Albaras stood before the final door, Frugin’s head in hand.Without hesitation, he kicked it down, the wood splintering as the door crashed open. A dimly lit chamber lay beyond.Cloaked figures lay all around, lifeless on the ground.In its center stood Heiron, hunched and waiting, torchlight flickering across his grotesque form as even the moon refused to light its way inside In the middle of the room, chained to a stone altar beside him, hung Kian. There was no sound coming from him. Just a bit of movement in his fingers. Albaras dropped Frugin’s head.

  ′All to ashes. All to lie. To the bottom of the earth or the highest of the skies,′Heiron muttered, laughter bubbling through his mask.′This was supposed to bring the gods to the worms.′He reached up and pulled off his mask. ’All it did was make us suffer more.’

  He turned, his mask now in hand, revealing a face no longer human. Scales covered his skin, and reptilian eyes gleamed with unnatural light. Every time he blinked, it looked like his eyes were still open. ′It was all a lie. They lied to me.’He kept muttering it over and over, a mad grin stretching across his face.′It’s funny, isn’t it? If I had known… I wouldn’t have done it. It’s all ashes now. Treacherous, what I’ve done.′ He kept smiling madly.

  Albaras stepped into the room, his sword in hand. ′Then let’s end it.′ Heiron opened his arms. ′Yes. One last embrace. The embrace of endings.’

  Albaras dropped his sword. He walked forward toward Heiron, grabbing the back of Heiron’s head with one gauntleted hand. ′Let us begin,′ he said.Albaras’s tone sounded colder than ice. As if his voice could break through stone.

  With all his might, he slammed his fist into Heiron’s face. Blood burst between the scales; some broke off, piercing into Heiron’s flesh, others flying away.But Heiron didn’t scream. He laughed at it, a broken mind at work.

  Again, Albaras struck. Blood sprayed; one of Heiron’s eyes ruptured, but the laughter still echoed. As the eye hung out of its socket.

  ′Still alive, are you?′ Albaras growled.

  He jammed one armored hand into Heiron’s mouth, teeth scraping metal as some of them broke loose under Albaras’s force. He held his upper jaw. With a roar, he pulled upward, tearing the mouth loose from Heiron’s face as the smile stretched endlessly wide. The skull split with a wet crunch, laughter finally dying in a gurgle of blood and silence.

  Albaras turned toward the altar as if having one singular thought. ′ Kian…’ he whispered, crossing the room, the metal clanking on the stones in the otherwise silent chamber. He ripped the chains in two with his bare hands.′We’ve arrived.′He called out as softly as he could, with a small laugh after it. ’You’re free now.’

  Kian stirred weakly, his eyes looking dully down at him from the altar. ’How about yourself?’ Kian whispered back. Albaras took one step away from the altar. ’Boy, just catch your breath until you’re back at full strength.’

  Footsteps echoed through the open door as Albaras went back to rip off the chains. Rederick entered the chamber and froze. His eyes scanned the room, settling on Albaras working at the altar where Kian was nailed down. ’What happened?’ Rederick muttered, pointing his sword at Heiron. Still looking at the altar. ’What have they done…’ he breathed. His voice trembled. As Albaras ripped off the remaining chain.Holding Kian in a cradle. ’I have done it. We saved Kian.’ Albaras muttered. As if not even believing his own voice.

  ′I knew you were a monster,′ Rederick growled, his gaze fixed on Albaras. ′But this…′ Rederick could not finish his words as he tried to hold back his tears.

  Albaras stood tall, holding Kian. ′ Help me get him out of here. We’re going home, all of us.’

  Rederick could not believe those words. After everything. He knew so much about Albaras, but this, this was too far even for him.′ You maniac. You sacrificed everything… for what?You act like a savior, but your heart is ash.We didn’t save him.You didn’t save him. I protected him. I cared for him. I trusted you with one thing. And you failed. Look at that boy. Look at Kian. Say his name for once. Once so that I know you care.’

