Ashen Ascension: The Divided Flame-Chapter 56: Grief

After moving through the forest for some time, Ivor caught a familiar scent beneath the damp rot of leaves and dried blood. It was faint, nearly lost beneath everything else, but unmistakable.

It belonged to Nara. He shifted direction at once and followed it.

The trees thinned gradually until a clearing opened ahead, opposite the side where the earlier fight had taken place. Ivor stepped out carefully, Luna still in his arms.

Nara was there.

He was tied near the base of a tree, thick rope wound tightly around his torso and the trunk to keep him upright. His hands were bound together in front of him, wrists knotted harshly. Bruises darkened one side of his face, and dried blood marked the corner of his mouth. His head had been lowered, but the moment Ivor entered the clearing, his eyes lifted.

He recognised Ivor instantly. Then he saw who Ivor was carrying.

The change was immediate. His mouth opened as if to speak, but the word died before it formed. His gaze dropped fully to Luna’s body, and he went still, as though his mind had stalled on what it refused to understand.

For a brief moment, his expression was empty.

Then it fractured.

"No," he said, the sound rough and thin.

He strained against the ropes, panic replacing disbelief. "No. No—dammit, no!"

The tree shook as he pulled against his restraints and shouted. "Luna!"

Ivor approached without speaking. He knelt and lowered Luna gently onto the ground in front of Nara. He then stepped behind the tree and used his sword to cut through the rope with a clean slash.

The tension released at once.

Nara stumbled forward, nearly falling before catching himself. He dropped beside Luna immediately, hands still bound, and grabbed her shoulders.

"Luna. Wake up. Stop this. Wake up."

His voice broke on the last word.

He bent over her, pressing his ear to her chest, searching for a heartbeat that would not answer. His breathing grew uneven as seconds stretched too long. When nothing came, the strength drained from his posture.

He knelt there, staring at her face, his jaw clenched as tears formed in his eyes. His shoulders began to tremble and a hoarse cry escaped him, ripped from somewhere deep in his chest.

Ivor remained a few steps away watching Nara cry over Luna’s body.

After some time, Nara forced himself upright. His face was wet, his eyes red, and the helplessness that had consumed him had hardened into something sharper.

He looked at Ivor.

"Who did it?"

Ivor did not answer at once.

He held Nara’s gaze, taking in the red of his eyes, the tear-streaked tracks down his face, and the vein throbbing visibly at his temple. Grief and fury warred there, raw and unfiltered.

Only after a moment did Ivor speak, his voice soft.

"Some boy who came with Ryker."

Nara’s jaw tightened. "I’ll kill them," he said, his voice low and controlled. "I’ll kill them all."

He lowered himself beside Luna again, brushing his hand gently across her face.

"She was my best friend," he said quietly. "We grew up together. I told her to stay close to me."

His voice faltered.

"She was a beast. She should have known they would kill her. It was my fault. I brought her into this."

He bent over her once more, and the clearing filled again with the sound of his grief.

Ivor remained where he stood. He did not know what to say to Nara in a moment like this. Words felt small and useless. Yet Luna’s final words lingered in his mind, pressing at him until he could not ignore them.

"She said her sister is with you," Ivor said quietly.

Nara’s crying faltered. He froze, as if the memory struck him all at once. Then he cursed under his breath.

"Yes. Lily. Her younger sister stays with my family."

He looked back at Luna, his expression tightening.

"Luna paid for her sister’s protection. She was saving money so Lily could grow strong enough to reach the second stage before being chained. Unlike her." His voice hardened. "Luna was chained the moment she awakened."

His jaw tightened as he continued. "Now there’s no one left to protect her."

Ivor listened carefully. He understood parts of it, but confusion remained.

"Can you not help her?" he asked.

Nara let out a slow breath and pushed himself to his feet. He turned toward Ivor and lifted his bound hands slightly, the rope still cutting into his wrists. His eyes met Ivor’s, steady despite the grief still lingering there.

Ivor understood without further explanation. He stepped forward and cut through the rope with a single motion.

The bindings fell away.

"I cannot help her," Nara said. "That’s not how it works."

He flexed his freed hands once before lowering them.

"A beast’s freedom can only be bought by a beast."

Ivor remained silent for a few seconds before asking, "How much was the payment?"

Nara looked at him briefly, then answered without hesitation.

"She had to serve me for a lifetime."

Ivor nodded once.

Without another word, he turned and walked toward the place where he had dropped his dagger during the fight. It lay half-buried in the soil, its blade dark with dried blood. He bent down, picked it up, wiped it once against the grass, and slid it back into his belt. Then he shifted his direction toward where he had left his bag.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Nara shouted.

"Deeper into the forest," Ivor replied, not turning back.

Nara’s jaw tightened.

"That’s it?" he demanded. "She died protecting you. Aren’t you going to help me avenge her?"

Ivor paused briefly.

The accusation meant little to him. He knew the truth about how Luna had died.

He resumed walking.

"She has a sister," Nara shouted again, his hands clenching at his sides. "She’ll be sold. Or chained. I don’t have the influence to stop it."

Ivor slowed once more.

Luna’s face surfaced in his memory. Her voice. The way she had spoken about her sister.

He told himself he did not care. But something inside his chest tightened.

He drew a slow breath and continued forward.

Behind him, Nara’s eyes widened with frustration and anger as he watched Ivor walk away.

"I have a way to help her!" he shouted.