The flames in the underground jail didn't spread. They didn't shrink either. They hovered—steady, obedient—like they were waiting on Vin's next breath.

For a long while, no one spoke.

The Warden finally broke the silence, murmuring something to the two resurrected guards. Then he faced Vin and tapped his own temple.

Vin ignored him.

The man repeated it, firmer this time, but Vin turned his face away.

He understood the gesture—they wanted to speak mentally. He just didn't want to. Not when he'd just died... again.

Not after stabbing a man to death. And what's worse, he didn't feel anything about becoming a murderer, not a morsel of shame. This fact disturbed him more than the act itself.

The two guards crouched beside him too—faces tight with urgency.

Vin curled up tighter, but there was no blocking the quiet, trembling flare of their thoughts.

They wouldn't just go away on their own.

He reluctantly let them into his mind—each new presence that joined felt like a jab to his brain. One that hurt so much that he grasped his head.

"What do you want…" he sent.

A voice, calm and older, answered first.

"Child of the dark god."

Vin uncovered his eyes and glared.

The Warden, steadier than before, dipped his head.

"I am Hughton, an Expert rank Adventurer. From now on, I will be ensuring your safety."

The two younger Ravenours followed.

The tall one with dark, slick hair was named Gideon.

The light-haired one who fidgeted constantly was Tristen.

Vin hesitated, then gave them his own name.

"You mentioned 'dark god.' What do you know about me?"

Hughton sat across from him, folding his legs.

He began a story—one passed through Ravenour generations.

A story older than any living person. One about Vulcorath, the planet their people came from.

Thousands of years ago, way before assimilation, Ravenours had spent centuries at war with dragons, creatures many times their size. It's because of the constant bloodshed that myth says the sky became dyed crimson.

Their only solace had been a red Phoenix, god of rebirth and endurance.

Until desperation and a threat of extinction pushed them into a taboo.

They ate dragon flesh.

And their god abandoned them.

In the void that followed, a second deity arose—one of night, ash, and unending death.

It granted its power to a single Ravenour warrior.

A champion who could not die.

The Eternal Flame.

That warrior ended the dragons… until the strongest beast swallowed him whole and carried him into space, never to return.

Vin leaned forward, rubbing his face.

"So that thing wasn't always part of your beliefs?"

"Correct," Hughton said, touching the purple badge on his chest.

"It is said only the red Phoenix existed then."

Gideon added quietly, "Our ancestors did what they did to survive, and they were forsaken. It's lunacy that so many groups have rekindled a faith to the red when it was the dark phoenix that saved our kind."

Tristen rocked impatiently. "Probably just in it for the benefits."

"What benefits?" Vin asked. He was told that Ravenours devoted to the order of the Scarlet Flame recovered faster every dawn of a new day.

Meanwhile, its counterpart, the order of the Violet Flame, sent prayers to their god for safety from the night. That was how they were able to handle the phoenix's fire and ward away monsters.

Vin caught the gist.

Two faiths from religions thousands of years old. Internal and external conflict.

Hughton also explained that Ravenours were the first race to be assimilated, and the native Elves quickly became their new mortal enemy.

This was all intriguing, but not his problem. Vin told them that he needed to get to the human settlement fast.

The three hesitated before answering.

When they did, it was only bad news.

That world had indeed been the mass accumulation of several planets. It would take over a year to travel to the human settlement. In truth, no race bothered to walk. Instead, there were mages who operated magic teleportation circles. The issue was that those individuals wouldn't help him escape without the King's permission.

Hughton eventually stood. "It won't be right away. But I will ensure you make it home."

"In the meantime, I need to inform the leaders of what happened tonight. Stay here. And… if you can—put out the flames."

'How long do I need to wait...' Vin thought. Though as impatient as he was, he knew walking through that forest alone would be suicide.

Vin stared into the fire, speculating about what kind of atrocities had been taking place at the settlement.

He had to do what these people said if he wanted to get there as fast as possible.

First, he had to stop that blaze.