Rise of the Devourer
Chapter Epilogue — Death Valley

The royal hospital wing had been hastily expanded to accommodate the wounded from the recent battle, but the private room where Noah's companions recovered was quiet and peaceful. Sunlight streamed through tall windows, casting warm patterns across the polished stone floors and comfortable beds that had been arranged for the injured.

Aurelia sat propped up against several pillows, her arms still having streaks of white and black from all the spells she’d been hit with, but her eyes were bright and alert. Her natural constitution had already begun healing the worst of her injuries and expelling as much of the spells as it could manage, though the exhaustion from channeling so much power was still visible in the slight tremor of her hands.

Erwest, however, looked far worse. The paladin lay flat on his back, his breathing shallow and labored, practically covered in bandages. The Divine Vessel ritual had taken a terrible toll on his mortal form—his hair had gone completely white, deep lines had appeared around his eyes, and his skin had taken on a translucent quality that made him look like a fresh corpse. When he moved, it was with careful deliberation, as any wrong movements made him scream due to the sheer pain.

Snow sat in one of the two chairs between the two beds, wearing simple but well-made clothes provided by the royal household, looking between Erwest and Aurelia with a concerned expression.

"The Ascendant is dead," Zax said without preamble as he entered the room—this being the first time they’d met after Noah had freed him from the pendant prison. "But his destruction will not go unnoticed."

“Hello to you too, Zax,” Noah, sitting next to Snow, said mildly, before he continued with more seriousness. "The White Bloom?"

"Among others," Zax confirmed grimly. "When an agent of their caliber simply... ceases to exist, it sends ripples through all the groups and organisations. They will investigate. They will discover what happened here—hell, most of them already probably know. And they will take action."

He moved to stand before the window, his gaze distant as if seeing threats that had not yet materialized. "Some of the beings they will send are beyond even my current capabilities to handle. I have delayed my ascension for centuries, choosing to remain bound by certain limitations rather than face what comes after. But that choice may no longer be mine to make.”

"The White Bloom will move quickly," Zax continued as he turned around. "They know that you carry fragments of the dead god, and they seem to know a lot more about the dead god than us. We can not face what’s coming properly without knowing their ulterior motives.”

"So what do we do?" Noah asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.

"We go to Death Valley," Zax said simply. "Septah's message was clear—you need to meet the Reaper if you want answers about what you truly carry. And given what's coming, those answers may be the only thing that can save you."

"Death Valley," Erwest repeated weakly from his bed, his voice barely above a whisper. "I've heard... stories. No one who enters ever returns unchanged. Many don't return at all."

"The stories are likely understated," Zax agreed grimly. "It's not called Death Valley because it's a pleasant vacation destination. But it's not like we have much of a choice.”

Noah looked around the room at his companions—the friends who had stood by him through every impossible trial, who had risked their lives repeatedly to help him reach this point. The thought of asking them to follow him into another deadly situation made his stomach clench with guilt.

Especially when both Aurelia and Erwest had nearly died, this time.

"I can't ask you all to—" he began, but Aurelia cut him off.

"You're not asking," she said firmly. "We're volunteering. We've come this far together, and I'm not about to abandon you now."

Erwest shook his head slowly, his movement obviously causing him pain. "I would if I could," he said, his voice heavy with regret. "I need to monitor you, after all. But the Divine Vessel... it's… broken something. My connection to Hellion is stronger than ever, but my body..." He tried to sit up and immediately fell back with a gasp. "I can barely stand, let alone face the trials that await in Death Valley."

"You need time to heal," Noah agreed. "Real time, not just a few days of rest."

"Months, most likely," Zax added. "The kind of power you channeled leaves marks that go deeper than the physical. Your soul itself needs time to recover from bearing a goddess's full attention."

Erwest's expression showed his frustration, but also acceptance. "Then I stay behind. But Noah..." He turned his pale eyes toward his friend. "Don't let the power you’re carrying consume you."

"I'll watch over him," Aurelia said, ignoring her own injuries. "Make sure he doesn't do anything too stupid."

"You're in no condition to—" Noah started, but she silenced him with a look.

"I'm in better condition than he is," she said, nodding toward Erwest. "And my berserker constitution means I heal fast. Give me a few days, and I'll be ready for whatever Death Valley can throw at us."

