NOVPUBThe clearing stayed quiet behind them.
No one said anything as they walked.
Not even Meren.
The trees didn't press in like before. They didn't part either. Just stood still. Listening, maybe. Or waiting.
Lindarion kept his eyes forward.
Ren walked ahead now, just slightly. Her shoulders were relaxed. But her hands weren't in her coat anymore.
Lira moved beside him. Not saying much. Still holding the hilt in her hand, unwrapped. The green shimmer had dulled a little, but not faded. Like it was only pretending to sleep.
Lindarion didn't glance at it again. He didn't have to.
'Whatever that thing is… it's important to her.'
He adjusted the strap of his pack. The new sword sat against his hip. No rattle. No drag. It moved like a part of him now.
Ahead, the trail narrowed again. Not much. Just enough to force them into a thinner line.
Ardan took the lead. Eyes forward. Steps quiet. That half-patient, half-ready posture that meant he already expected trouble and wasn't going to say it out loud.
Meren brought up the rear. He'd found a stick somewhere and was using it like a walking staff. Or possibly to poke at things he shouldn't.
Lindarion glanced back once. Meren caught his eye and grinned.
"Just making sure the trees stay respectful."
"You think that stick's going to help?"
"It's got a good vibe."
Lira muttered, "It's rotting."
"Still counts."
The forest got quieter the further they went. Not silent. Just muffled. Like sound didn't carry the same way here. Or maybe it didn't want to.
Lindarion's fingers brushed the edge of his coat. Just a habit now. A check for balance. A check for presence.
His thoughts didn't sit still.
'That thing seemed to know who I am. Not just what I am. Not just the name..'
He glanced sideways at Lira.
She hadn't said a word since they left the clearing. Her eyes tracked the ground. Her grip on the hilt hadn't loosened.
Lindarion didn't ask. Not yet.
Not until the air changed.
He felt it first in his ears. That low shift of pressure that meant they were leaving something behind. Like stepping out of a temple. Or a memory.
The forest felt normal again.
If normal meant colder. Rougher. Realer.
Ren stopped up ahead.
She turned halfway. Looked at them all like she was checking to see who had made it.
Then she smiled.
"We're out."
Meren raised his stick.
"Victory."
Ardan glanced at the trees. Then nodded once.
Lindarion took one step forward. Then another.
The sword didn't weigh any more than it had before.
But his thoughts did.
He wasn't sure why.
Not yet.
—
The trees didn't thin so much as they surrendered.
Branches shrank back. Roots stopped fighting the earth. Frost layered thick now, pressed flat against stone. No birds. No bugs. Just that dry, breathless cold that came when the world decided to go quiet on purpose.
Lindarion stepped over a low ridge of granite where the ground began its slow, rising curve.
Then he saw it.
The mountain didn't loom. It didn't need to. It was just… there. Black stone streaked with pale veins, crusted in snow too high for the sun to melt. It didn't look angry. Or majestic. It looked old. Tired. Unimpressed.
Meren let out a sound behind him. Part whistle, part whimper. "So. Uh. That's tall."
Ardan was already ahead, hand shielding his eyes, cloak shifting slightly in the wind. "We'll take the western shoulder. There's an old route carved into the base. Not wide, but it curves before the frost line."
Lira stood to his left. Her arms were crossed, but her weight leaned ever so slightly forward. Not quite tense. Not relaxed either. Like she was preparing for something she couldn't explain.
Ren just stared up at the peak and blinked slowly. "We're going up that?"
Ardan nodded. "Eventually."
Ren tilted her head. "Like… this week? Or is this more of a long-term, existential thing where we try and fail and die freezing halfway up?"
Ardan didn't answer.
Lindarion squinted into the distance. No carved stairs. No ruins. Just sharp stone ridges and the faint trail of something once-made, half-swallowed by the earth.
He didn't need to look back to know the others were feeling it too. That hum at the base of the spine. The air pressure that said, clearly, you don't belong here.
And deeper than that there was something older. Not a presence. Just the absence of warmth.
'Fantastic. A mountain with personality…?'
He shifted his scarf higher along his neck. Not that it helped.
Meren edged up beside him. "We're not climbing all of it, right?"
Lira's voice was dry. "No. Just the part that breaks your spirit."
"Oh, good."
Ren tapped a finger against her temple. "I don't suppose one of you has a flying spell."
Ardan didn't turn. "You want to be a glowing target in the open sky over ancient stone?"
"I didn't say it was a good idea."
Lindarion watched the slope for another moment. The trail started wide, like it had once been used for carts.
But higher up, the path narrowed until it vanished behind jagged outcroppings. He could already see the switchbacks forming in his head.
'Climb. Then climb again. Then maybe climb some more.'
His body didn't protest. His breath stayed steady. His balance held.
No ache in his ribs. No stiffness in the joints. His core burned low and clean. Not loud. Just ready.
[Greater Core: Full Functionality Restored]
He didn't need the reminder. He could feel it now in every part of him. The way his steps landed right. The way his thoughts didn't blur at the edges anymore.
Ren glanced back at him. "You good?"
He nodded.
"I was hoping you'd say no so we could stop and nap again."
"Then lie down and pretend."
Meren sighed. "Can I pretend to be left behind?"
"You can," Ardan said. "We just won't come back."
Meren made a wounded sound and trudged forward.
Lira moved next. Her steps were efficient. No crunch. No hesitation. Her hand rested lightly on the hilt at her hip. Just touching. Not drawing. Like she knew they weren't in danger yet. But they would be.
Lindarion took the lead after her. The sword Lira had given him shifted slightly at his side as the slope angled sharper.
He didn't stumble.
Didn't need to look back.
The path had begun.
