The days passed too quickly within the fortress. With the threat of the Taotie beasts momentarily repelled and the fortress walls now bearing new scars, peace returned like a fleeting wind. Yet amidst the lingering tension, an even heavier silence clung between two figures who stood beneath the blood-red twilight.
Travis stood atop the battlement of the eastern tower, overlooking the jagged cliffs that stretched into the Verdant Horizon. His cloak fluttered in the breeze, his dark eyes thoughtful and reluctant. Beside him stood Princess Zerina, her golden armor traded for a flowing crimson robe, her long braid undone and cascading like a river of obsidian.
Neither had spoken for a long while.
The sky bled with hues of dying fire, and Zerina's lips parted at last. "You're really leaving…"
Travis exhaled softly. "The palace tournament is in seven days. I can't delay anymore. My absence from the academy is already raising suspicion."
