Bairan watched in silence as the Void Summons disappeared into the Limitless Void, carrying Northern into the dark sanctuary beyond.
Only when the last flicker of their presence vanished did he turn, his garb fluttering with a slow finality as he approached the humans gathered on the roof.
He stopped before them—silent, still—and swept his gaze across the crowd.
A cold, furtive glance.
But under those heavy, glacial-blue eyes, every one of them stiffened. Gulped. Swallowed hard. No one dared to speak.
Then Bairan's gaze shifted to Paragon Raizel.
"It's a good thing I was there while the planning was going on."
He said, voice flat, devoid of warmth.
"We'll leave for... what's that place again?"
Raizel replied.
"Fhugal."
"Yes. Fhugal."
A brief pause. Then Bairan continued, without looking at anyone else.
"How many of us are flying all the way there?"
Paragon Raizel glanced around, then offered a shrug with a dry chuckle.
"As far as I know… only I can fly here. Well—aside from you, apparently."
Bairan responded with a nonchalant nod.
"It's tricky, but yes… I can."
He paused again. This time, his gaze dropped, honing in on Raizel's severed arm.
"What are you going to do about your hand?"
Raizel looked down at the limp limb he held in his other arm. He shrugged, attempting casualness but unable to mask the twinge of pain.
"I don't know yet. Maybe later, I'll meet the healer."
There was a long silence.
Then Bairan said, his voice flat, devoid of emotion.
"Bring it."
Raizel blinked, unsure he'd heard correctly.
"My hand?"
"Yes."
The Sword King's tone allowed no room for argument.
Raizel hesitated. But after a second, he raised the severed hand slightly and stepped forward, offering it to Bairan.
What harm could come from following his strange command?
Bairan took the hand with one arm, and with the other, he extended two fingers. Blue light gathered at the tips. With slow, precise movements, he carved glowing runes across the palm and wrist—each stroke delicate yet etched with purpose.
He handed it back.
"Attach it."
Raizel stared at the glowing hand, confused. But something—perhaps instinct or simply exhaustion—made him comply. He pressed the hand to his severed shoulder, unsure what to expect.
The moment flesh touched flesh, the runes lit up, coursing along the break like a rushing stream. Blue light surged across the seam, searing the edges back together.
The hand merged into his arm, muscle and skin reknitting as the glow faded. Sparks erupted briefly, birthing new armor that covered the severed hand.
Raizel stood motionless.
Then, slowly, he flexed his fingers. Opened and closed his hand.
It felt real.
Whole.
He stared at Bairan, mouth slightly ajar, as disbelief settled in.
"What… what did you do?"
Bairan answered, still not looking at him.
"Veil of Remembrance. I can inscribe upon a thing to remember its true essence. It's how I'm able to fly."
"So it's one of your abilities?"
Bairan nodded.
He turned again, staring out toward the sky, his face unreadable. The cold light in his eyes mirrored the stillness of winter, pale and distant.
"When are we leaving?"
Paragon Raizel flexed his fingers again—open, close, open, close. The sensation was still surreal. The hand felt real.
He glanced at the sky.
It had changed.
The radiant daystar was rising on the horizon where the sea kissed the sky. Its amber light spilled upward, casting a fiery hue across the clouds like the silhouette of a distant flame smoldering at the edge of the world.
"We should move now. The sooner, the better."
Bairan turned his eyes to Jeci and Lynus—the only two, aside from the summons following Ascendant Zion and the Drifters to Verulania, who hadn't entered the Limitless Void.
He spoke without a hint of sentiment.
"Since it's the Master's wish that both of you live more like actual humans… you'll travel with them to Verulania. You can rendezvous with the Master's clone there."
Lynus gave a silent nod.
Jeci opened her mouth to object… then stopped. Her lips froze on the edge of protest, but the words never left her. She lowered her eyes.
Then bowed slightly, her voice quieter than usual, but firm.
"Please... take care of Master."
Without another word, she stepped back beside Lynus.
Bairan turned back to Raizel, his eyes sharp and wordless, but clear in their meaning.
It was time.
Paragon Raizel crouched down, planted both hands on the rooftop, and grinned like a man reborn.
"Feels good to have two hands again!"
He launched off the ground. The force split the roof beneath him, webbed cracks spidering outward as shattered slates scattered into the air.
But Bairan—
Bairan didn't jump.
He rose.
And with him came something unexpected.
A radiant white light engulfed him as he ascended—brilliant, blinding. The light bled into shape, distorting his form until only a silhouette remained.
A bird.
No—something more.
As the light dimmed, great white wings unfurled, glimmering with the purity of untouched snow. He flapped once, and the wind cracked.
He took flight.
Jeci blinked, momentarily stunned.
"Did you know he could turn into a big bird?"
Lynus frowned, clicking his tongue.
"He's the most mysterious of all. No one knows shit about him... other than the fact he's good with a sword."
They turned to Ascendant Zion, who stood watching the sky, eyes distant.
He exhaled slowly, voice calm but certain.
"Alright… let's be on our way too."
Before them, the massive rift to the Illusionary Haven—the one that had loomed in front of the city hall—slowly zipped shut. The wound in space folded in on itself and vanished like it had never been there.
High above, Paragon Raizel was stunned to find a massive white bird flying beside him. Its feathers were pristine, as though carved from snow. Its talons looked sharp enough to tear through stone, its beak curved and predatory, and its eyes—cold and blue—pierced the air with silent authority.
"A bird…" Raizel muttered. "I definitely wasn't expecting that one…"
He grinned, then burst forward with a booming shockwave, racing ahead in a torrent of force and wind.