Shadows of Ascension

80. The name in the shadows

Dead silence fills the underground cave as Aiden and Luca stare at each other. 

"That can’t be right!" Aiden shouts, his voice raw. "I didn’t kill him! Even if I don’t remember what happened, I *know* I didn’t kill a person!" 

Luca places a firm hand on Aiden’s shoulder. His expression is unreadable. "Why don’t we take a walk outside?" 

— 

The desert sun burns overhead, the heat wrapping around them like an unrelenting force. Sand stretches endlessly in every direction. 

"This is where we buried his body," Luca says, pointing to a particular spot in the sand. 

Without hesitation, Aiden rushes forward and starts digging. His fingers claw into the burning sand, ignoring the pain. 

Luca watches him. "What are you doing?" 

Aiden doesn’t answer. His breathing is heavy, his mind spinning as grains of sand slip between his fingers. Eventually, his hands reach something solid. He pulls the body out and carefully places it onto the scorching ground. 

What he sees is brutal. 

His breath catches in his throat. How… how did he do this? How did the enemy end up in *this* state? 

Luca steps forward cautiously. "Aiden… I know that—" 

But Aiden interrupts him by placing his hand on the body’s shadow. 

Luca narrows his eyes. "What are you doing?" 

To Luca, it just looks like Aiden is pressing his hand against the sand. But to Aiden… it’s something else. 

After a long pause, Aiden silently buries the body again. Without a word, he turns and walks back inside the underground cave. 

Luca follows after him, his confusion turning into concern. Just as Aiden is about to disappear into the darkness, Luca grabs his shoulders, forcing him to look him in the eye. 

"What was that, Aiden?" 

Silence. 

Then, Aiden speaks. 

"His name… was Kylian Montgomery," he says quietly. "He was the son of a nobleman from Karrytia. A town near the village I come from." 

Luca listens, his grip loosening. 

Aiden takes a breath. "Back when I was a kid, a huge dragon attacked the nearby areas. Karrytia was one of them." He pauses. "His parents burned alive in the flames. He saw them die… but he survived. Something broke inside him that day. He changed. He had no reason to fight anymore, so he became an illegal bounty hunter." 

Luca’s eyes darken. "How do you know all of this?" 

Aiden clenches his fists. "He’s been living in the lawless area for years, killing hundreds. Selling their heads on the black market." His voice wavers. "And then… it was *our* turn to die. 

"We could have helped him. Given him a second chance. But no. 

"I killed him." 

His voice is hollow. 

"He’s dead. I took away the second chance that could have been offered to him." 

Luca watches as Aiden takes a step back. 

"Aiden…" 

"Leave me alone." 

His words are ice-cold. He turns and walks deeper into the cave, disappearing into the shadows. 

Luca sighs, running a hand through his hair. He steps back outside, letting the heat hit his face. Sitting on the hot sand, he looks up at the sky. The vultures are flying freely, their dark silhouettes circling above. 

But the silence is too loud. 

He sighs again. 

Then, he sees something in the distance. 

A figure approaching. 

His eyes narrow, and then— 

"Riona!" Luca calls, standing up. 

She quickens her pace, carrying something in her hands. "You’re back!" 

"Yeah. I got some water from the cactuses, just like you asked," she says, forcing a smile. But it doesn’t reach her eyes. 

Luca studies her for a moment, then speaks. 

"Aiden… he woke up." 

Her expression shifts instantly. She drops everything she’s holding and runs past Luca. 

"Wait!" Luca shouts, but she doesn’t listen. 

She rushes into the cave, her heart pounding. 

And then—she sees him. 

Aiden is standing there, his back turned to her. He doesn’t move as she charges toward him. 

Before he can say anything, she throws her arms around him, hugging him tightly. 

Tears fall freely from her eyes.