook her head sharply, wet strands of hair clinging to her cheeks.

“She… she just wanted to…”

Liviana’s voice broke, the words choking in her throat.

“I know,” Fin replied quietly, his gaze drifting into the distance.

For a while, they stood in silence, broken only by the faint shifting of snow high on the slope.

At last, Liviana drew in a deep breath, knelt in the snow, and pressed her hand to the cold, damp surface.

Her forehead lowered, her ears drooping.

“May Selvaran carry you to the embrace of your ancestors…” she murmured.

“…And if you lose your way, may a trail of sunlight guide you back to the white plains of our fathers… until we meet again, in eternity.”

She exhaled, rose to her feet, and brushed the snow from her legs.

For a moment longer she lingered, her eyes searching the expanse as if she could still find Melissa’s shape somewhere out there.

But there was only snow, and silence.

“…Let’s go,” she said softly, her voice trembling as she forced her legs to carry her away from the edge.

As they moved on, the snow-covered path wound down the mountain in long, narrow ribbons.

“Caelorth is the next town after we descend. We should make it to the valley before nightfall,” Fin said after a while, not looking back.

With each step, the snow grew wetter, and at the sunlit edges of the rocks, the first tufts of grass were already pushing through.

By the time they reached the valley, the evening sun was glowing red over the mountains before vanishing for good.

They crossed a narrow bridge over a foaming, icy river, trudged over muddy ground, passed through wooden gates, and finally reached the village’s only inn.

When they pushed the door open, warmth washed over them, a welcome relief for their wet, frozen bodies.

They found a table near the hearth to dry off, but Liviana didn’t stay seated for long.

“Inns always feel like home to me,” she said thoughtfully.

“I’ll go talk to the innkeeper real quick. Be right back.”

Fin simply nodded as she stepped away, but soon something bumped into her.

“Careful, hot food!” a voice cried, and a tray piled with steaming stew bowls and bread went flying.

Liviana’s body reacted before her mind did and mid-spin, she caught the tray, bowls, and cutlery without spilling a drop.

“Whoa. Amazing reflexes!” the voice exclaimed.

Lifting the tray, Liviana found herself looking down at a small, red-haired goblin with oversized glasses, grinning up at her.

She handed the tray back with a crooked smile.

“Routine. Years of practice… catching things.”

The goblin gave her another grateful nod, then bounced back toward her table, nearly dropping the tray again in the process.

“…What’s his damn problem?”

Liviana overheard a dark-haired woman at the table mutter, just as the goblin set the tray down.

But then she moved on to the bar, as she’d intended.

At the other table, the discussion continued.

“He’s our friend, sis. And he believes he’s lost someone very important to him.”

“…Believes?” Meiruna pressed.

Tairaku turned his spoon slowly between his fingers.

“I can’t say for sure… but I can’t shake the feeling that goddess didn’t tell him the whole truth.”

Meiruna stared into her stew as if searching for answers there.

“And even if she did… he made it clear we were nothing but a waste of time to him.”

There was disappointment in her voice.

“He may have said that,” Glizzy replied, a spoonful of soup still in her mouth, “but I don’t think he meant it. That’s not like him.“

Tairaku nodded.

“I agree. I think we should follow him.”

Both of them looked at Meiruna, who kept her arms crossed for a moment longer before finally sighing.

“Fine. But this is really the last time…”

Her tone was almost playful, but her eyes stayed serious, like even she knew it was a lie.

Glizzy let out a triumphant cheer, and Tairaku gave his sister’s shoulder a soft, grateful squeeze.

The rest of the night passed in a rare, gentle silence, with only the muted clinking of cutlery and the quiet murmurs of the tavern.

They lingered a little longer, each lost in their own thoughts and eventually, they went to their rooms, the next day already weighing on their minds.

By morning, they were ready to leave, with Tairaku leading their smaller group.

A pale mist still clung to the road, and the snow-capped peaks loomed faintly in the distance.

