“I am glad the young miss seems to have enjoyed herself so thoroughly today,” Caldrin said once they’d finished their meal. Serel had scampered off to her room in search of some book she swore had dragons in it that she needed to show Vera.

  “So am I,” Vera replied, lounging in her chair at the long dining table, chewing slowly on a thick slice of bread. She lifted it, eyeing it. “This is good, by the way. Did you bake this, or was it just lying around in the stores?”

  “I made it not an hour ago, my lady,” Caldrin answered, sharpening a knife with a whetstone after tidying away the last of the dishes. Vera was fairly sure it was for effect, simply so that it looked like he was doing something while tending to her. “If memory serves, it used to be among your favorites.”

  “Mm. That tracks.” Vera took another bite, savoring it. “Might be the best bread I’ve had in my life, honestly. You could run a bakery with this.”

  “I shall make note of that. If ever I find myself stripped of the singular honor of serving as your steward, perhaps I’ll open a humble shop so the common masses may enjoy my… rarified talents.”

  Vera snorted. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I didn’t say it was that good.”

  “I believe you did.”

  “And then I realized your head’s already big enough.” She finished the last bite, brushed her fingers together, and rose from her seat. “By the way, I had a few questions for you, if you don’t mind.”

  Caldrin inclined his head. “Whether I mind is rarely of much consequence, my lady. I am at your disposal.”

  “I thought I’d at least pretend to be polite. But if you don’t like that—”

  “As your faithful servant, I will graciously accept any magnanimity you deign to bestow upon me.”

  Vera narrowed her eyes at him. He only smiled, all innocence.

  “…So,” she eventually said. “Not sure if you caught it from Serel’s very detailed recount earlier, but I ran into a bit of a problem in Marrowfen today.”

  “And what might that have been?”

  “The Pale Reconciliation.”

  His hand stilled, brow arching. “Oh dear.”

  “My thought exactly. I was under the impression they’d all been dealt with when Veyrith was killed.”

  “As was I.” A faint crease touched his forehead.

  “Seems like they were working on some kind of ritual under Marrowfen. I don’t know what exactly, but from what I saw, they’ve either already finished it or made a lot of progress. There was a lot of Resonance involved. Hard for me to gauge precisely, but definitely more than anyone I’ve run into yet.”

  “Even more than yourself, my lady?”

  Vera folded her arms, frowning. “I don’t think so. I’ve noticed that I’m terrible at comparing my own level to others, so it’s hard to be certain. What I saw there was definitely below me. Maybe about on par with one of my more expensive Hollow Reach invocations. Possibly a bit more. The problem is, that seemed to be only a fraction of the total.”

  It really was hard to tell whether that meant the total Resonance involved amounted to more than she had or not.

  “I see. That is… troubling.” Caldrin’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Were you able to discern anything of the ritual’s nature?”

  Vera shook her head. “Not really. My guess is that it’s something tied to the Silent Lords. Maybe they’re trying to bring them back.”

  “That would be unfortunate.”

  “Probably, yeah.”

  He gave her a sidelong look. “As ever, my lady, your ability to reduce matters of great peril to the level of mild inconvenience is… impressive. I am sure the citizens of Marrowfen will rest easy, knowing they are only probably doomed.”

  Vera shrugged. “I think the city’s fine. Or I hope so, at least. I already told Hollowstone Table’s Vice-Master what I found, and he’ll be looking into it. We’ll see how things play out.”

  “Their Vice-Master? Who holds that seat at present?”

  “I… didn’t catch his full name, now that I think about it. Gard something.”

  “Gard?” Caldrin seemed to consider it for a moment. “That should be Gard Whiteforest, if so. A prominent Kindled who distinguished himself in the northern domains during the siege of the Iron Maw, if I’m not mistaken.”

  Vera studied him. “Did you just happen to know that, or have you memorized every Kindled’s name?”

  “Why, naturally I have memorized them all, my lady. Anything that may prove useful to you in my service, I am duty-bound to keep close at hand. And we are fortunate indeed that my talents in recollection are of a level where such things present little challenge.”

  “…Right. Sure. Then you wouldn’t mind telling me how many Kindled there are in total?”

  “Eleven thousand, three hundred and fifty-seven, known by name or title across the dominions. If one were to make a reasonable estimate, the true number likely runs double or triple that.” He cocked his head lightly. “At least, that was the figure before the tribulations began. It is far more difficult to say now. The tribulations have taken many veteran Kindled… but birthed many new ones as well.”

  Vera gave him a suspicious squint. “There’s no way you’ve memorized that many. This time you’ve got to be making it up.”

  He only smiled, lowering his focus to the knife he was sharpening. “Perhaps. Though I will say the estimate is most likely not far off.”