Zax studied her carefully. "The journey will be dangerous even before we reach our destination. The White Bloom has agents throughout the world, and there’s no guessing what their reaction will look like.”

"Then we'd better move fast," Aurelia replied. "Before they have time to set up whatever trap they're planning."

“I’ll also—” Snow began, only to be cut off by Noah.

"Will you take care of Erwest, Snow?" Noah asked, turning to the girl with a smile. "Make sure he doesn't try to leave his bed before he's actually healed?"

Snow opened and shut her mouth a few times, clearly wanting to argue, but she finally nodded solemnly. "I'll take care of him. Seraphina and Valeria will be staying here to help with the kingdom’s rebuilding, so I’ll help them too and study more. Maybe I can even learn some healing magic to help with Erwest’s recovery.”

"That would be..." Erwest's voice caught slightly. "That would be wonderful. Thank you."

The room fell silent for a moment as the reality of their impending separation settled over them. Erwest hadn’t… always been the most likeable guy, but their trio had been through so much together, faced so many impossible odds, that the idea of splitting up felt wrong on a fundamental level.

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"When do we leave?" he asked quietly.

"Tomorrow, likely in the evening," Zax replied. "Airships don’t travel to Death Valley, so you will be riding me. We'll use the cover of the night and some... arrangements I can make to slip out of the kingdom undetected. The longer we wait, the more time our enemies have to prepare."

Noah nodded, feeling the weight of what was coming settling on his shoulders once again. Death Valley. The Reaper. Answers about the dead god whose fragments he carried. Another step along a path that had been nothing but dangerous—yet also one that made him more and more powerful.

"Get some rest. Catch up with your friends, finish anything you have left," Zax advised as he moved toward the door. "Both of you will have quite the long journey tomorrow.”

***

The evening air was crisp as Noah stood in the castle's main courtyard. Around them, the signs of reconstruction were everywhere—scaffolding against damaged walls, workers hauling materials, and the distant sounds of hammering and sawing that had become the constant background music of the recovering kingdom.

Kaelan approached with hurried steps, his clothes dusty from a day spent coordinating repairs in the outer districts. Behind him came Seraphina, Valeria and Snow, all of them looking equally exhausted but satisfied. Noah imagined the massive undertaking of rebuilding not just the physical damage but the kingdom's magical defenses had consumed every waking moment of their time.

"I'm sorry we couldn't be here sooner," Kaelan said, slightly out of breath as he reached Noah. "The eastern district's infrastructure is completely compromised, and we've been trying to establish temporary housing for the displaced families."

Seraphina pushed a strand of hair from her face, leaving a small smudge of dirt on her cheek. "The magical wards need to be completely rebuilt from the ground up. Whatever the lunar cultists and the imposter did to the castle and city's defenses, it corrupted everything down to the foundation stones. Though," she patted Snow on her head, “Snow’s been a massive help.”

"That she has," Valeria added, making Snow blush. "But it's going to take months to fully restore everything."

Noah nodded, understanding the magnitude of the task they were undertaking. "You're doing important work. The kingdom is lucky to have all of you."

"Just promise us you'll be careful out there," Kaelan said, his expression serious. "Death Valley... the stories we hear even in Drakonias are enough to give anyone nightmares."

"We'll watch out for each other," Noah replied, glancing toward where Aurelia stood quietly beside Zax.

After a few more minutes of conversation about practical matters and promises to stay in touch when possible, Kaelan and his companions—after Snow gave him a hug, which prompted Kaelan to drag him in for a ‘manly’, bone crushing hug too—excused themselves to return to their work. The reconstruction couldn't wait, and every second of delay meant more suffering for the kingdom's people.

As they departed, Vion emerged from the castle's main entrance. She had changed from her formal council attire into simpler clothes, her crimson hair tied up in a bun, the streaks of gold making her look quite fashionable.

When she reached him, for a few seconds neither of them said anything, simply staring at each other awkwardly. Vion was the one to break that silence, however, clearing her throat and saying, "I wanted to speak with you before you left."

Her voice was carefully controlled but still carried an undertone that made Noah's heart clench with guilt.

Zax and Aurelia moved away to give them privacy, making Noah find himself alone with Vion under the stars, facing what he knew would be a difficult farewell.

"Vion," he began, but she held up a hand to stop him.

"Let me speak first," she said quietly. "I need to say this while I still can."

Noah nodded, seeing the conflicted emotions she was trying so hard to hide behind her facade of composure.

