Ryn didn't slow until the camp came back into view.

Snow crunched hard beneath his boots as he broke back into the crowd, with Amelia close behind.

The camp was dead silent. Not a single word—but their faces said it all.

Unease.

Mira had returned from Central.

She stood near the central fire, posture straight, ears low, with a sealed letter held between her two fingers. She held it with almost reverence, like it mattered more than her own life.

The moment Ryn arrived, she handed it to him and stepped back, eyes locked onto his.

Ryn already knew what this was.

He opened the letter. Skimming through the contents—mostly flowery words that couldn't be traced as hostile, even if someone closely examined every single letter.

Yet, the message was clear.

Come to the Church of Rokhan, or we'll slaughter your tribe.

Ryn folded the letter once and threw it into the campfire, paper slowly curling as the fire incinerated every part of its being.

He turned his head.

Jay was already looking at him.

Ryn didn't need to ask who'd been waiting for this moment

Jay's hands were stained faintly, his coat sleeves rolled up despite the cold, dark eye bangs hung underneath.

It'd been clear that he was working while everyone else tried to breathe.

"…Are you done?" Ryn asked.

Jay hesitated.

"I isolated it," he said finally. "The component that causes the aggression spike."

Fritz's jaw tightened.

Jay continued, voice steady but careful. "It's not the core of the drug. It's an additive…something meant to push instincts past reason."

Ryn held his gaze. "And what's left?"

Jay swallowed.

"A weaker version," he said. "Slower, less explosive."

His eyes flicked to the faces around the fire.

"However," Jay added, "I didn't have time to dissect every compound."

Silence settled in.

Ryn nodded once.

"…Is it safe?" Amelia asked quietly.

Jay didn't answer right away.

"It's safer," he said.

"Ryn."

The word cut through the chatter.

Fritz stepped forward, fists clenched at his side.

"Please," he said, voice tight. "Rethink this. Not like this."

"We've all gotten stronger," Fritz continued. "You, me, Amelia—everyone."

He gestured toward the camp. "We just proved that. So why are we even entertaining this?"

Ryn met his eyes.

"We go to Central," Fritz said, momentum building now.

"We storm it. We take Kharvos down before he gets to hide behind a summit or throw blame around."

Then Fritz stepped closer, lowering his voice so only Ryn could hear.

"We're not their gods," he said quietly. "We're not their guardians. We don't get to make that choice for them."

Ryn didn't look away.

"That's exactly why I won't decide it for them," he said.

"I won't rule them. I won't corner them into one outcome and call it mercy."

His gaze flicked briefly toward the fire, toward the listening camp.

"I'll give them every option I can," Ryn continued. "They know the risk, the cost…the consequence."

He looked back at Fritz.

"Whatever choice they make after that…has to be theirs."

"Anything else," he finished quietly, "would make me a tyrant."

Fritz pulled back, clearly disgruntled, yet couldn't say more.

Ryn stepped forward.

Conversations quieted, not because he demanded it, but because everyone already felt what was coming.

He took a breath.

"The summit," Ryn said. "At the Church of Rokhan."

He paused, eyes sweeping the crowd.

"It will be a battlefield."

A murmur rippled outward.

"Kharvos won't be there," Ryn continued. "But his forces will be. They'll provoke chaos, then pin everything on us—on Gremory." His jaw tightened.

"If we show up openly, we die. If we don't, they attack you instead."

Ryn swallowed.

"This drug…" He hesitated, just a fraction too long. "It's how the Bloodmanes have risen to be dominant."

"Jay's finished modifying the drug."

Heads lifted as the tension sharpened.

"It's not safe," Ryn said immediately. "But, it's safer than what the Bloodmanes use. That's all I can promise."

His fingers curled at his side. "No one is forced to take it. No one will be pressured. This is a failsafe—for those who choose to fight when Bloodmane moves."

His voice caught.

"…It doesn't make you stronger forever. And it may cost you later."

The words hung heavy.

Ryn forced himself to keep going. "If you decide not to, if you walk away, no one will stop you. That choice is yours. Completely."

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then the Moonlight elder stepped forward.

She didn't raise her voice. She didn't look afraid.

"Captain Ryn," she said gently.

Ryn turned to her.

"For a century," she said, "we've kept our heads down."

A ripple of agreement moved through the crowd.

"Survival was all we believed we were allowed."

She looked at Ryn then.

"Now… for the first time in living memory, we have a chance to fight."

She declared softly.

"On our own terms."

Her hands folded together.

"You didn't force this on us," she said gently. "You told us the truth, and you gave us a choice."

A faint, almost wistful smile crossed her face.

"If this is hope…then we will carry it gladly. Even if it pains us later."

The fire crackled.

Heads bowed and shoulders straightened.

