Chapitre 72: Royalty.

The northern winds whispered through the barren trees as the night settled around them, brushing the sky in shades of deep blue and silver. The world felt distant, consumed by winter's stillness. 

The camp was quiet now, left for the occasional crackle of the fire that blazed between Aric and Yrsa. They had stopped just a few miles from the settlements outside Kurag, the kingdom where Aszer awaited them. 

The night was tense with the understanding of what was to come.

Aric sat on a cold stone, his armor discarded for the moment, his mind far away. He stared into the flames, the orange and gold light dancing across his pale face, his thoughts fixed on what lay ahead. 

His body ached, not only from the brutal fight he had endured earlier but from the scar of every decision he had made since his rebirth. 

"We are close," Yrsa's voice broke through the quiet, it was low…steady as she too stared into the fire. "We shall meet Aszer soon."