Chapter 26: The Aftermath

The battlefield was quiet now, save for the dying embers and the hollow, unsettled wind. Asher’s unconscious body lay at their feet, the fight having been won, but victory felt hollow. Ozzairy’s absence weighed heavily in the silence that followed.

Elyse sheathed her sword with a sharp motion, her eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of him. “It’s over,” she said, though her voice lacked conviction.

Elendor stood motionless, his expression clouded. “No, it isn’t.” His gaze flicked over the landscape, his mind trying to process the new reality. “Not without him.”

Oriana stood apart from them, her breath shallow and uneven. She had known it was coming, had felt it in the pit of her stomach, but now, standing here in the aftermath, it was like her heart had been ripped from her chest. Ozzairy was gone. And it felt like more than just a betrayal—it was the kind of loss that tore at the very fabric of who she was.

He chose them over us. Over me.

Her hands clenched at her sides, trembling slightly. The fury bubbling up in her chest was unfamiliar, too hot, too sharp, like a fire she couldn’t douse. Her voice broke when she finally spoke. “He left us.” The words felt like an accusation, like a wound reopened.

Elyse glanced at her; brows furrowed with concern. “Oriana…”

“He left us,” Oriana repeated, her voice rising, eyes wild with pain. Her gaze snapped to Asher, who still lay, barely conscious, his breath shallow. This is his fault. Simon’s fault. But Ozzairy...

The anger built in her chest like a storm, choking her words. She stepped towards Asher, her hands shaking with something that bordered on violence.

“He is the reason Oz is gone,” she hissed, eyes narrowing. “And I want him to pay for it.”

Elendor instinctively stepped forward, his voice quiet but firm. “Oriana, don’t.” He took a careful step toward her, hands raised in a calming gesture. “We’re not like them. We don’t take revenge.”

“He betrayed us!” Oriana spat, her voice cracking with emotion. “My brother.... He walked away from everything... and it’s because of him. I don’t care about some moral high ground right now. I want him to suffer like we have.”

Elyse moved between them, her own voice calm but full of quiet strength. “I know you’re hurting, Oriana. We all are.” She looked at Asher with cold resolve. “But vengeance won’t bring him back. It’ll only drag you deeper into the darkness. Is that what you want?”

The words hit Oriana like a cold slap, and she froze, her breath catching in her throat. She looked at the man who had caused so much pain, her fists still clenched. The temptation to lash out—to make him feel the same rage that burned in her chest—was strong. But Elyse’s steady, unwavering gaze held her in place, and the rawness of her grief was replaced by a dawning realization.

“We’ll deal with him,” Elyse said softly, but firmly. “But we do it right. Not like them.”

For a long moment, Oriana didn’t move, her chest heaving with anger and sorrow. She wanted to argue, wanted to strike out, but in that silence, she understood. Balance. She wasn’t going to be like Asher. Not like Simon. Not like Ozzairy had chosen to be.

Finally, she exhaled, her hands loosening. Her gaze fell to Asher, the anger simmering just beneath the surface, but now tempered by something else—a painful, reluctant understanding.

“We’ll deal with him,” Oriana murmured, her voice thick with unshed tears. “But I’m not forgetting. Not ever.”