The streets of Ishkar shimmered under the lantern glow, the golden hues of firelight reflecting off polished stone. Despite the late hour, the city was still alive. Scholars and merchants wandered between the great courtyards, voices raised in friendly debate, the murmur of knowledge passed between them like a living current. Vierd and Rain walked in silence through the heart of the city, their minds burdened with the weight of Elios' words.
They had come seeking answers.
Instead, they had found something far heavier—a truth that carried the weight of countless dead worlds.
Vierd clenched his jaw as he replayed the philosopher’s final words in his mind.
"Every stone you find is a grave marker for a world that no longer exists."
"If that’s true, then who decides which worlds survive?"
There had been no answer. Only another question.
Rain walked slightly ahead, his silver hair illuminated by the glow of Ishkar's floating lanterns. He had barely spoken since they left the tower, and for once, Vierd didn’t press. There was something in his companion’s silence—something deeper than thought.
For Rain, the words of Elios had struck somewhere far more personal.
As they reached a bridge arching over one of the many canals, Rain finally exhaled and leaned against the stone railing. His crimson eyes scanned the water below, watching the gentle ripples of its surface. Vierd stopped beside him, resting an arm on the cool stone.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then, softly, Rain broke the silence.
"DID YOU NOTICE SOMETHING ABOUT THIS CITY?"
Vierd glanced at him. "OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT IT EXISTS WHEN IT SHOULDN'T?"
Rain smirked slightly, but there was no humor in it. "EXACTLY. THIS CITY... IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE IT BELONGS TO THE SAME WORLD AS THE REST."****"
Vierd didn’t answer immediately, but he understood what Rain meant.
Ishkar was untouched.
While the rest of the world bore scars—war, famine, the decay of time—this city thrived. It did not feel as if it had survived hardship. It felt as if hardship had never touched it at all.
Rain's voice dropped lower. "THIS REMINDS ME OF MY HOME. BEFORE IT WAS TAKEN."
The way he said it—"taken"—Vierd noticed the deliberate choice of words. Not destroyed, not lost.
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Taken.
Vierd waited, knowing that Rain would continue when he was ready.
And after a pause, he did.
"VALTARIA WAS A KINGDOM OF KNOWLEDGE, JUST LIKE THIS." Rain’s fingers traced the stone railing absently. "EXCEPT, WE WERE NOT CONTENT TO PRESERVE IT. WE HOARDED IT. WE CONTROLLED IT. WE DECIDED WHO DESERVED TO KNOW THE SECRETS OF THE WORLD… AND WHO DIDN’T."
Vierd listened in silence.
"WE HAD SORCERERS WHO COULD PIERCE THE SKY, BUILDINGS THAT COULD HEAL THEMSELVES, MACHINES THAT COULD SEE THROUGH TIME ITSELF. WE BELIEVED OURSELVES IMMORTAL." Rain’s smirk returned, but this time, it was filled with quiet bitterness. "AND YET, IT TOOK JUST ONE STONE TO TURN US INTO ASH."
Vierd’s grip on the stone railing tightened. "THE SAME KIND OF STONE WE FOUND?"
Rain nodded. "IT DIDN’T START AS A CURSE. AT FIRST, IT WAS A MIRACLE. THE COUNCIL BELIEVED IT TO BE A RELIC FROM ANCIENT TIMES, A CORE OF RAW KNOWLEDGE THAT WOULD UNLOCK A NEW ERA OF POWER."
"AND THEN?" Vierd prompted.
Rain’s voice turned cold. "AND THEN, IT BEGAN TO CRACK."
The air between them felt heavy, charged with something unspoken.
"THE NIGHT IT BROKE, THE SKY SPLIT OPEN. THE CITY BURNED FROM WITHIN. NO ONE COULD ESCAPE, BECAUSE NO ONE UNDERSTOOD WHAT WAS HAPPENING. ONE MOMENT, WE WERE A NATION OF SCHOLARS AND RULERS."
His crimson eyes flickered.
"THE NEXT, WE WERE NOTHING MORE THAN A MEMORY."
A long silence passed. The sound of water lapping against the stone below filled the void.
Vierd finally spoke. "AND YOU? HOW DID YOU SURVIVE?"
Rain let out a slow breath, his fingers curling into a fist against the railing.
"I DIDN’T. NOT COMPLETELY."
He turned to face Vierd, his eyes unreadable. "YOU SAW IT, DIDN’T YOU? WHEN WE WERE IN THE RUINS. YOU SAW THE WAY THE DARKNESS RESPONDED TO ME."
Vierd remained still. He had noticed. The way the cursed creatures had hesitated around Rain, as if recognizing him. As if he were… one of them.
Rain gave a small, dry laugh. "WHEN THE STONE BROKE, IT DIDN’T JUST DESTROY THE WORLD. IT TOOK PIECES OF US WITH IT."
Vierd studied him, waiting.
Rain held up his hand, fingers stretching toward the night sky. "SOME PEOPLE DIED. SOME PEOPLE VANISHED ENTIRELY. AND SOME, LIKE ME…" He let his hand fall. "WE EXIST BETWEEN WHAT WAS AND WHAT REMAINS."
Vierd exhaled through his nose. "SO, YOU'RE A DEAD MAN WALKING."
Rain tilted his head slightly. "A HALF-DEAD MAN WALKING."
There was no mockery in Vierd’s voice when he spoke next. "YOU’RE STILL HERE. SO WHAT KEEPS YOU GOING?"
Rain turned away, looking back at the city below. His fingers traced the stone railing again, absent-minded.
"I DON’T KNOW."
His voice was softer now, the edge of sarcasm stripped away. "MAYBE I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHY. WHY SOME WORLDS SURVIVE. WHY MINE DIDN’T. WHY THESE STONES EXIST IN THE FIRST PLACE."
His eyes darkened. "MAYBE I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHO DECIDED WE WEREN’T WORTH SAVING."
Another silence fell between them, but it was not uncomfortable. It was the silence of understanding.
Vierd finally pushed away from the railing, his golden gaze sharp. "THEN WE KEEP MOVING."
Rain exhaled, a small smirk returning to his lips. "OF COURSE. ALWAYS MOVING FORWARD, AREN’T WE?"
Vierd didn’t respond. He simply turned, walking toward the city streets once more.
Rain hesitated for a brief moment, then followed.
As they walked back into the heart of Ishkar, something had changed.
Not in the city.
Not in the air.
But in them.
They were no longer simply two wanderers seeking knowledge.
They were two men who had lost everything, standing in a world that still refused to answer why.
And neither of them would stop until they found the truth.
