The cold intensified in the following days. The snow never stopped, wrapping the mountain in a white shroud that swallowed all sound. Training continued regardless. Kael had regained the habit of striking without thinking, moving without calculating. His muscles remembered. His bones followed.
Kira, meanwhile, seemed increasingly troubled. He often looked south, as if waiting for something.
"What is it?" Kael asked one morning as they climbed back toward the tower.
"Nothing. A feeling."
"Be specific."
"Someone's approaching. Not an enemy. I don't know. It's vague."
Kael didn't answer. He hadn't felt anything. But Kira had spent years on alert, in hostile environments. If he said a presence was approaching, it was best to believe him.
They didn't have to wait long.
The next day, as evening fell, a raven entered the tower through the broken window. It wasn't an ordinary bird. Its feathers were a blue-black, its eyes milky white. It carried a small leather scroll tied to its leg, sealed with black wax.
Kira stiffened at the sight of the seal.
"What is it?" Kael asked.
"Drakk's seal."
"How did he find you?"
"He didn't find me. He's always followed me."
"You knew?"
"I suspected. Drakk has eyes everywhere. Even in ruins."
The raven approached Kael without fear. It extended its leg. Kael untied the scroll, broke the seal with his thumb.
The writing was fine, precise, without flourish. Each word was placed like a piece on a chessboard.
"My King,
I dare not believe the rumors that have been circulating for weeks. But if you are reading these lines, then they are true. You are alive. You have returned.
The Neverdie Realm stands. It awaits you. But it is no longer what you left behind. Territories have been ceded. Alliances have been made. Decisions have been taken without your consent. I am prepared to answer for them.
I will await you at the Veyne Pass, on the Realm's southern border, in twenty days. If you are not there, I will understand that you do not wish to reclaim the throne. If you are there, I will place my fate in your hands.
Whatever your decision, know that the kingdom survived because you made it strong. Not only through fear. Through example.
Drakk, General of the Neverdie Realm"
Kael read the letter twice. Then he handed it to Kira, who read it in turn.
"He knew," said Kira. "From the beginning."
"Since the awakening?"
"Probably. He must have felt the mana surge when you broke the spell. And he waited."
"Waited for what?"
"For you to come to him. Or for you to make yourself known. He's giving you twenty days."
Kael turned to the window. The snow was still falling, steady, silent.
"Twenty days. That's more than enough."
"You want to go?"
"I want to see what he's done with my kingdom."
"And if he betrayed you?"
"Then he dies."
"And if he simply did his best?"
"Then he lives."
Kira folded the letter carefully.
"The Veyne Pass is several weeks' walk away. By going through the mountains, we can shorten it. But the route is dangerous in winter."
"I'm not afraid of the cold."
"You're not afraid of the cold. But you haven't fully regained your strength yet."
"Then we'll keep training along the way."
Kira sighed.
"You're impossible."
"I'm a Demon King. It's the same thing."
The raven, still perched on the stone, tilted its head. Kael looked at it.
"Tell Drakk I'm coming."
The bird didn't move.
"He understands," said Kira. "It's not an ordinary raven. It's a familiar. It transmits what it sees."
"Then it saw."
"Yes. It saw."
Kael crouched in front of the raven.
"Drakk. If you're listening, know this. I'm coming. But I'm not coming to judge you. Not yet. I'm coming to understand. If you truly kept the kingdom standing, then you served well. If you weakened it, you will answer for it. Either way, I'm coming."
The raven let out a dry caw, then flew off into the snowy night.
Kira watched it go.
"He'll know."
"He already knows."
"What do we do now?"
"We prepare to leave. We leave at dawn tomorrow."
"Which way?"
"Through the mountains. It's shorter."
"And more dangerous."
"Are you afraid?"
"For you, yes."
"For me?"
"You're not yet whole. Not in strength, not in memory. If we run into peak beasts or bandits, we'll have to fight. And if we run into one of the other Demon Kings along the way, it could go badly."
Kael stood.
"Then we'll avoid the beasts, kill the bandits, and we'll see about the Demon Kings."
"You talk as if it's simple."
"It is simple. Move forward. Survive. Reach the pass."
"And then?"
"Then I'll see how much my kingdom has changed."
Kira nodded.
"Very well. I'll prepare the supplies."
"And I'll prepare my mind."
"For what?"
"For what awaits us."
Kael cast one last look out the window. In the distance, the mountains rose, black and white beneath the moon. Somewhere beyond those peaks lay the Neverdie Realm. His territory. His past. And perhaps his future.
"Kira."
"Yes?"
"Thank you for waiting for me."
"I will always wait for you."
"No. Not always. But long enough for it to matter."
Kira smiled faintly.
"Long enough, then."
The snow continued to fall. The tower remained silent. And in Kael's heart, an ancient flame began to burn once more.