Night eventually settled fully over the wilderness, the last traces of daylight fading behind the jagged silhouettes of distant hills. The wagon rolled on beneath a sky of deep velvet blue, scattered with stars that shimmered like cold silver dust.
The Sages had grown quiet again — not from tension this time, but from the heavy calm that came with night travel.
Morvath had fallen asleep first, slumped back against a pile of blankets, arms crossed loosely over his chest. His breathing was slow and steady, the rise and fall of his shoulders barely visible in the dim light. Dravien lay curled beside him, tail wrapped around himself like a blanket, small paws tucked under his chin. His ears twitched every so often, reacting to distant night sounds even in sleep.
At the back of the wagon, Eiden sat upright, posture steady as always. His grimoire rested open in his lap, pages glowing faintly with shifting runes and symbols. The moonlight washed over him, catching in his white hair and turning it almost silver. His grey eyes reflected the pale light like polished steel, giving him an otherworldly, almost ethereal presence as he read in silence.
Near the side rail, Vaelus lay on his back, hands folded behind his head, staring up at the sky. The stars reflected clearly in his emerald‑green eyes, making them glow with a soft, glassy brilliance. The wind brushed gently through his hair, and for once, his expression held no worry — only quiet wonder.
The horses trotted steadily, their hooves muffled against the dirt path. The night air grew colder, brushing across their faces with a crisp bite.
Iris finally broke the silence, her voice low but steady as she looked ahead into the darkening path.
"We'll be heading into vampire territory, so be on your guard."
Morvath then jerked his body as he opened his eyes, inhaling sharply as if waking from a sudden drop in a dream. His head lifted from the wooden wall he'd been leaning on, hair tousled and shadowed by the dim moonlight.
Dravien flinched beside him, ears shooting straight up as he popped upright. "What's going on?" he said, looking around with wide, unfocused eyes, tail puffed from being startled awake.
The wagon continued rolling through the darkness, wheels crunching softly over the uneven ground.
Eiden closed his grimoire with a quiet thump, the faint glow of its runes fading as he lifted his gaze toward the sky. The moonlight washed over him, turning his white hair into a pale halo and making his grey eyes gleam like polished silver. The light reflected off him in a way that made him look almost unreal — calm, sharp, and ethereal all at once.
"How much longer till we reach the Angel King's castle?" Eiden asked, his voice steady despite the tension in the air.
"We'll probably get there around sunrise," Iris said from the front, her voice low but alert as she guided the horses through the dark.
Vaelus sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes before glancing toward Eiden. The moonlight caught his emerald‑green eyes, making them glow softly like gemstones. "Eiden, what were you doing while reading your grimoire? Earlier, you were closing your eyes and concentrating."
"I was wondering the same thing," Selyndra added from the front, leaning back slightly as she looked up at the stars overhead.
Eiden rested the grimoire on his lap. "I was trying to find a way to use creation magic without saying it aloud. For the time I've had it, I've only been able to cast it aloud, but I just figured out how to cast it in my mind. I needed to do that just in case the Angel King has something up his sleeve."
"Ah, I see," Vaelus said, nodding slowly.
The wagon continued forward, the night growing deeper around them. The trees thickened, their branches twisting overhead like skeletal fingers. The wind shifted again — colder, sharper — carrying with it a faint, metallic tang.
Then the scent hit them.
Subtle at first. Then unmistakable.
The air began to smell of blood.
Not fresh. Not old. Something in between — a lingering, iron‑rich scent that clung to the wind like a warning.
The horses snorted uneasily.
The forest grew unnaturally quiet.
Even the stars seemed dimmer.