I ran.
Faster than I had ever run before.
Ananya's unconscious body rested securely on my back.
Rajiv was cradled tightly in my arms.
One hand covered his mouth.
Not because I wanted to silence him...
But because every cry that escaped his lips felt like a knife carving through my heart.
"Father!"
"Mmm!"
"Father!"
His small body struggled desperately against my grip.
He wanted to go back.
He wanted to run toward the man he loved most.
Toward the father who was giving his life behind us.
And if I loosened my hold for even a single heartbeat...
He would.
So I kept running.
Ignoring his tears.
Ignoring his desperate struggles.
Ignoring the part of me that wanted nothing more than to turn around.
Because this...
...was Varinder's final order.
And for the first time in twenty years...
I hated him for giving it.
Hours passed.
The darkness swallowed everything around us.
The forest became a blur.
Branches lashed against my face.
Blood dripped from countless shallow wounds.
I never slowed.
Several times, my senses caught movement behind us.
Bandits.
Raka's hounds.
They had been ordered to ensure that no one escaped Vera alive.
Unfortunately for them...
I was no longer capable of mercy.
The first group died before they realized they had found us.
The second managed to draw their weapons.
The third begged for mercy.
I granted none.
Every swing of my blade was fueled by grief.
Every drop of blood reminded me of the people I had failed to protect.
When the last body hit the ground...
I simply kept running.
Nearly five hours later...
I finally stopped.
Rajiv had cried himself to sleep.
Even now, dried tears stained his face.
His tiny hands still clutched the strange white egg against his chest.
As though it were the last piece of his father he refused to let go.
Ananya remained unconscious.
Thankfully.
Because I had no idea how I was supposed to explain any of this to her.
For several long moments...
I simply listened.
The wind.
The insects.
The distant cries of beasts.
No footsteps.
No pursuit.
Only then did I finally allow myself to breathe.
Slowly...
I turned around.
Toward the horizon.
Toward home.
And my heart stopped.
The night sky burned crimson.
A sea of flames stretched across the distant mountains.
Vera...
...was burning.
Even from this distance, I could still make out the silhouette of the central hall.
Only hours ago...
It had been filled with laughter.
Children.
Music.
Family.
Now...
It was being consumed by fire.
The settlement we had spent twenty years building.
The place where we laughed.
The place where we fought.
The place where we dreamed.
Our home.
It was disappearing before my eyes.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
"You stubborn old fool..."
My voice trembled.
"You actually did it."
Varinder had always carried everything himself.
The tribe.
The people.
The responsibility.
The burden.
And even now...
At the very end...
He was still carrying it alone.
My fists clenched until my nails dug into my palms.
For the first time in years...
I felt completely powerless.
I couldn't save Vera.
I couldn't save Devika.
I couldn't save Varinder.
I couldn't save any of them.
The only thing I could do...
...was run.
The flames continued to devour the night.
And for the first time since leaving Vera...
I cried.
Not because I was weak.
Not because I was afraid.
But because I finally understood.
When the sun rose...
Vera would no longer exist.
And neither would the man who had created it.
A small tug pulled at my sleeve.
I looked down.
Rajiv had woken up.
His swollen eyes slowly drifted toward the burning horizon.
The white egg remained tightly pressed against his chest.
For several seconds...
He simply stared.
Then, in a trembling voice, he asked the one question I had prayed he never would.
"Uncle Vicky..."
He hesitated.
"Is Father..."
"...still fighting?"
My throat tightened.
I looked toward the burning horizon.
Toward the place where my closest friend was spending the final moments of his life.
Then I forced myself to smile.
The kind of smile adults wear when they don't want children to see them break.
"Yes."
Rajiv looked up hopefully.
I nodded again.
"Yes."
"Your father is still fighting."
A painful smile crossed my lips.
"That old man..."
"He's always been fighting."
"He fought stronger tribes."
"He fought powerful beasts."
"He even fought fate itself."
My voice softened.
"And even now..."
"...he's still fighting."
In my heart, I silently finished the sentence.
Until his final breath.
Rajiv hugged the egg tighter.
Slowly...
He nodded.
For a brief moment...
Neither of us spoke.
Then...
My expression hardened.
I felt them.
Several presences.
Fast.
Closing in.
Bandits.
Raka still wasn't finished.
Without hesitation, I lifted Rajiv into my arms.
Adjusted Ananya on my back.
"Hold on tight."
Rajiv blinked.
"Uncle Vicky?"
"We're leaving."
The next instant...
The forest blurred once again.
Hours became days.
We barely rested.
Every shadow looked like an enemy.
Every broken branch made my hand tighten around my sword.
Every sound forced me to stop and listen.
Sleep became a luxury I couldn't afford.
Only after several days...
Did our destination finally appear.
Massive stone walls.
Ancient watchtowers.
Countless banners fluttering in the wind.
The Varien Tribe.
I slowed to a halt.
For several moments...
I simply stared.
Twenty years ago...
A young man had walked away from these very gates.
Not because he hated his family.
Not because he sought glory.
But because he willingly abandoned his birthright.
He gave up the position of heir...
So his younger brother could lead.
That was the kind of man Varinder had always been.
He walked away from power...
And built a kingdom of his own with nothing but conviction.
And now...
I had returned without him.
A bitter smile appeared on my face.
Throughout those twenty years...
I had secretly maintained contact with Lord Varien.
Varinder never knew.
Or perhaps...
He simply pretended not to.
Every few months...
I would send a short letter.
Nothing detailed.
Just enough.
Enough for an old father to know his son was alive.
Enough for him to know that Varinder was safe.
Enough for him to know he had grandchildren.
I had imagined this reunion countless times.
An old father embracing his son.
A grandfather meeting Rajiv.
Meeting Ananya.
Laughter.
Arguments.
Tears of joy.
Not this.
Never this.
My grip tightened around Rajiv.
How...
How was I supposed to tell him?
How was I supposed to stand before an old father...
And say...
Your son is dead.
Those four words felt heavier than any mountain.
For the first time since leaving Vera...
Fear entered my heart.
Not fear of battle.
Not fear of death.
But fear of destroying a father with a single sentence.
Ahead, the guards had already noticed us.
Several warriors began approaching.
Rajiv shifted weakly in my arms.
Ananya remained unconscious.
And I...
I suddenly felt older than I ever had before.
Slowly...
I took a deep breath.
Then another.
No matter how painful this was.
No matter how desperately I wanted to delay it.
I had made a promise.
And in twenty years...
I had never broken a promise to that stubborn old fool.
My eyes lifted toward the rising sun.
A new day had begun.
Yet all I could think about...
...was the man who would never see it.
"Let's go, old friend."
My voice was barely a whisper.
Carrying the two children he had entrusted to me...
I took my first step toward the gates of the Varien Tribe.
Toward a promise.
Toward a farewell.
And toward the hardest conversation of my life.