  “Really?”

  The thought stuck with her. Vera wouldn’t have guessed there were that many Kindled. It made her wonder how many people actually lived in this world. Ashen Legacy had never really shown enough to give a good sense of scale in that regard. If she went by what she knew of history from her own world, anything from a few tens of millions to the low hundreds of millions seemed possible, though even imagining that was strange.

  If she were to guess, Marrowfen probably held a few tens of thousands, but probably not much beyond that. Some of the larger cities might stretch toward the hundreds of thousands. And in regions less hostile than the Mistvale Reaches, she could imagine a sprawl of villages, hamlets, and smaller settlements dotting the countryside. In the end, it probably added up.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Out of curiosity,” she asked, “how many Tenth Bindings do you think there are?”

  “It is difficult to say in the present day, my lady. But in general, once you reach the Eighth Binding and higher, you are speaking of no more than a few hundred individuals across the dominions.” He paused briefly. “I am aware of thirty-seven who have reached the Tenth Binding, not counting the Cycle-Forged such as yourself.”

  “Huh. Alright.” Vera rolled that figure over in her mind. She could name maybe a dozen NPCs who’d reached max level in the game. The gap didn’t surprise her, though. That might have been to be expected.

  For now, she set the thought aside, refocusing on Caldrin. “With that memory of yours, you should be able to answer another question. It’s about Silent Lord Veyrith, the Vowpale Ascendant. I was the one who killed him, right?”

  Caldrin nodded. “That you were, my lady.”

  “Did I do it alone?”

  “No. You accomplished it alongside certain members of your guild.”

  “The ‘Marked Ones’?”

  “That name typically refers to more than those who stood with you that day, but yes. CinderCtrl and Lady Halstrad were both present.”

  Vera tapped a finger against her forearm. So the final kill on Veyrith hadn’t been one of her solo runs. She was still trying to untangle how much and which parts of her game history carried over into this world. Back in the first expansion, she’d cleared most of the major bosses with her guild and alone, but whether those runs ‘counted’ here—or whether the world had its own separate ledger entirely—wasn’t clear.

  She leaned toward there being some connection. After all, the monument she’d stumbled across listed Elaria among those who’d slain the Hollow King, which matched the game. And the fact that Caldrin hadn’t mentioned her here, for Veyrith, also lined up.

  “On the subject of my guild… do you know anything about them?” Vera asked.

  Caldrin gave her a measured look. “Know anything, my lady?”

  “Do you know if they’re still around? If they… might be like me?”

  He hesitated, brows drawing together as if sifting through memory. She didn’t need to spell out what she meant.

  “I’m afraid I can’t say, my lady,” he eventually answered. “I have had no contact with any members of the Last Hearth since you entered your slumber. And in my recollections of earlier dealings, nothing stands out. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that much stands out, similar to my recollections of any dealings with you.”

  “Yeah. That’s what I figured.” Vera shook her head. She moved over to a sideboard and leaned against it, summoning her Vaultring. The wax tablet and stylus she’d bought for Serel appeared in her hand. “Seems like I’ll have to find more up-to-date information later. On an unrelated note, got any suggestions for places we should visit in Marrowfen tomorrow?”

  “That depends on what you wish to accomplish. From the sound of it, the young miss has already seen many of the city’s more striking landmarks.” He placed the knife and whetstone down on a shelf by the wall. “If your goal is her enjoyment, the Stillwell Garden would likely delight her. And while the Echo Niche is modest, it may capture her interest as well.”

  Vera jotted both down on the wax tablet. “Alright. I’ll keep them in mind.” She stopped, then glanced up again. “Right, I’d almost forgotten. You mentioned Serel’s Binding before. Seventh Flamebinding, but it had been a while since that was checked. What’s the ritual used to confirm it?”

  “The Rite of Embercalm,” Caldrin said. “It can be performed in the Emberward Reliquary.”

  Vera nodded, writing that down too. She was familiar with the Emberward Reliquary from the game, at least. “Would it be possible to do that tomorrow? Without making too much noise?”

  “Most likely, yes. The Votive Stewards there are bound by oaths of silence and sacrifice. They could not divulge what they learn. If you wish to reaffirm the young miss’s Binding, it should not prove troublesome.”

  “That’s good.”

  Vera was fairly sure Serel was still Seventh Binding, but she wanted to be certain. She also wanted to see firsthand how the rite worked. And if possible… she wouldn’t mind undergoing it herself, just to confirm her own Binding.

  Her gaze returned to Caldrin, staying on him for several seconds. “…Another question. Do you know how many Marks or Forms Serel knows?”

  He looked at her directly. “None, to my knowledge. You never taught her any.”