“The quickest way to Yashar is through the mountain pass. That means Lucius can only have taken this route. If we hurry, we might catch up, but we can’t waste time. Are you ready?”

“I was born ready!” Glizzy declared, reaching for her belt, only to freeze mid-motion.

“Wait. Where’s my pouch?!”

“What pouch?” Tairaku asked.

“My reagents pouch! All the good stuff was in there! I must’ve left it at the inn. I’ll be right back, two seconds!”

Meiruna groaned.

“Glizzy…”

But the goblin was already darting off down the street, her short legs racing furiously.

The street gave way to the familiar smell of ale and breakfast stew as she pushed back through the doors of the inn.

Inside, the morning crowd was just beginning to stir, mugs clinking, chairs scraping, the low rumble of early conversation filling the air.

Near the back, away from the bustle, another pair sat in quiet conversation.

“So… what now?” Findergwyn asked softly.

“If you still plan to continue on to Rivora, I can’t guide you past this point. I don’t know the Tiberun region.”

Liviana’s hands and eyes rested on the warm mug before her.

She nodded.

“No problem. I’ll continue as planned. I owe it to Melissa to bring Lucius… the news.”

She exhaled heavily.

“…I just don’t know yet how to tell him.”

Then she glanced back at Fin.

“What about you? Do you want to...”

“Lucius?” a voice suddenly interrupted from right beside her.

Liviana turned, seeing long green ears poke up over the table edge.

“…The clumsy goblin from yesterday?” she murmured.

“You know a Lucius too?” Glizzy asked brightly.

“That’s funny! I always thought it was such a weird name, and now I’ve heard it twice! Guess it’s not so rare after all. Too bad he ran off… he would have laughed!”

Liviana’s heart skipped a beat, her tail twitched, her eyes widening.

“This Lucius you’re talking about… can you tell me what he looks like?”

Her voice was calm, but beneath it lay a tremble she couldn’t quite hide.

Glizzy nodded eagerly.

“Sure! Let’s see… definitely human! Dark brown hair, kinda messy, shoulder-length. Strong jaw, serious eyes, gray-blue. Oh, and tall!”

She paused, tapping her chin.

“…Although, come to think of it, every human’s tall to me, so maybe I’m not the best judge.”

Liviana held her gaze, but her mind was already working.

“…I think we should talk,” she said at last.

Not long after, the fire crackled softly in the hearth, most adventurers having finished breakfast and gone on their way.

At one large table, five people sat together, strangers until recently.

Their conversation had shifted from polite questions to a more serious subject.

“So… she really is dead?”

Meiruna’s voice was quiet, almost disbelieving.

“Then that goddess wasn’t lying…”

Liviana nodded, eyes lowered.

“I don’t know who this goddess is… but on that point, she was probably telling the truth. As hard as it is to... accept.”

For a moment, the only sound was the fire.

Then Liviana slowly lifted her head.

“And Lucius just left? For some kind of revenge in Yashar? That… doesn’t sound like him at all.”

Findergwyn leaned back slightly, his voice warm but sober.

“Loss and despair can change someone… even those you’d think unshakable.”

“So… you’re in?” Meiruna asked, arms crossed.

Liviana’s nod was firm.

“Absolutely.”

Meiruna turned to Findergwyn.

“So… dark elf?”

He smiled faintly, almost sheepish.

“I’ve told you, just call me Fin.”

He paused, gaze lifting to the ceiling as if weighing his options.

“…I can’t go home yet anyway… and it’s better to travel in company.”

He slapped a hand lightly on the table.

“All right. I’m in.”

Tairaku smiled.

“Then I guess from this moment on… we travel together.”

Glizzy threw her arms up.

„Yaaaay! And if we get Lucius back, we’ll be like the Six Heroes of the Dark Age, the ones who defeated the Elder Dragons!”

A few crooked smiles passed around the table, but under them was a seriousness that Tairaku finally voiced:

“We catch him before he does something he can’t take back.”

And so they set out again, one party, united by loss and a single goal:

to bring a man back before he loses what little remained of him.

His very self.