It was starting to hit the early hours of the morning and the sun was still tucked behind the frozen Salvic earth. Only a dull glow of navy blue behind a thin blanket of clouds gave Shinsou any clue as to the time as he meandered on the road from Knife’s Edge back towards his destination; the White Chasm.

The library was several miles behind him, but memories of Amari stayed with him. Something terrible had happened in his absence to that poor girl, something which had turned her against him in the most oppressive way. The first time Shinsou had witnessed her accuse him with those cold, corrupted eyes was the toughest, no doubt about it. The Telgradian had felt her gaze turn him naked as the day he was born, made his skin crawl from the words of painful untruth she spoke, and when she inferred he had simply been falsifying his feelings for her and those final, harsh words slammed home...

That's when Shinsou Vaan Osiris knew it was for real. His heart blown away in the blink of an eye and nothing left but all the time in the world to think about it. The truth was that the Telgradian loved Amari. Ever since the day he had saved her from the brutal slaver ring in the northern wastes, he had not stopped thinking or caring about her. She was omnipresent; like an aura, always in his being. Osiris couldn’t articulate anything he felt at the time; not that he was given the chance to before the red-headed noble had stormed out, but now he felt his stomach churn and his chest flutter in the most sickening way. How could he explain to her that he had saved her life by leaving? How could he tell her that the very people he had entrusted her to had risen up to betray him, using her as a pawn in an intricate plot to undermine the Telgradian?

She would never believe me now. It’s done. Everything is as good as fucked.

His mind in overdrive, the Telgradian found a fir and sat with his back pressed against the rough bark, the fabric of his greatcoat managing to soften the pressing. His legs were folded loosely before him, and his hands rested atop Shira’s cool, marine blue blade across his lap. Shinsou tried to thrust away the chilling memories and nagging guilt.

No. What the fuck am I doing? I should go back to Knife’s Edge and set the record straight.

”You want to return to Knife’s Edge, young champion?”

Shinsou started at the sudden interruption, before turning to face the direction of the voice. It unmistakeably belonged to the Thayne Am’aleh, the goddess of the sea, who had appeared as if in response to a silent call for help. Her beauty radiated with a soft, pulsing glow across the snow fields, and with a tender hand she stroked the Telgradian’s chin.

“Champion? First I’ve heard of it,” Shinsou reproofed, “…but, yes. If it is within your powers to do so, my goddess, I want to go back.”

The beautiful deity smiled, waving a hand over her elegant gown of light. “You fought to free my disciples from the slavers, and are as much my champion as I am your goddess. Now, it is time to free one more, but from fear and doubt. I’ll hear no more protests – your heart is clear, even if your mind is not. Be on your way, Telgradian. I’ll watch over you.”

The goddess called Am’aleh saw it fit to lift him up across miles of rolling tundra to deliver him back before the library in the outskirts of Knife’s Edge.

Silent, Shinsou rose to his feet and blinked. Drawing in a deep breath, he realized at once where he was. Vaeron had previously told him the name of the tavern Amari was staying at for the night; one that was only a short walk away from the town’s centre. He thought once more about the situation and tried to simulate her reactions to various forms of apology and explanation. Not only did he have to find a way to explain the reasoning behind his disappearance, Shinsou also needed to explain what Samson had done. His mind wandered briefly to the young man that had been charged with Amari’s care; the one who eventually turned against the Brotherhood and annexed the northern camp. He would pay for his treachery soon enough, along with any collaborators that had become embroiled in this uprising. But that was for another day.

The Salvic air, colder than before, stung at his flesh as the wind picked up with sudden ferocity, its gentle playfulness from the day forgotten.

As Shinsou swung the door of the Silver Cup tavern open, he felt a connection that shot to the very root of his soul. Amari was still here, doubtless. The Telgradian could feel the light in her soul shrunken and withered. It was as if…

All hope has gone…

"What can I do for you?" The voice jarred the Telgradian back to life. The innkeeper at the bar, to which Shinsou had made his way without even realizing, said nothing more but glared coldly at him. Osiris turned his face to the stairs and nodded upwards. His answer came in the form of a whisper as he shut his eyes and grasped his head in his hands.

“I want to see Amari.”