Present day...
Vastarael sat cross-legged just beside the central fire pit, a thick cloak draped over his shoulders. The mammoth meat was still sizzling on skewers in front of him, juice bubbling over embers, but he had a plate already prepared.
Shimmer sat to his right, bundled up in a fluffy coat three sizes too big. Runner was to his left, chewing on a piece of bread, her face pulled in an exaggerated frown as she glared at her plate. She muffled as she held the meat with both hands, "
"Dad, this mammoth meat is a boulder. I think it's chewing me instead."
Runner grunted in agreement.
"I think I chipped a tooth. This thing is tough as training equipment."
Vastarael chuckled quietly under his breath.
"It's dense old muscle. This mammoth was fighting before you two were born."
"I believe it."
Runner muttered, still chewing without any progress.
Vastarael raised a hand and gently tapped the slices on both of their plates. A thin, almost invisible ripple of essence passed through the meat. It softened in an instant, without changing its shape or smell, just enough to be tender and rich with flavor.
Both girls blinked.
"...you didn't even chant anything," Shimmer whispered. "That's cheating."
"I'm your father. It's my job to cheat for you."
Runner beamed as she took a bite and finally chewed through the meat.
"Dad-cheat is the best cheat."
There was a few minutes of peaceful munching. Vastarael didn't eat. He just sat between them, hands resting on his knees, eyes half-lidded, staring into the flame like it held secrets he'd seen too many times.
Then came the question. Shimmer asked, licking grease off her fingers.
"Why did you leave the Halo Islands?"
Vastarael's fingers twitched once. The fire crackled louder. Runner looked up too, this time with her mouth still half full.
"Yeah. So why come here to this cold, monster-infested, big-meat-having place?"
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he leaned back just a little, shoulders rolling as he exhaled. The steam of his breath drifted up like dragon smoke.
"I left because I had to."
"That's not an answer," Shimmer muttered, hugging her knees.
"It's not supposed to be a full one," he said with a low smile. "But I'll explain."
He reached down, grabbed a stick, and poked at the embers. Sparks hissed upward.
"I come from a land where the skies are open, where gods walk and fly and sometimes don't bother with either. It's a place where people are so strong they forget how to speak softly, and power is so common it loses meaning."
He paused.
"In my home, strength is identity. Rank is heritage. Destiny is written before you take your first breath."
Shimmer frowned. "But you are strong. Even there, weren't you... like... someone big?"
"I was born into it, yes. But being strong isn't the same as being whole. And strength doesn't always come with peace."
"So it was, like... too loud?"
He laughed. "That's a beautiful way to say it."
There was silence again, save for chewing and fire. Then Shimmer leaned on his shoulder, her voice a little quieter.
"...Phaenora loves you, though."
That hit.
Vastarael's eyes lowered, half-lidded, his breath caught just barely in the chest. He closed his eyes.
"I know."
"And she's still there," Runner said, not looking at him. "In Halo. You know she's waiting, right?"
He laid a hand gently on both their heads
"I do. Every morning I wake up... I know that Phaenora is probably scolding the stars or intimidating the people of Halo just for fun."
Shimmer giggled. "She always calls you 'Veneri.' I like that."
"So do I." His voice dropped to something softer, something nearly melancholy. "And I miss her."
Runner tilted her head. "Do you miss Adelasta too?"
There it was again, that unspoken weight. His wife. His cold, beautiful storm. The one who never needed to smile to show she cared, who never admitted her feelings but radiated them in silence.
"I do. Adelasta is strange. She doesn't show her warmth like others. But she's always been there. Even when I wander. Even when I go too far."
"And you left both of them," Shimmer said, more gently this time.
"I didn't leave them. I left there. Because the world is bigger than just a floating archipelago of divinity."
He leaned back fully now, looking up at the stars overhead.
"And because I found something more important than where I was born, or who I used to be."
"What's that?"
Runner asked, wiping her mouth.
He looked at both of them. His smile wasn't big, but it was real.
"You two."
Shimmer blinked, cheeks flushing. Runner paused mid-chew.
"I came here because someone needed me to be down here. Some of us in life are needed in the dirt, in the cold, or in the middle of nowhere where girls think mammoth meat is too hard and make faces about it."
He ruffled their hair. They grumbled but leaned into it.
"Someone has to show you that it's okay to be small, to be scared, to struggle. Someone has to walk beside you so you're never left behind."
Shimmer sniffed. "That's... cheesy."
Runner nodded. "Yeah. But... good."
They sat in silence for a while, listening to the pop of firewood and the distant murmurs of the camp settling for sleep.
"Will you go back to your home one day?" Shimmer asked.
"Maybe. But not until you two can come with me."