  He pointed at Kian’s limp form. ′Look at him! He’s fucking broken. And my brother, my older brother, he’s dead because of you. All I did was protect him from you. You destroy everything you touch.’

  Albaras looked at the boy. ‘Broken things can get fixed.’ There was hope in his voice. Rederick wouldn’t accept it. Trembling, he stood back up.′I’ve wanted to kill you so many times. But Kian loved us. He saw a future that I had given up on. I couldn’t disappoint him. I hoped he’d be better than us. But now…′ His voice cracked. ′Now he’ll never get that chance.′

  His gaze shifted to Heiron’s corpse. ′And the only man who might’ve fixed this has been slain by you.. Did you do that with laughter as well.′

  Albaras said nothing. He shifted Kian in his arms and moved toward the doorway.

  That’s when Rederick struck. In a flash of steel, a blade cut into the back of Albaras’s knee. He collapsed, dropping to one knee with a grunt. Rederick raised his sword, ready to decapitate Albaras. Then, Albaras began to laugh, as he always did. Still holding on to Kian.

  But it wasn’t a laugh of madness. Somehow, With all this around him,Rederick could hear through it. He froze, his fury faltering.

  It was a sound he had heard before. In battle. In the aftermath of conflict. While inspecting corpses. It was never joy. It was never rage or bloodlust. It was grief.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  It was a cry. Sorrow manifesting in the only way he could. This scene made it so obvious.

  That parasitic laughter wasn’t fear creeping into your bones. It was his sorrow. The only way he could show it.

  Albaras, what kind of past made you like this? Rederick thought. Was all of it because this was the only way to cope, to bear the weight of what you’ve become?He denied the horror in his heart by wrapping it in laughter. It was his only escape.

  Rederick stared as Albaras turned, blood streaming from his knee, laughter echoing through the chamber like a requiem for all they had lost.

  Albaras set Kian carefully against the doorway. To make it seem as though he were sitting normally. Rederick went to pick him up. Lifting him the way his brother had carried him in the past. ’Let’s find a place for you to rest, shall we.’ Rederick left with Kian. Albaras kept looking between his arms as if he still held Kian. ‘Next time it will be the one’ A whisper came out. As his open hands became fists.

  Rederick walked out of the tower. The fire was starting to die down. He walked past Sventerlo, whose throat blood streamed toward the ashes of the flower.Outside the burning courtyard, it didn’t look any better. A man lay on the ground with two bodies on top of him. One of them was Morsan.The man’s body was covered in stab and slash wounds.His face looked frozen in panic.

  Out of the ten men who went with him, four were still standing. ’Did we made it?’One wondered while inspecting one of his fallen comrades. Rederick looked at Kian. ‘You have made it indeed. You are all heroes here.’ Rederick’s voice tried to sound hopeful. Yet his feelings for Kian wouldn’t go away. ’We cannot go back until we have buried the man here. It is all we can give them.’

  One of the men stepped closer. ’We want to. But there aren’t any tools for that. We need to leave them.’ Rederick wanted to react to it. Instead, there was nothing. There was no hope for today. ‘Then take something personal from them to bring it back home.’

  ’Already did that, sir.’ One said. ‘We were just trying to get ready to breach the tower.’

  ’Then go home. Find Lucas and go home.’ Rederick looked utterly defeated as he looked at them. They gave a nod of understanding and started to walk down the mountain.

  Rederick walked to a giant stone overlooking the north. He placed Kian on it. Then he stood beside it. Rederick wanted to say something. Instead, he threw his sword and shield down the mountain in a rage. He found the nearest tree and started to go berserk against it. Until he fell to his knees.

  A cloaked figure from the shadows revealed itself as the first light of the sun came up. All of him was covered in darkness except for the red smile painted on his mask. ’Any sane man would take care of you right here and now. Except I am quite happy you took care of Heiron and his men. Somehow, I am so grateful that I think I will let you live.’

  Rederick pulled himself up using the tree for support. Turning around while leaning against it. ’You… why didn’t you… What are you on about?’

