Having steadied her spirit, Stella turned her thoughts to what lay ahead.

  I must end this. My grandmother… I cannot let her suffer any longer.

  She pressed her fist against her chest, sealing the vow inside her heart. The vision she had glimpsed through the connection burned still, and she knew what it meant: she would have to face the being her grandmother could not.

  Drawing a breath, Stella lifted her head and looked at the two women who had stood beside her like mothers.

  “You want to say something,” Deveralna observed gently, a glint of knowing in her eyes. “It’s written all over your face.”

  Stella nodded. “I don’t know how to say this.”

  May folded her arms, closing her eyes with patient calm. She did not press, only waited.

  That patience made Stella’s lips curve faintly. “I want to help my grandmother pass on.”

  Neither woman flinched. No trace of surprise showed in their expressions.

  “This means facing something she could not drive away,” Stella continued, her voice low. “Something far greater than anything I’ve seen.”

  Her gaze fell toward the ground. “It’s a dangerous path. And I don’t want to endanger either of you. But…” Her brows drew together, hands clenching. “I cannot do this alone.”

  A shadow fell across her as two hands reached for her. One settled on her shoulder, the other rested warmly on her head. Stella looked up, and a smile returned to her lips despite the weight in her chest.

  “We’ll do this together,” Deveralna said with a grin that burned like firelight. “That’s what family means.”

  May smoothed a strand of Stella’s hair, her eyes soft with pride. “And I want to praise you for this, Stella. It takes courage to reach for others instead of carrying everything yourself.”

  Her tone deepened with warmth. “You’ve held yourself back from us more than once, and that saddened me. But this—this gladdens me.”

  Deveralna’s tail coiled loosely, her voice steady. “We know we’re not Orion. But you can lean on us more than you have. Let us bear this with you.”

  Their sincerity sank deep, echoing in her core. Stella drew in a shaky breath, steadied by them both.

  “…Thank you,” she whispered.

  A quiet pause followed before she found her voice again. “I think I know where we are. When the pillar was destroyed, I caught glimpses of the path.”

  “Really!?” they exclaimed together, both leaning toward her.

  “That changes everything,” May said, hope lighting her face. “It means no aimless wandering. We can conserve our strength.”

  Deveralna’s grin widened. “Show us, then.”

  Stella lifted her hand, focusing inward. From her chest, energy rippled outward, and a weapon shimmered into her grasp.

  Catharsis.

  Both women froze in awe.

  “Catharsis…” May breathed. “I’ve not seen it since that day you fought at Orion’s side.”

  “That’s true,” Deveralna agreed softly. “You were rarely on the training fields, and when you were, we were too tangled in our own struggles to notice.”

  Stella’s gaze lowered to the fauchard. She brushed her thumb across its shaft, thoughtful. “I never shared Orion’s hunger for combat. But he trained me anyway, whenever he could spare the time. He must have known I would need it someday.”

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  Her lips pressed together. “I’ve never loved battle. But I carry the source of a Remnant. I can’t pretend it means nothing.”

  She angled the blade down and began to etch into the earth. The strokes were rough, but soon a map took form.

  “A map?” May asked, arms folded as she leaned closer.

  “Yes. Everything I could hold onto before the connection was severed.”

  The three of them shifted into place, eyes narrowing as the crude design emerged. A winding road stretched through clouds, branching out from a vast central hub.

  “This is where we stand,” Stella said, pointing to the bottom of the serpentine path.

  The air grew heavier as they studied it.

  “Stella,” Deveralna murmured, pointing at three blank spaces Stella had drawn. “Why leave these empty?”

  “Because I saw nothing,” she admitted, scratching lightly at her temple. “They were voids. Which means either more pillars… or the one who commands them.”

  Understanding passed silently between May and Deveralna.

  “Then we’ll have to bring down more pillars to see the full picture,” Deveralna said with a proud smirk.

  May sighed, though a hint of a smile tugged at her lips. “I was about to say the same.”

