The quiet that followed felt heavier than the fight itself.

Dust drifted slowly through the air, settling over broken stone and twisted metal as the last echoes of battle faded into nothing. Noel lowered Revenant Fang at last, letting the blade's hum die down until it was only cold weight in his hand. His chest rose and fell with measured breaths, the ache in his muscles finally allowed to surface now that the danger had passed.

He turned first, eyes moving instinctively to the others.

"Everyone good?" Noel asked, his voice steady despite the fatigue beneath it.

Elyra answered without words. She met his gaze and lifted her thumb, posture straight, expression sharp as ever.

Elena was seated a short distance away, one knee drawn up, fingers resting loosely against the stone as she caught her breath. Her hair clung slightly to her forehead, sweat and dust mixed together, but her eyes were clear.

"I'm fine," she said after a moment. "A few scratches. Nothing serious."

Laziel leaned heavily on his staff, shoulders slumped now that he no longer had to force himself upright through adrenaline alone. He looked drained, breathing uneven, but there was no blood, no visible injury beyond exhaustion.

"Still alive," he muttered. "Which I'm counting as a win."

Noel nodded, the tension in his shoulders easing just a fraction. None of them were in perfect shape. Elena could patch some of the surface damage if she had to, but real healing would have to wait until Charlotte was with them again. Still, they were standing. That was what mattered.

"Alright," Noel said. "We rest for an hour. Get your breath back. Then we move."

No one argued.

They spread out naturally, finding places among the rubble to sit or lean, letting the stillness sink in. The island felt different now. Lighter, somehow, as if something had been loosened at its core.

Noel remained on his feet a little longer, gaze drifting across the battlefield. Five Ascendant Elite. Not long ago, even facing one would have been unthinkable. Now, his body still hurt, mana still burned beneath his skin, but he had endured. He had adapted. He had won.

While the others rested, Noel didn't sit.

He remained standing at the edge of the ruined street, eyes unfocused, watching dust settle where violence had torn the ground apart only minutes ago. His body was tired, yes, but it wasn't exhaustion that held him still. It was the thought that refused to loosen its grip.

He was close now.

Archmage was not a single peak but a climb with a final step still looming above him. One last threshold before the system stopped calling it growth and started calling it something else.

Manacode.

Noel's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

Noctis' words surfaced uninvited, clear despite the time that had passed. Elarin had reached that level. And when he did, something essential had fractured. Humanity had slipped through his fingers, replaced by certainty. By judgment. By the belief that the world needed to be corrected, purified, whether it wished for it or not.

Marcus had died because of that certainty.

The world had burned because of it.

Noel lowered his gaze to his own hands, flexing his fingers slowly. Power answered him even now, eager and responsive. He wondered, not for the first time, where the line truly was. At what point strength stopped being a tool and started deciding things on its own.

Was Manacode the moment you stopped asking whether you should?

Noctis had stopped Elarin. At a cost so severe it still echoed through the world. His body. His existence. An endless cycle of reincarnations like Noel himself, all born from a single choice made too late and paid for forever.

And Noel was walking the same road.

Closer with every fight.

"Hey."

The quiet voice cut through his thoughts.

Noel blinked and turned just in time to see Elyra looking up at him, her expression sharp but gentle in a way few ever saw. She patted her thigh twice, an invitation that needed no explanation.

He didn't hesitate.

Noel stepped closer and lowered himself, resting his head against her legs. The tension in his shoulders eased almost immediately, as if his body recognized safety before his mind did.

Elyra smiled to herself, fingers moving through his hair with familiar ease. "Just like old times," she said softly.

A faint breath left Noel, something close to a laugh. "Yeah."

They stayed like that for a moment, the world quiet around them.

Then Elyra spoke again, lighter, deliberate in her timing. "So," she said, glancing toward the distant shoreline. "How are you planning to get us from island to island?"

Noel closed his eyes briefly.

Noel kept his eyes closed for a few seconds longer, listening to the distant waves and the quiet breathing around them. When he finally spoke, his voice was calm, but there was hesitation beneath it.

"I have an idea," he said. "I'm not sure it'll work."

Elyra tilted her head slightly, fingers still idly combing through his hair. "That doesn't sound reassuring."

"It isn't," Noel admitted. "But it's the only real option I can see."

Elena, who had been resting nearby, straightened at once. Her ears twitched, attention fully locked on him even before he continued. Laziel hovered a short distance away, arms crossed, watching the exchange with a mixture of curiosity and mild discomfort.

"So?" Elyra prompted. "What's this idea of yours?"

Noel opened his eyes and looked up at her. "I use 'Shadow Step.' Not just on myself. On all of us."

There was a pause.

Elyra blinked. Once. "You want to… what?"

"Move us through shadows," Noel said. "From island to island. One jump. Maybe a few chained together."

Laziel let out a low whistle. "You say that like it's a casual stroll."

"It's not," Noel replied. "But swimming is suicide, and we don't exactly have a ship waiting for us. This is the only path that doesn't involve hoping the ocean decides to be merciful."

Elyra studied him closely, skepticism written clearly across her face. "You're talking about carrying multiple people through a spell that was never meant for that. Across kilometers of open space."

"I know," Noel said. "And I wouldn't even consider it if I didn't think I could handle it now."

"And I don't see many alternatives," Noel added. "Unless Elena can somehow grow a root bridge across kilometers of open sea."

There was a brief pause.

Elena's shoulders dropped slightly. Her ears tilted back as she shook her head. "I can't," she said quietly. "Not something like that. Not over water, and not that far."

The words came out heavier than she intended.

Noel immediately shook his head. "Hey. I wasn't expecting you to. I was just thinking out loud." He reached out and squeezed her hand briefly. "We'll get there. One way or another."

Laziel cleared his throat loudly. "Just saying," he muttered, "some of us are standing over here watching this like third wheels. A little consideration for the single members of the group would be appreciated."

Noel snorted. "You'll survive."

He shifted upright and pulled the device from his pouch. "Theo," he said, activating it. "Who's on the northern island?"

There was a brief pause before the familiar voice answered. "Two girls," Theo said. "One of them has short blue hair."

Noel's eyes sharpened. "Yeah. That's Selene."

That settled it.

Some time later, the group stood at the shoreline, the ruined island stretching behind them and open water ahead. The rest was over. The next step waited.

Noel moved to the front, shadows lengthening at his feet, stretching forward as if answering his intent.

"Alright," he said quietly. "Let's try something new."

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