Curious...

For how long have I been awake?

My last remembrance... the Exodus... Majestic... how much time has passed since then?

No thoughts or sensations stirred my lost spirit for what seemed an eternity, yet now, whimsically, I am.

Is it to spite me? Does the void revel in my defeat? Hm... it's presumptuous to go so far. Whether its driven by preference or by chance, no amount of thought will bring its intentions to light.

Nevertheless, now that I have become aware of my renewed being, I mustn't overlook the obvious...

Was I not meant to drift to obscurity? Are you not yet finished with me, Exodus?

Gradually, the dark veil of the void raised from Dorusc's spirit. The light of something beyond the Exodus' interior radiated from a small aperture in the stillness.

What's this? A window?

Cautiously, The Aloof One peered through.

The glare gave way to the light oranges of dawn. Streaks of cirrus splashed with the soft colors painted the dark blue sky. Some distance away, voices could be heard.

"...And look where we are now. If we hadn't listened to her, they would be standing here now!"

"How could she have known... no, how could we know that 'thing' would show up?"

"Brainless imbecile! If the path was this treacherous, she shouldn't have chosen it!"

"The hell do you mean? Failliva has traveled through Navir for decades, it's practically her second home! She said it was safe this time of year, so the only reasonable decision was to follow her advice!"

"Why do you insist on defending that silly vixen! Or maybe your nether regions are guiding your commonsense these days?"

"That's beside the point. She couldn't have known! And while we're at it, who was the 'wise sage' who suggested we take that charlatan along?"

Whose voices are those? They don't belong to Majestic, nor to any of the deities of the Circle.

A voice came from deep within Dorusc, "Nix... is that you?" It said with a lethargic groan.

This voice, it isn't mine...

The argument abruptly stopped.

"Master Delark!"

"By the gods, you're alive then! We thought you'd left us to dance with mistress death!"

"Yorn?"

What is this?

"Milina... where is she?"

Who are they?

"Master Delark, take it easy, you only just came to!"

"Where is Milina? I saw her before... in the carriage..."

Are they... mortals?

"Let me go, I must see her!"

"You bellow louder than a fire dragon, you fool! We barely managed to escape! Do you wish to call hellfire down upon us again?!"

This body... it's not my own?

"Unhand me, you bastards! Where is she... I must see her!"

"She's gone, you crazed fool! Can't you understand!"

Hm? This feeling... why do I feel... anxious?

Slowly, a soft fog glazed over the window. Dorusc attempted to wipe it away, but every time he did, it crept over its surface to replace what was lost.

"Lies... I want to see... for myself..."

"You won't feel any better for it, Master Delark. Just let it be."

"No. perhaps it's better to let him."

"Yorn..!"

"The lad will lose his mind if he's denied any longer. It's... on our heads now, whatever becomes of him..."

Their grips loosened. Dorusc could feel himself lurch forward.

"Milina!"

In a seemingly endless cycle, the window fogged and cleared, hands not belonging to Dorusc rose in a futile attempt to wipe it away. Foliage, charred beyond recognition, rushed past in a disorienting blur. His view came to rest on the burnt wreckage of an overturned carriage. It still smoldered, wisps of smoke rising from the inside where a foul odor mingled.

In two frantic attempts, the owner's body heaved itself onto the carriage's side. Hands reached forth, pulling the ember-riddled door open. The nauseating stench caused him to retch, and the contents of his stomach poured over the carriage's surface.

Dorusc peered into the carriage's interior.

Nghh... what is this pain? It bearing down on me, not unlike the relentless agony of Majestic's lance, yet it cuts deeper.

"Hah...hah..."

"Master Delark, control yourself!"

A hand reached down into the carriage, retrieving a fragment of wood tangled in the frayed, blackened cloth of the seating. Sharp on one end, its point turned about to aim inward toward Dorusc's eyes.

"It's all my fault... you didn't deserve this... not Telsi either. I-if we just stayed, we could've lived our lives till the end..."

"Stop him, Fallon!"

The point of the shard came closer, "Because of my selfishness... because of my failures as a son... is this divine retribution? Do the gods despise me, for what I've done?"

As it disappeared underneath his chin, a hand appeared in Dorusc's peripheral vision and wrenched the wooden shiv away.

"Don't lose yourself, Master Delark!"