Runner grinned. "What, like a family trip to Heaven?"
"More like... a return with purpose. So when I do go back, I'm not just someone who left. I'll be someone who chose to return, with my daughters, with meaning, and with a story worth telling."
Shimmer leaned on him again.
"...I hope Phaenora isn't mad at you."
"She's always mad. But she always forgives."
They both laughed. Then Shimmer looked up, eyes wide with curiosity again.
"Do you think Adelasta like us?"
"She'll love you. She doesn't half-love anything. She'll probably train you both until you cry."
Runner grinned. "Cool. I want to get stronger."
And with that, the three of them leaned together under the stars, the snow falling in gentle flurries now, harmless and soft.
°°°°°°
The camp had begun to settle under the sleepy hush of the winter night. Bellies were full with freshly roasted mammoth meat which was tough, savory, and finally edible thanks to Vastarael's help, and the tired murmurs of soldiers slowly gave way to the warmth of laughter, idle conversation, and the low hum of paladins sharpening their weapons nearby.
Shimmer was laying on her back, nestled between two extra-thick blankets, her eyes fixed on the vast, starlit sky above them. She gnawed lazily on the tip of a dried fruit stick, idly counting stars with her fingers.
Runner snuggled beside her, already halfway asleep and mumbling about turning into a storm if someone stole her pillow again.
Then, Shimmer blinked.
"Huh... hey, Dad?"
Vastarael turned his head from the fire where he sat.
"Mm?"
"There's a star... moving."
He didn't think much of it at first. Shooting stars were common enough in the skies, especially this high in elevation and season. The icy air always made them appear brighter. He didn't know why the stars were visible even though the Fallen Bridge was a place outside the dimension of Erna Isles but...
But something in Shimmer's tone made him follow her gaze.
It was moving but not fading. It was not streaking away.
It was coming closer.
The glimmering point grew brighter by the second, searing white at the tip with a long, burning tail behind it. A faint howl echoed through the sky, a thin whine like the scream of something alive.
People across the camp stood up. Even the animals stirred in place, stamping and whining. The gigantic white wolf growled low, fangs bared. The enormous snow-cat behind Vastarael let out a long, disturbed hiss.
That star... it was falling.
Obsidian had already shot to her feet. Her blade wasn't drawn yet, but the way she moved screamed readiness.
"Everyone!" she bellowed across the camp, her voice punching through tents and heads like a command from the gods. "STAND BACK! Move away from the outer ridge! Now!"
No one argued. They scattered with trained efficiency even while looking up in awe and disbelief.
Vastarael had already stood, both Shimmer and Runner now clinging onto his shoulders like panicked kittens. They weren't scared of the fall itself. They were scared because they felt it. The pressure in the air had changed. Even time itself felt like it stuttered.
Then it hit.
The meteor—no, object—crashed down just outside the camp's ridge.
The land shook. Snow exploded upward in a white firestorm, melted in a radius of glowing, steaming terrain that hissed like a breathing beast.
A shockwave blasted outward. Tents flapped violently. The ground cracked in several places. Some of the guards were knocked off their feet and had to grip their weapons to stay grounded. The mounts let out alarmed cries and brays.
A pillar of smoke—no, steam—rose from the crater, churning into the heavens like a storm birthed from below.
Obsidian stepped toward the site, raising her gauntlet to shield her face from the scalding wind.
"Everyone stay back! Stay sharp! We don't know what just fell but it's still burning with energy!"
Vastarael was already walking forward.
Shimmer clutched his back, both arms locked tight around his neck.
"D-Dad! What is that?!"
Runner had her face buried in his shoulder.
"Is it a monster?!"
He didn't answer. Not right away. His eyes narrowed. He knew this feeling. The essence was faded, but unmistakable. Like a forgotten scent on an old coat, like a whisper from a place he thought he'd never hear again.
The steam began to clear.
And then, at the center of the crater, curled amidst the scorched earth and melted snow... was a woman.
She was unconscious. Half-covered in torn robes that shimmered even under the grit and ash. Her skin radiated a faint, pulsing light, barely perceptible to anyone who wasn't attuned to essence. Her long silver- hair was splayed behind her, scattered like rays of light frozen mid-motion.
Even in ruin, even beneath blood and exhaustion—she was beautiful.
Unreal, even.
Vastarael stopped walking.
His hands gently reached behind him, lowering the girls to the ground. Both of them blinked up at him, then looked at the crater.
"…Do you know her?" Shimmer asked.
He took a long breath, slow and heavy, his voice quieter than wind.
"…Yeah."
The steam coiled around them like ghostly snakes as he stepped forward alone, closer to the impact, closer to her collapsed form.
And then, as if fate itself waited for this line to drop, he said her name.
"Elyonari."