Dawn came heavy and gray, the sky bruised with purple clouds that hung low over the whispering forest. A thin mist clung to the ground, winding around roots and fallen branches, carrying the scent of damp moss and distant rain.
Aeris rose quietly, careful not to disturb Liora, who was curled beside the dying fire with her bell clasped in her small hand. Her breath fogged lightly in the cool morning air, lashes fluttering as she chased dreams in the in-between spaces of dawn.
Mira was already awake, gathering herbs with practiced movements, the folds of her moss-green shawl brushing against dew-laden leaves. She paused, her eyes catching Aeris's across the clearing. There was a softness in her gaze, threaded with worry, as she tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear.
"Did you sleep?" she asked, her voice low, carrying in the hush of morning.
Aeris hesitated, brushing ash-white strands from his eyes. "Enough," he lied gently, rolling his shoulders to ease the ache beneath his ribs. The ember had been restless during the night, flaring in and out like a weak lantern in the dark, each flicker leaving behind a lingering cold.
Mira gave a small hum, not pressing further. She slipped a small satchel of dried herbs into Aeris's hand. "For your tea later. You'll need your strength."
His fingers brushed hers, and he nodded, tucking the satchel into his robes. "Thank you."
Evin approached from the treeline, boots damp with dew, sword sheathed across his back. His sharp green eyes swept the camp with soldier's precision before resting on Aeris. "Tracks along the ridge. Blight creatures, but only scouts."
The ember inside Aeris stirred with unease. "They're testing the borders."
"Which means the heart is aware of us," Evin replied, crossing his arms. His expression softened minutely as he glanced at Liora, who was beginning to wake. "We'll keep her safe."
The girl rubbed her eyes, silver bell jingling faintly as she sat up, blinking at the misty dawn. "I heard them last night," she said softly, pulling her red cloak around her shoulders. "They were whispering. Cold voices. They wanted to taste the light."
Mira crouched beside her, brushing Liora's hair back gently. "That's why we're here, little star. We'll keep the light safe."
Liora's storm-grey eyes lifted to Aeris. "You're still glowing," she said, tilting her head. "Even when you're tired."
Aeris managed a small, warm smile, though it did not reach the heaviness in his bones. "That's what lights do, Liora. They glow, even when it's hard."
They packed the camp in silence, the mist curling around their ankles as they prepared to move. Before they left, Aeris knelt and placed a small ember upon a smooth river stone, leaving it among the ashes of the last campfire.
"A mark," he whispered, "so we remember we were here."
The forest grew denser as they traveled, shifting from ash-black trunks to towering pines with pale, whispering needles that sang in the cold wind. Light filtered in silver threads through the high canopy, weaving patterns across the mossy ground as the mist thinned under the rising sun.
Birdsong returned in cautious trills, though the air was heavy, each step carrying the weight of the Blight pressing from deeper within.
As they paused by a small brook to refill water skins, Mira's reflection flickered in the rippling water—briefly replaced by the ghostly image of twisted trees and dark flame before the brook settled again.
She shivered. "It's closer now."
Aeris crouched beside her, cupping water in his palms and letting it slip through his fingers. "I can feel it too. Like the ember inside me is being pulled forward."
Liora sat on a mossy log, humming softly as she sorted through the feathers, stones, and herbs in her satchel. Her bell chimed occasionally, ringing against the cold hush of the forest. "They're watching us," she said, not looking up. "But they're scared, too."
Evin glanced at her sharply. "Scared?"
The child nodded, eyes distant. "Of you," she said softly, glancing at Aeris, "and the light you carry."
Aeris looked down at his hands, watching a faint orange glow dance across his skin before fading. "They should be."
That evening, they found refuge in a grove where the Blight had yet to touch. The trees here were alive with a quiet vibrance, leaves still bright green beneath the dusky sky. Fireflies blinked between the branches like tiny lanterns, and Liora tried to catch them, laughter bubbling softly despite the weariness of the day.
Mira laid out her herbs, crushing a few into a steaming pot of water. "Tonight, you will all drink," she said firmly. "It will strengthen your dreams."
Evin raised an eyebrow. "Or give us nightmares."
Mira's lips curved. "Sometimes nightmares teach us how to fight."
Aeris sipped the bitter brew, letting the warmth spread through his chest. It soothed the ember's restless flickering, just enough to ease the tension in his shoulders.
Liora curled up beside him, her small hand resting lightly on Aeris's arm. "If you get scared in your dreams," she whispered, "I'll be there."
Aeris closed his eyes briefly, letting the softness of the moment press against the quiet ache within. "Thank you, little light."
That night, the ember's glow inside Aeris pulsed in rhythm with the crackling of their campfire. Dreams came—not of consuming flames, but of a forest lit by countless tiny embers, each flickering softly in the dark. Liora's laughter echoed, Mira's soft singing wove through the trees, and Evin's steady presence stood guard at the edges of the flame.
In the dream, Aeris reached out, touching an ember as it floated past, its warmth threading into his fingers, reminding him that even fading light could guide the lost home.
He awoke before dawn, breath misting in the cold. The ember's warmth was weaker, but it was still there, and so was he.
Today, they would move deeper toward the heart of the Blight.
Toward the place where the forest burned with cold fire, and the whispers of the dead called from beneath ash and silver leaves.
Toward the place where Aeris would need every last ember of his light to protect what remained.
And as dawn broke, Aeris rose quietly, leaving one last small ember on a stone by the campfire, a promise whispered to the forest:
"We are still here."