Shadows of Ascension

73. Restless Nights

The team makes their way down the massive mountain, the howling blizzard growing milder with each step. As the snow begins to clear, ice bears emerge once more, stalking the group from a distance. "We'll camp there for the night," Luca announces, pointing toward a sheltered area between two cliffs. "We've already walked a lot." 

As night falls, they gather around a crackling fire, the warmth offering some relief from the lingering cold. One by one, they drift into sleep—except for Aiden. Or so he thinks. He gazes at the night sky, deep in thought, when he notices Riona sitting quietly by the fire, her expression distant. Curious, he rises and approaches her. 

"What's up, Riona?" Aiden asks softly. 

   "Nothing…" she murmurs, her eyes still fixed on the flames. 

   "Tell me. Are you upset about something?" 

Riona hesitates before finally speaking. "Master Yun shared his wisdom with us, but…" 

   "But?" Aiden prompts gently. 

   "I can't help but remember what happened at the Well of Fate… what I saw," she admits. "And our fight with Shadowbane… him controlling Kaiden’s corpse…" Her voice trails off, laced with pain. 

Aiden nods, understanding the weight of her words. He reaches out and takes her hand, his grip firm but reassuring. "It's going to be fine," he tells her.

   But deep inside, doubts linger. He, too, remembers what he saw at the Well of Fate—him and Luca, standing against each other in a battle filled with murderous intent. The vision haunts him, as does the fight with Shadowbane. And, perhaps most unsettling of all, Master Yun’s private words to him—the warning about his own power. The glimpses of something dark within him. 

Unbeknownst to them, Luca is also awake. Lying on his back, he stares at the stars, lost in his own thoughts. "Me and Aiden… fighting?" The question gnaws at him, a vision he wishes he could erase. But it won’t leave him. 

Hours pass, and the first light of morning stretches across the snow-covered slopes. Without a word, the team gathers their belongings and continues their journey.

As they descend further, the icy terrain slowly fades, giving way to rocky ground. The air shifts, becoming drier, warmer. Then, in the distance, beyond the final stretch of the mountain path, they see it—the desert. Vast, golden, endless. 

Aiden, Luca, and Riona pause at the edge of the snow, staring at the sight before them. The boundary between the mountain and the desert is stark—behind them, a world of cold and ice; ahead, a land of scorching heat and shifting sands. 

Luca clenches his fist. "This is it." 

Riona takes a deep breath. "No turning back now." 

Aiden steps forward, feeling the warmth of the desert breeze against his face. He thinks of Master Yun’s words. Of Shadowbane. Of the Well of Fate.

They all have doubts. They all have fears. 

But fear will not define them. 

Without hesitation, they take their first steps into the unknown.