[Scene: Quinster Shores – Night of Whisper's Light Arrival]
The sky was black velvet, moon barely a sliver, as Seth Gohan's battered fishing boat slowed to a halt just outside the rocky inlet near Quinster's outer coast.
The air smelled of moss and old tides.
Waves whispered against the hull.
The capital's lights shimmered faintly in the distance—still unaware of the storm approaching.
Whisper's Light gathered.
Then Seth, seated near the rudder, finally broke the silence.
Seth Gohan:
"What will you do now?"
Master Madhav, eyes forward.
Madhav (calmly):
"Well… we go in."
"To the capital."
"Storm the Mossveil Guild."
"Get rid of the leader."
Simple words.
Spoken like a rising tide.
Seth blinked hard, caught off-guard.
Seth:
"Isn't that kind of a… rushed plan?"
Before Madhav could answer—
Solis, already checking his blades, shrugged casually.
Solis:
"Taking them out won't be that hard."
He wasn't boasting. Just stating a fact.
But Eron, always the reader of air and soul, turned to Seth.
He noticed something.
The old man's jaw was set… but not from courage.
From restraint.
Eron (gently):
"Do you want to say something, old man?"
Seth flinched, caught.
His eyes darted away.
Seth (too quickly):
"No… No, I… I believe in you all."
"You can do it."
The tone cracked.
Too tight. Too rehearsed.
Eron stepped closer and wrapped a steady hand around his shoulder.
A small gesture.
A massive invitation.
Eron (soft):
"Say it already."
Seth looked down. A long silence.
Then, at last—he exhaled.
A man burying guilt. Digging it up again.
Seth Gohan:
"My son… was part of a group called the Quinster Liberation Army."
"They were planning a revolution. From the inside."
"They've been building—quietly, carefully, beneath Mossveil's nose."
He looked at them all now.
No fear. Just worry. Just ache.
Seth (continued):
"They might still be alive. Fighting. Hiding."
"And if you storm the guild without reaching out to them first…"
"You risk burying their sacrifice under your good intentions."
No one spoke.
Even Ashen was still now.
Even Kael, who never stopped moving, just listened.
Then Master Madhav finally nodded.
Like a general adjusting his course—not from doubt, but wisdom.
Madhav:
"I get it."
"You're saying… this isn't just our war."
"If we erase the enemy without ever speaking to those still resisting, we're just rewriting their history with our pen."
Seth didn't speak.
Just nodded. Once.
Slow. Grateful.
Madhav turned to the others.
Madhav:
"So. Where's the base of this secret group?"
Seth looked up again.
Seth:
"In the capital."
"Hidden under the ruins of the old bell tower."
Katrina, cracked her neck.
Katrina (casual):
"Well… if we're heading to the capital anyway…"
"…meeting them first won't be a hassle."
Rhask (from behind, chewing):
"Might even save us a fight or two."
Ashen gave a small smirk.
Ashen:
"Sounds like we just gained an army."
Master Madhav raised a hand.
Madhav:
"Then it's decided."
He turned to the dark path leading inland.
The air was cold.
But something in the distance burned.
Madhav (firmly):
"We meet the Liberation Army first. If they're alive, they deserve this choice."
Eron:
"And if they're dead?"
A pause.
The wind caught the edge of Madhav's robe.
Madhav (quiet):
"Then we fight for the ones they died trying to save."
Seth Gohan looked down at the wooden planks of his boat—his old companion, his sanctuary—and then back at the faces of Whisper's Light.
His eyes were misting.
But it wasn't grief this time.
It was relief.
Respect.
Release.
Seth (softly):
"…I'll guide you to the base."
Master Madhav gave a small nod of approval, hands folding behind his back.
Madhav (firmly):
"So what are we waiting for?"
"Let's go to the capital."
Seth straightened.
Seth:
"It'll take us two days."
A pause.
Then—
Arjun (incredulous):
"Two days?"
"The capital's right there."
"Won't take more than an hour's walk."
Seth hesitated.
A single drop of sweat slid down his temple.
Seth (quietly):
"That's the main gate."