"Then…" Ryn hesitated, just long enough for the weight of it to settle. "…Please consult Jay. He'll give you the details."

That was all it took.

The crowd began to move.

Those who carried fighting spirit in their eyes stepped forward first—men and women who had already made their choice long before tonight. One by one, others followed.

Even those who had lingered in the shadows found themselves drifting toward the light.

As the camp reorganized itself around Jay, the noise rising into low, determined conversation, Ryn felt his party draw closer behind him.

Taylor stopped at his side, arms folding loosely.

"No turning back now, huh?" she said.

Ryn watched the crowd for a moment longer.

"…No," he replied quietly. "There isn't."

"If you're that sure there'll be chaos at the summit," she said, "why not have some of us there anyway?"

Ryn didn't answer immediately.

He stopped, turning to face them all.

"Because the moment any of us show up," he said, "the narrative's decided."

Fritz frowned. "Meaning?"

"Meaning," Ryn continued, "If a single member of Gremory is seen near the summit when things go wrong. Kharvos gets exactly what he wants."

Amelia's expression tightened. "Blame."

"Solid blame," Ryn said.

Silence settled.

"So we stay out," Taylor said slowly.

"We stay invisible," Ryn confirmed. "Hands off. No heroics. No interference."

Fritz exhaled sharply. "And the tribes?"

"That's why the drug exists," Ryn said. He hesitated, then added quietly, "A part of me wants this to be a peace talk."

Everyone nodded solemnly.

"…But we all know it won't be."

He drew a line in the snow with the toe of his boot.

"Kharvos won't be at the summit," Ryn went on. "He doesn't need to be. He'll let the chaos play out and wait for us to take the bait."

"And when we don't?" Amelia asked.

Ryn's eyes hardened.

"He'll come looking," he said. "Not at Rokhan."

"Moonlight," Taylor said quietly.

"Either way, his narrative is simple," Ryn said. "The Gremory Hero Party dies during a chaotic incident tied to tribal negotiations."

Fritz's jaw clenched. "So he just wants to… kill us. No matter what."

"Yeah," Ryn said plainly. "We know too much."

He looked back toward the fire, where Jay was still explaining, hands moving as people listened.

"Silencing us here would be clean," Ryn finished. "And perfect."

He straightened, firmly deciding.

"So we don't wait like a sheep for slaughter. We turn the narrative around."

They all looked at him.

"We strike first," Ryn continued. "Not at the summit. Not at Rokhan. We go to Central."

Amelia frowned. "Central's packed."

"That's exactly why," Ryn replied. "We move the moment Bloodmane's forces commit to the summit."

He drew a short mark through the line he'd carved in the snow.

"When his troops are halfway there," Ryn said, "they're too far to turn back—and too far to respond."

Understanding flickered across their faces.

"If we hit Central then," he continued, "whatever's left behind won't be enough to stop us."

"And the rest?" Fritz asked.

"They won't make it back in time," Ryn said calmly.

Amelia frowned. "And the narrative?"

Ryn glanced at her.

"Doesn't it look strange," she continued, "if Dheam's hero just… dies in Dheam? Won't that raise questions?"

Ryn was quiet for a moment.

Then he exhaled, almost a huff.

"…If you want the version that'll be written down?" he said.

They waited.

"Kharvos," Ryn began flatly, "Dheam's so-called Hero. Exposed as a traitor."

His gaze drifted to the fire, to the people who wouldn't hear this part.

"He overdosed on an aggressive combat stimulant, lost control, and attacked the Gremory Party."

Fritz's expression darkened.

Ryn shrugged once.

"We defended ourselves," he finished. "He didn't survive."

Amelia stared at him. "That's… awful."

"Yeah," Ryn said quietly. "That's the point."

Taylor tilted her head. "And people will believe it?"

"They already want to," Ryn replied. "A hero falling to corruption fits better than the truth."

Taylor studied him for a long moment.

Then she nodded.

"…I can live with that," she said quietly.

Fritz hesitated only a second longer before exhaling through his nose. "If that's the story that keeps the tribes alive," he muttered, "then fine."

No one said anything else.

There was nothing left to debate.

Ryn looked down at the lines he'd drawn in the snow—his plan drawn out in full.

He lifted his foot…and kicked the snow forward.

The lines vanished beneath white.

"Then we move," Ryn said.

"It's time to end this. Once and for all."

Author's Note:

Personally, I think the Hero's Path Arc might shape up to be my most ambitious arc, spanning 100 maybe even to 200 chapters if things go well and response is positive. But, we're still only at the beginning stretch, as Dheam is just one of four other locations Ryn and his party have yet to go to. There will be more danger, more stakes, and maybe some unfortunate things happening. So please stick around and see where this story goes!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.