Starless Nights

Morning came fast — too fast.

Rays of sunlight pierced through the slight opening in the tent's entrance, landing directly on Vael's eye.

"Fuck…"

As usual, he got up quietly, careful not to wake his partner.

He started breakfast quickly. Today's menu? The same fine cuisine as yesterday. And the day before.

"It's just food… it's just food…" he muttered, trying — and failing — to hype himself up for another meal of that cursed beast.

The aroma, deceptively appealing, worked like an alarm clock. Kiera stirred, groaned, and slowly sat up.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," said Vael, a teasing tone in his voice. "Tell me, does the fragrant aroma of this deformed deer really make your mouth water? Or are you just that hungry?"

"Great, we're eating that bastard again. Why can't we ever fight birds, at least they might taste like chicken or something…"

"Ahh, that's wishful thinking, is it not?" replied Vael, smugly. "No matter what deviation of a normal animal we kill, we'd have the same problem: its strength. Just because the anatomy is similar, it doesn't mean the taste would be the same at all."

"Oh spare me the lecture, it's too early" replied Kiera with a sigh.

"Right you are…" muttered Vael, clearly bothered by their busy schedule.

They slowly packed their belongings, and made sure that all their containers were filled with water to the brim.

Once done, they set out towards the small safe-house where the captain resided.

They reached the captain's stone house just before noon.

Inside, Thalor was scribbling something down, though it looked more like a lost battle between ink and exhaustion. He looked up as they entered.

"Oh, back so soon? Something on your mind?" he asked, voice still carrying that weathered cheerfulness.

Vael nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to ask—any news of two kids, around ten and twelve years old? Boy and girl. Would've been hiding in a cabin near the north end of the Mistwood, few months back."

Thalor set down his pen slowly. "Hmm. That rings a bell."

He turned to a pile of papers on the edge of his desk, sorting through them with more energy than expected. "Had a runner pass through that area not too long ago—maybe three, four weeks back. Said he spotted a cabin, well-hidden. Looked abandoned, but not ransacked. Found some faint tracks leading away. Nothing fresh."

Vael's jaw tightened slightly. "Did he follow them?"

"Didn't have time. Wasn't on his route, and we didn't think much of it then."

Vael exhaled through his nose, trying to hold back frustration. It wasn't Thalor's fault, but the helplessness still gnawed at him.

"I'll ask around quietly," the captain continued. "Some of our cells rotate through nearby villages. If your siblings—"

Vael's eyes snapped up. "I never said they were my siblings."

Thalor gave a half-smile. "Didn't have to."

There was a short pause, then Vael nodded once. "Thanks."

"Well," Thalor went on, "in the meantime, your group to the capital's nearly ready. They're leaving in five hours. That should give you enough time to get your cover story straight."

"Sounds good," Kiera said. "We'll be ready."

The walk in the tunnel was once again used as training for Vael, who kept trying to perfect his new ability.

He'd been practicing ever since he woke up from the fight two days ago, but this was the perfect environment to push it further.

By now, with just a bit of focus, he could see almost perfectly with his eyes closed.

But that wasn't all. While testing things out, he made an interesting discovery.

If he concentrated a bit of mana into his destroyed eye, his Spatial Awareness got a serious boost.

Suddenly, the world felt sharper. More detailed.

A wooden table wasn't just a solid blob anymore — he could feel every dent, every scratch, every uneven line in the grain. It was weird, but also kind of amazing.

The only downside?

It split his attention in two. His normal vision on one side, his spatial sense on the other. It was like trying to focus on two conversations at the same time. The result: a pounding headache if he kept it up too long.

Which is why he only used it sparingly, saving it for when it was absolutely necessary.

With that settled, they reached the end of the passage and opened the trapdoor.

As they climbed out, the familiar, broken-down interior of the run-down inn came into view.

Most of the rebels who had collapsed the day before were still lying around—it was still early, after all. They'd likely spent the night here.

In one corner of the "room," a group of nine people was gathered. Among them were two familiar faces: Drako and Lucia.

Vael and Kiera walked over, offering a brief nod in greeting.

Apparently, the pair had already filled their comrades in on what they saw yesterday in the tunnels, earning the two forest survivors a few quiet, respectful glances.

"Are you guys ready? We leave at noon," asked Lucia, her confident smile as unwavering as ever.

"You bet," replied Kiera without hesitation.

"That's good. Hope you rested well. The trip won't be easy," added one of the rebels—a short, dark-haired man with a rat perched casually on his shoulder.

"When is it ever?" shot back Vael, clearly unimpressed by the warning.

At that, Drako stepped forward, choosing to recap the plan for those who hadn't been present earlier.

Essentially, they would travel through the Driven Alps, the second-largest mountain range on the continent. It also served as the natural border between the Tribe-occupied territories and the Kingdoms.

There was a route they could take that would potentially cut their travel time by almost half.

The only issue was…

"We lost our map."

That's right—the rebels had lost their only map detailing the shortcut.

So now, they'd have to take an alternate path. It was still faster than the one most travelers used, but not nearly as efficient as the one they'd originally planned.

"Along the way, bandits will most certainly try to attack us," added Drako.

You'd think no one would live in the mountains—but you'd be wrong.

Multiple groups had made their homes there, thriving off the merchants and supply caravans that regularly traveled north to restock the troops.

It goes without saying that these individuals don't pay for what the merchants bring.

"Once we cross the Alps, the rest of the trip should be a breeze. The Capital isn't that far from the mountain range—just a few days on horseback," added Lucia.

With that settled, the group dispersed, each member going off to finish preparing for the trip.

Just as Vael and Kiera were about to head off, Lucia called out to them.

"Vael, Kiera, stay. We have something to talk about."

They exchanged a glance and nodded.

Whatever it was, they were ready.

"So," began Drako, who had stayed behind with Lucia, "you've seen the team. What do you think?"