Eryn
I hope this letter reaches you. It's been months since I heard back, but I figured you must be busy. I just wanted you to know I'm still here, still trying. I took on a B-rank mission recently—a Moonshard retrieval. It was tough, but I managed. Barely. Sera and the others didn't seem to care, but I guess that's normal now. Anyway, write back when you can. I miss hearing from you.
Kael
Satisfied, Kael folded the letter carefully, smoothing the creases with slow, deliberate motions. He slid it into an envelope, sealing it with a firm press of his fingers, as if willing the words inside to reach her somehow, across the distance that had grown so wide between them. Tucking the envelope into his worn leather pack, Kael rose from his seat, shouldering the weight both physically and mentally, and made his way toward the guild's mail drop near the front hall.
The guild bustled with the usual noise—adventurers arguing over loot, the clatter of armor, the barked orders of guildmasters. But as Kael neared the mail drop, another sound caught his ear: familiar voices, sharp with laughter, slipping around the corner. He paused, frowning, recognizing the mocking tone instantly.
"Another one," Brynn snickered, the amusement thick in his voice. "Rookie just doesn't give up, does he?"
Kael crept closer, careful not to make a sound. Peeking around the stone archway, he saw Brynn holding an envelope—his envelope—while Leoric leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a lazy smirk pulling at his lips. Callista was there too, twirling a strand of her red hair around her finger, her expression dripping with smug satisfaction.
"Let me guess," Leoric drawled. "Another 'Dear Eryn, I'm still a pathetic waste of space' letter?"
Brynn chuckled, tearing the envelope open with a dramatic flourish. Kael's stomach twisted as he watched.
"I'm still trying. I miss hearing from you," Brynn read aloud in a mocking sing-song voice, and the others howled with laughter.
Callista tossed her hair back. "How sweet," she said, her voice dripping with poison. "Too bad she stopped writing. Maybe she finally realized how hopeless you are."
Kael's blood boiled in his veins. Without thinking, he stepped into the light, his voice low and rough. "Put that down."
The three of them turned as one, not startled, not ashamed—only entertained.
"Well, look who finally showed up," Brynn said, crumpling the letter in his hand.
"You've been stealing my letters," Kael growled, fists clenching at his sides. "All of them."
Leoric shrugged, utterly unbothered. "Yeah. So what? Not like you were getting any replies."
"You're pathetic," Callista added with a cruel smirk. "Honestly, we did you a favor. Saved you the humiliation."
Kael's chest heaved. He barely heard the words—just the roaring in his ears.
"Shut up," he snarled.
Brynn laughed and, with a flick of his wrist, tossed the crumpled letter toward a nearby candle. The flame caught instantly, the paper curling into blackened ash.
Something inside Kael snapped.
With a roar, he lunged. His fist connected with Brynn's jaw with a sickening crack. The mage stumbled back, dazed, blood trickling from his lip.
"You're dead, rookie!" Brynn shouted, electricity crackling around his hands. He hurled a bolt of lightning toward Kael, but Kael was faster, raising his own energy in a pulse that absorbed the attack and sent a shockwave slamming Brynn against the stone wall.
Leoric sprang forward, his Adamant Hide activating with a metallic gleam across his skin. "Big mistake," he growled, swinging a massive fist.
Kael ducked, feeling the wind of the blow, and countered with a low burst of force aimed at Leoric's knee. The larger man staggered but didn't fall, instead barreling forward like a charging beast. Kael narrowly sidestepped, releasing another shockwave that toppled a stack of crates behind them.
"Enough!" Callista barked, stepping between them. Her arms shimmered with a green light, the glow of Lifewave magic. "Stop humiliating yourself, Kael. Walk away. You're not worth the trouble."
Kael's breathing was ragged, but he kept his gaze locked on hers. "You're part of this. How many letters have you burned?"
Callista's lips curled. "Just enough to save you from embarrassing yourself. Really, you should thank me."
"Give them back," Kael said, his voice trembling with fury. "Now."
She laughed, the sound sharp and cruel. "Why? It's not like she's coming back."
She reached for the stack of remaining letters on the table. Kael's heart dropped—he could see her preparing to burn them, her magic already sparking.
"No!" he shouted.
Fueled by pure adrenaline, Kael surged forward, snatching her wrist before her magic could ignite. Callista gasped, struggling, but Kael wrenched her hand away and shoved her back hard enough that she stumbled.
"You're insane!" she spat, her Lifewave flaring around her.
Kael ignored her. His hands trembled as he gathered the letters, clutching them tightly to his chest like something sacred.
"You don't get to take this from me," he said, voice low but unshakable.
The room fell silent.
Without another word, Kael turned on his heel and strode into the main hall. Heads turned as he passed, but he didn't care. Near the mission board, Sera leaned casually against the wall, her flaming swords extinguished but never far from reach.
"Going somewhere?" she asked, voice laced with mockery.
Kael didn't slow. "I'm done."
Sera smirked. "You think anyone else will take you? You're nothing without Ironclaw."
Kael stopped just long enough to meet her gaze. "Maybe. But at least I won't be nothing because of you."
Then he kept walking.
Behind him, Brynn's voice rang out, bruised and furious. "Don't come crawling back, rookie!"
Kael didn't look back. He didn't even hesitate.
He found himself at the fountain in Eldenshire's central square, the night air cool against his flushed skin. Kael spread the salvaged letters out before him, smoothing them gently. His eyes traced Eryn's handwriting, the familiar curves and loops stirring a deep ache in his chest.
Kael, I'm proud of you.
You're stronger than you know.
I'll always be here for you.
Tears blurred his vision, but he blinked them away, folding each letter carefully and tucking them back into his pack. They were battered, singed at the edges, but still intact—still his.
Kael rose to his feet, his gaze drawn to the distant horizon where the stars barely flickered beyond the city lights.
"This is where it starts," he murmured to the night.
With a heart stitched together from broken promises and burning resolve, Kael stepped forward, leaving behind everything that tried to break him. Ahead lay uncertainty, danger, and loneliness—but also something else.
Freedom.
Hope.
His own path.
And Kael wasn't about to waste