"What happened in the Dragon's Heart chamber," Vion continued, her voice steady despite the emotion behind it, "the kiss... I know what it meant to me. And I know what it didn't mean to you."

Noah's gaze unconsciously drifted toward Aurelia, who stood near the courtyard's edge pretending to examine something while obviously giving them space. The gesture was small, but Vion caught it immediately.

"I'm sorry," Noah said, his voice heavy with genuine regret. "I wish I could feel... I wish things were different. You deserve someone who can—"

"Don't," Vion interrupted, shaking her head. "Don't apologize for your heart. It chooses what it chooses, and that's not something you can control any more than I can control mine."

She took a shaky breath before continuing. "I've known for a while, if I'm honest with myself. The way you look at her, the way you worry about her, the way you light up when she's around. I told myself it was just friendship, that maybe in time..."

Noah wanted to say something, to offer some comfort, but he could see that she needed to finish this.

"I'm heartbroken," Vion admitted, her mask finally slipping to show the young woman underneath. "I won't pretend otherwise. But I'm also grateful. Grateful that I met you at all, grateful for the time we had, grateful that you showed me what it meant to care about someone more than yourself."

"Vion..."

"I mean it," she said firmly. "You saved my life, Noah. You saved my kingdom. You helped me become who I'm meant to be. Just because my heart wanted more doesn't diminish the value of what we did share."

She stepped closer, her voice dropping to almost a whisper. "Promise me something. When this is all over, when you've faced whatever waits for you in Death Valley and beyond, don't hesitate to visit. I'd hate for us to become strangers just because... because things couldn't be what I hoped."

"I promise," Noah said, meaning it completely.

"And don't worry about your friends who are staying behind," Vion added, a soft smile growing on her face. "Erwest and Snow will be safe here. I'll make sure they have everything they need to recover and grow stronger."

She turned toward where Zax and Aurelia waited. "Thank you," she called out to Aurelia. "For everything. For saving my kingdom, for protecting Noah, for showing me what true friendship looks like."

Aurelia approached slowly, her expression carefully neutral. "Take care of yourself, Vion. Being a queen isn't easy, especially when you're trying to change so much."

"I'll manage," Vion replied with the same small smile. "I have good examples to follow."

The farewells that followed were clearly both heartfelt and painful, for Vion. Vion hugged Zax first, her arms barely reaching around the dragon's human form as she whispered something Noah couldn't hear. Whatever she said made Zax's expression soften with what might have been paternal pride.

When she turned to Noah, the hug lasted longer than it probably should have. He could feel her trembling slightly.

"Be safe," she whispered against his shoulder. "Don’t be a coward.”

“Coward?” Noah questioned, confused.

“Both you and Aurelia love each other, and clearly know you do too, yet you don’t make it official,” she asked, playfully, “What is that, but cowardice?”

"Preparation," he replied as he hugged her back, making her chuckle.

Finally, she turned to Aurelia. The two women looked at each other for a long moment, and Noah realized this might be the most complicated farewell of all.

"I hope you know how lucky you are," Vion said quietly.

Aurelia only smiled, to that.

They embraced briefly, and Noah caught a whispered exchange that he thought included the words "take care of him" and "take care of yourself."

When the farewells were complete, Zax stepped back and began the transformation that never failed to take Noah's breath away. The human facade melted away like morning mist, revealing the magnificent dragon beneath—scales that gleamed like a molten rainbow, wings that could blot out stars, and eyes that held the wisdom of eons.

Noah and Aurelia climbed onto Zax's back with practiced ease—it wasn’t too different from getting onto a wyvern, perhaps even easier—settling into the natural ridges between his massive shoulder blades. The dragon's warmth was comforting against the cool night air, and Noah could feel the barely contained power that thrummed through the ancient creature's frame.

As they prepared for takeoff, Noah looked down at Vion one last time. She stood alone in the courtyard, her hand raised in farewell. He waved to her, and she shouted, “Make sure that both of you stay safe!”

Before they could reply, Zax's wings beat once, twice, and then they were airborne, rising into the star-filled sky above Drakonias. The kingdom spread out below them, lights twinkling like earthbound constellations as people worked through the night to rebuild their homes and lives.

As they flew higher and the castle became a distant glimmer, Noah took in a deep breath of the fresh night air.

Death Valley, here we come.