Slowly, the view panned toward a heavily built man, who had just clambered onto the wreckage. Skewed to one side, presumably from the heavily bandaged leg he shifted from, armor dangling in places where the straps were burnt through, he tossed aside the wooden shiv.

"Think before you do anything rash! Would they want you to do this?"

"But I... they..."

"Would they!"

The view shifted toward the ground, where large droplets fell, "What do you expect me to do!"

"..."

"T-tell me what happened..."

After several hobbles, the old sage, who clutched at his bandaged arms, finally caught up, and looked up towards the top of the overturned cart, "After you fled, the smaller beasts left in pursuit. I was surprised when the daft ones holding onto me decided that I wasn't worth their time."

Nix nodded, "Mhm. Though that wasn't the most surprising... or maybe it wasn't a surprise, in hindsight."

"Let's not, shall we?" Yorn spat.

"Vijik stole the cart, supplies, and the last Krijikan, and left us behind as soon as that 'thing' appeared. Those are the facts, old man. At least take responsibility for your mistakes."

"Hmph!"

"But as Yorn mentioned, we were able to escape that monster. It was far too large to keep up with us, but..." Nix's voice quivered, "It was terrifying. No question about it, it was the head of those monsters, in more ways than one. If they hadn't left, we wouldn't have lived long enough to see the dawn."

"That greenhorn elf found you in a pile of ashes. It was a wonder you were even alive. We thought you were dead only moments ago!"

The view remained fixed to the ground, the voice Dorusc had heard from before was quite still.

"I'm- we're..."

"Spare your sympathies until after we've left this wretched forest, Nix."

"We... should at least bury them."

"Wha- ahem... I suppose we should."

...

So this was what the Exodus intended for me? To witness human misery?

Laughable. Though I suppose I have no choice in the matter, imprisoned here in the void as I am.

And so, Dorusc observed. He watched the burial of charred remains, indistinguishable from the mother and child they once were. It was a bleak affair, the faces of those in attendance the very eulogy said over the bodies' small hole in the ground; a single hole, as there was barely enough leftover for another. As for their departure from the ruined section of the forest, which amounted to little more than a death march after the loss of the carriage and Krijikan Lizards, it was more of the same. Not a word was spoken between the elderly sage, wounded swordsman, elf, and merchant. Perhaps the adventurers believed it to be an act of kindness, or merely a numbness to grief. Either way, Dorusc's view of the world remained clouded for many days and nights.

The tense silence broke only upon their arrival at the village of Hunt, a week later. The four huddled in its town hall, where the elder, having heard their plight, kindly let them stay until they could arrange for new transportation.

"We've decided to go with you all the way, Master Delark." Nix said. He jumped a little at the touch of a young woman, who tended to his burn wounds.

"Y-you don't have to do that... just leave me here... Yorn, Nix, Falliva, you all risked yourselves for us... for them... you don't need to do anymore..."

"Agh!" Nix roared, as the bandages came off his leg.

"Are you alright sir?"

"Oh, never better, miss. Never better."

"Our healer is out today. I'm sorry you couldn't get to see her, your leg is in dreadful condition."

"Don't fret over it. It'll heal real quick, I'm tough after all!"

Nix turned his attention back to Zane, "We only did our jobs, it's in the description. Facing danger, getting hurt, even butting heads with your mates..." He bowed his head, "But not what happened out there. There was no reason..."

"It's the only thing we can do. We take full responsibility for your loss... as meaningless as that may be to you now. There are no words we can say that can help you, nor is there any spell I can cast to smother your grief. Even so, we'll uphold our promise to take you to Pirsk." Yorn interrupted while following Nix's example.

"..."

A light padding of feet announced the return of Falliva, who had left for sundries for the day. She approached Zane, and kneeled close. Her unwavering, vacant stare locked with his. Her hand reached for his cheek and caressed it gently.

"Live."

Then, without another word, she slumped onto a wall, secluding herself in the far corner of the hall.

"That's the first time that silly girl's said anything this entire trip!" Yorn snorted, "In any case, t's up to you, Delark. As for myself, I need to rest my weary bones. There were days when I could trek the entire world to its very edge, but not anymore..."

The hall fell silent, the only sounds heard were Yorn's muted snores as he slept on a blanket gifted by Hunt's residents.

"He acts the spiteful old man, but he's lost many comrades over the years. I'm sure he understands what you're going through."

"..."

Nix's troubled face shared a moment of mutual sympathy with its recipient, before turning away.

"See you in the morning."