  Their playful exchange drew a faint laugh from Stella before the mood sharpened again.

  “Then our path is clear,” Deveralna said, tapping the central hub. “We move to the center. From there, either left or right.”

  “Both routes are the same,” Stella replied, “so it’s simply our choice.”

  “Then we aim for the nearest objective first,” May concluded.

  Stella gave a firm nod, then swept her foot across the dirt, erasing the map. She turned toward the looming road ahead, hand pressing once more to her chest.

  “Let’s move.”

  With the Queen of the Lamias at her left and Turric’s fiery general at her right, Stella stepped forward into the path of clouds.

  The ground beneath them shifted back into the soft, spongy clouds, unstable beneath each step. The three advanced cautiously, every sense alert, though their voices softened into lighter tones as they walked.

  “Stella,” May said at length, her hand brushing the hilt at her side. “This grandmother of yours—the Valkyrie. Who was she? I find myself curious.”

  The memories Stella had gathered stirred again, bittersweet. She hesitated, eyes flicking toward May, who met her gaze with a teasing smile. Deveralna, in contrast, leaned forward eagerly, her head bobbing in anticipation.

  “I was curious too. Please tell us,” the lamia urged.

  Stella chuckled softly at their combined looks. “I wasn’t planning to keep it a secret.”

  She took a moment, gathering her thoughts, her fingers brushing lightly over Catharsis.

  “Her name was Skadii.”

  “As you know,” she continued, her voice softening, “she was one of the Valkyries.”

  Both women nodded, their eyes fixed on her.

  “She ruled her own land,” Stella said, her tone steady but gentle. “Not just as a leader, but as a protector. Mother often said she wasn’t perfect… but she carried her responsibilities with a seriousness that left no doubt about her dedication.”

  “My grandmother was quiet, reserved… not one to seek attention. But she had a loyalty that went beyond words, and a devotion to her people that was absolute.”

  Stella paused, letting the words settle. “Varellia, my mother, was very different from her—more outspoken, more… impulsive, I suppose. But they respected each other deeply, despite their differences.”

  She glanced at the path ahead, then back at her companions. “From what I glimpsed in the pillar’s memories, she always listened to the people, thinking about their needs. She built strong walls using the best technology of the time. She introduced tools and systems to make life easier. She sought to connect with her people in every way she could. Quiet, perhaps, but never indifferent.”

  May’s breath caught slightly as Stella spoke, sensing the commanding presence woven through the Valkyrie’s memory. They seemed almost… kindred.

  “And on the battlefield,” Stella said, a hint of awe threading her voice, “she was swift, precise. Her strikes ended conflicts quickly, as painlessly as she could manage. It might sound naive, but she simply could not act otherwise.”

  She lifted Catharsis, letting the weapon catch the fading sunlight. “More than anything, she honored those who fell before her. She gave them respect in a way few could understand.”

  Stella’s gaze lingered on the fauchard, and for a moment she allowed herself to wonder—not about her grandmother’s strength, but about how many lives had been touched, changed, or ended by this blade she now held.

  By the time Stella’s story wound deeper, the sun had begun to lower, casting a golden haze across the strange expanse.

  They reached a flattened area and stopped, surveying the emptiness.

  “Nothing,” Deveralna muttered.

  “This is almost disappointing,” May admitted, though her shoulders remained tight.

  The three stood watch for several long minutes. Nothing stirred.

  At last, May let out a breath. “We’ll stop here. We need rest if we’re to continue with strength.”

  “Agreed.”

  Stella reached into her pocket, pulling free a crystal alive with faint, blinking stars. She held it forward, and a shimmer opened, dropping several items onto the ground.

  Deveralna crouched, wide-eyed. “A tent… and three sleeping bags? That’s actually quite clever.”

  Stella gave a small, triumphant laugh. “I came prepared.”

  With the camp set and the weight of the day easing from their shoulders, the three settled in. The first night of their journey began beneath the quiet sky.