  The Red Smile walked over to Kian’s body. ‘It isn’t smart to throw your weapons away.’ His voice sounded like calmness itself. ‘I just enjoyed the show. There was no need to intervene. I just enjoyed the beautiful scenery unfolding here.’ He moved his knife toward Kian’s side.Then he pulled it back before doing anything. closing Kian’s eyes with his other hand. ‘For today I will pay you with respect.’

  Rederick couldn’t do anything against it. ’Before I go to see off phase two. I just wanted to tell you. Thank you for this. You made sure that I could see phase two come true.’ And just as he stood there, he disappeared again in the shadows. Rederick went to Kian to get on his knees and began to pray to Necter.

  The four men who descended the mountain met up with Lucas, seeing how wounded they all were.This didn’t feel like victory with the number of dead and wounded. ‘We have won.’ One of the four said to Lucas. Lucas gave a nod. Then he turned around, following the path back home. Lucas was supported by his men as they moved down the mountain. It was done. The first victory in a long list of battles yet undecided.

  As they descended, they saw something leaning against a tree, still trying to hold itself upright.It was Grummulde. That thing had survived. Lucas gave a nod to his men to move closer.Grummulde only breathed as he took a fighting stance.

  It did not look like the stance of an animal. His stance was like that of a proud knight. Grummulde looked at them, not with savagery or wild intent, but with calculation. Ready not to survive this, but to take as many as he could down with him. Beneath all those wounds, they shared the same look.

  With the strength he could muster, Lucas pointed away from Grummulde. The men looked confused at first. Some understood what he meant and passed the message to those who did not. Grummulde looked at the rondel in his hand, then back at Lucas, who still stood there studying him.Grummulde threw the rondel down in front of Lucas. One of the men picked it up. Lucas looked at the dagger, then back at Grummulde, as the soldier placed it back in his scabbard. A few moments passed as the rest of Lucas’ detachment understood what was happening. Then they turned away, carrying Lucas with them.Grummulde fell back to the ground after they had all turned their backs on him. He laughed softly as he closed his eyes.

  Albaras stood back up, looking around the room. ’Next time I definitely will be the one who sleeps forever while the others still live.’ Down, he went. Trying to feel the stone through his prison.Walking in a straight line out of the fort, down the mountain. Passing Rederick with no notion of life. Only a laugh that trailed behind. As if to restart himself again. ’Next time I will not be alone. This is just an experience. Just like all the others.’Albaras muttered to nothing, even though it looked like he truly believed someone was standing beside him.’These all return to the ground. Trees will grow from it. I will be there to watch it. All alone.’

  Albaras walked to a cliffside. He stopped, looking out over the land. ’It could all be so easy. Why can’t it? Why? All is lost that I can reach. Why does everything leave my grasp?Destined to walk alone or try again. Try again.’ His laughter turned into crying. ’All alone or followed by the ones that hate me.’ He said to the sky.

  Rederick was trying to mourn, but even then he was pulled by Albaras’ words.He turned to Albaras to say something back.Before Rederick could say or react to anything, Albaras let himself fall down the mountain.

  Rederick couldn’t even register what had happened. He accepted it as a man taking his fate into his own hands.He went back inside to grab his helmet and put it on Kian’s chest.The ever-walker that never was.

  A girl came out of the woods carrying Kruger’s body. Like him, she carried no weapon. She laid him in a spot where the fires hadn’t ravaged yet and the sun shone. Rederick and Tyrilda looked at each other. ‘What is done is done.’ Rederick said, trying to make her feel a little better.

  Tyrilda looked away in shame. Whether it was for what she was about to ask or for what Rederick had said was unclear. ’Would it be possible for me to come with you?To become a hunter and redeem my sins?’

  Rederick just looked at her and gave her a nod. Together they went down the mountain. Remembering the stories and the lives of the people who had fallen here. Rederick looked at Tyrilda. ’Let’s create something to remember the lives of the dead.’ Rederick said it in pain and silence, unsure if this would be the right thing.Tyrilda, as hard as it was to do, gave him a soft smile in response.