The snow fell all night. By morning, the rocky plateau was covered in a soft white layer that muffled all sound. Kael and Kira descended nonetheless, wearing thick boots, and resumed training in the biting cold.
Kael felt different. The generals' names still spun in his head. Valdrek. Serya. Drakk. Nyssa. Thorgar. Vex. Malrik. Each name brought up fragments of memory, impressions, images distorted by years of dreaming.
He parried Kira's strike, countered with a backhand, followed with a sweep. His body reacted better. Faster. More naturally. But his mind was elsewhere.
"You're still thinking about them," Kira said, dodging a hook.
"Yes."
"It's normal. You spent ten years without them. Your mind has to relearn who they are."
"Not just who they are. What they became. Why they held on or gave in. What my fall broke in them."
"You can't fix everything."
"I don't want to fix. I want to know."
Kira exhaled a cloud of steam.
"Then keep asking questions. The memories will come back."
They resumed fighting. Strikes cracked in the frozen air. Snow crunched beneath their feet.
"Tell me about Valdrek," Kael said between strikes. "Before he went mad."
"He was the loudest of the seven. Always laughing, provoking, issuing challenges. He worshipped you like a god of war."
"And now?"
"Now there's no laughter. No provocation. Just screaming at night and rambling during the day. He believes you speak to him from the throne. He says you're ordering him to prepare a great offensive."
"And if he attacked?"
"He doesn't have the strength anymore. His Legion is reduced. His officers are dead or gone. But he remains dangerous. Not to humans. To himself."
"And to those who approach him."
"Yes."
Kael blocked a knee strike, grabbed Kira's arm, and threw him to the ground. Kira rolled and rose immediately.
"You're improving."
"Tell me about Serya."
"She was the finest mage I've ever known. Not just powerful. Refined. She understood illusions like no one else. She could make you believe you'd won a battle when you were already dead."
"Why did she exile herself?"
"Because she couldn't bear what she saw after your fall. The void. The fear. The other Demon Kings circling. She said the world had become ugly without you."
"That's why she buried herself in the marshes?"
"Yes. She no longer wants to see anyone. She no longer wants to fight. She wants to be forgotten."
"But she remained loyal."
"In her own way. She never served another master."
"That's a form of loyalty."
"Yes. Hers."
They exchanged a few more blows. Kael could feel sweat running down his back despite the cold. His muscles warmed. His breath was shorter, but more regular.
"Tell me about Drakk."
"The strategist. Cold. Precise. He never showed emotion, even when the battle turned bad. He said feelings were useless variables."
"And yet, he's the one who held the kingdom together."
"Yes. Because he thought it was the best strategic decision. Not out of love. Out of logic."
"Do you think he's really waiting for me?"
"I think he kept the throne empty for you. But I don't know what he'll do when you return."
"Why?"
"Because he's tasted power. Not for himself. For stability. He made decisions you might not have approved of. He signed agreements. He ceded territories."
"He ceded territories?"
"Small border portions. To buy peace."
Kael stopped dead.
"He gave away lands of the Neverdie Realm?"
"To avoid war. The other Demon Kings demanded proof of good will. Drakk ceded what could be sacrificed without weakening the heart of the territory."
"And you're only telling me this now?"
"I didn't want to tell you until you were ready."
Kael turned to the horizon. The mountains stood out in the mist. Anger rumbled within him, dull, deep.
"He had no right."
"He did what he thought was necessary."
"He sold my lands."
"He saved your kingdom."
Kael clenched his fists.
"We'll talk about this again."
Kira nodded.
"Yes. But not now. Now, focus."
Kael resumed his stance. The fight resumed, more violent. Each blow was a release. Each impact resonated in the snow.
"Tell me about Nyssa," Kael growled.
"She was your shadow. Not me. Her. She could disappear into a crowd, change faces, change voices. She knew everything that happened in the kingdom and beyond."
"And you think she's still alive?"
"Yes. People like Nyssa don't die. They fade."
"Why did she disappear?"
"Perhaps because she discovered something dangerous. Or perhaps because she decided her mission was over."
"Her mission?"
"Protecting you. Even in the shadows. Even without orders."
Kael struck harder. Kira retreated, defended, but took a blow to the shoulder.
"And Thorgar?"
"He stayed. He never moved. He fortified the borders, trained new recruits, repelled incursions. He waits."
"Like a guard dog."
"Yes. But a loyal guard dog."
"Vex. Who could have killed him?"
"A high-level assassin. Or a traitor close to him. There was no sign of forced entry. No witnesses. Nothing."
"And Malrik?"
"The old general. The wisest. He carried you in his arms when you were a child."
Kael froze.
"What?"
"You don't remember?"
"No. But it's coming back."
"You were young. A demon still in training. Malrik found you, wounded, at the border. He brought you back. He raised you."
"He raised me?"
"He never told you? He said you were like a son. He stayed by your side until the end."
Kael lowered his arms. The icy wind struck him full in the face.
"A father."
"Yes. In a way."
"And he died for me."
"For you. For the kingdom. For everything he built with you."
Kael closed his eyes. Images were returning. An old demon with white hair, black armor, a deep voice singing old demonic songs.
"I remember."
"Good."
"No. It hurts."
"Painful memories are often the truest."
Kael opened his eyes.
"We continue."
"You're sure?"
"We continue."
They resumed the fight. The snow fell harder, erasing their tracks as they moved.