  Vera frowned. “Why?”

  The man was silent for a few beats before answering. “I cannot say. It was never a subject you shared with me. In truth, I have very few memories of you ever speaking at length about the young miss’s origins or the reasoning behind your choices with her.”

  Vera pressed her lips together. Maybe that was because she’d only created Serel as a house NPC and hadn’t bothered fleshing out more details beyond that. Maybe there was a deeper, in-world reason she didn’t yet know. It was annoying either way.

  “Were you aware she’s a genius?”

  Caldrin’s brows rose. “She is bright, yes—but when you say genius, what do you mean?”

  “She saw me invoke Mark of Ember Flame. Then she copied it.”

  A flicker of genuine surprise crossed his face. “…Ah. That is… impressive.”

  “It’s not normal, right? For people here, I mean.”

  “It’s not. For many, learning a Mark is a matter of years. Even mastery of a single one can consume a lifetime for some.”

  “What about you?”

  Caldrin folded his hands behind his back, tone even. “In my case, I usually require weeks, sometimes months, depending on the complexity and the power of the Mark.”

  “So she really is the odd one out.” Vera’s eyes dropped to the wax tablet in her hand, the stylus idly scratching at its surface. “…Any idea why she might be like that?”

  “I do not,” he said. “Regrettably.”

  “It’s fine. I’ll just have to figure it out myself.”

  “Have you considered reaching out to Lady Valecrest? She would wish to speak with you regardless.”

  Vera went still. “…I’ll get to that eventually.”

  She ignored the look he was probably giving her in response.

  The woman might be on the other side of the world. It wasn’t like they could just easily call each other and meet up.

  Just briefly, she invoked Mark of the Stillbound Veil, checking Serel’s presence. The girl was in her room, taking her time. Either she hadn’t found the dragon book yet or had gotten caught up in something else. Vera let the Mark fade, but the awareness of the kid pulsed quietly at the back of her mind.

  “…Got another question,” she said.

  “I will answer as many as you happen to have, my lady.”

  “Do you know if Serel has ever had trouble… sleeping alone at night?”

  “Sleeping?” Caldrin echoed. “Not to my awareness, no. Why? Has something changed of late?”

  “I’m… not sure.” Vera shifted, a small weight held in her chest. She pressed the stylus lightly against the wax in the tablet. “From what you remember, how did I treat her before? Was I ever… distant? Cold?”

  There were a few seconds of silence before Caldrin’s answer came.

  “You always treated the young miss with great care and devotion. It is not my place to speculate on the finer currents of my lady’s mind, but I feel confident in saying there were few things you prized above her well-being.” He paused for a moment. “That said… with the burdens you and Lady Valecrest often carried, there were long stretches when you were absent. Days, sometimes weeks, when you could not return even with the Hearthbind Token. In Lady Valecrest’s case, the absences were longer still. To speak plainly—Serel has only seen Lady Valecrest a dozen or so times within these halls.”

  Vera blinked, looking back up at him.

  No wonder the girl was anxious. If, from what she remembered, both her parent figures had been gone most of the time, any child would grow unsure about things.

  “Is there a reason why I never took her away from Sablewatch Hollow?” she asked.

  Caldrin shook his head. “None that I am aware of. I always assumed there was a reason, but it was never shared with me. However, it is not entirely true that you never brought her away. Though on the occasions that you did, it was very brief, and the young miss might not have realized that is what happened.”

  “I see.”

  Vera sighed, dismissing the wax tablet back into her Vaultring and pushing off the sideboard. She doubted the entire truth of that whole situation would come easily. And she wasn’t necessarily in a rush, either. Still, it was a shame.

  Caldrin’s eyes followed her quietly. “If I may, my lady—the reason you ask about the young miss’s sleeping habits. Can I ask what it is you noticed?”

  Vera rubbed the back of her neck. “She’s wanted to sleep with me lately. Which, honestly, makes sense with everything that’s been going on. I just wasn’t sure if there was… more to it.”

  He inclined his head slightly. “I doubt it needs saying, but she will have noticed the changes in you. Children are keen in ways we underestimate. I would be more surprised if she had not sought reassurance.”

  “That’s what I thought as well.” She looked away for a moment.

  “…And for yourself, my lady?” Caldrin asked after some time, his tone more careful. “Do you not prefer the young miss to share the nights with you?”

  “It’s not exactly convenient.”

  “Convenient? And why is that?”

  Vera’s eyes flicked back to him, but she offered no real answer. Just the faintest shrug before turning her gaze elsewhere again. “…Just isn’t.”

  Caldrin held her in silence for a while longer, but he didn’t press. Finally, he nodded, turned, and left quietly toward the adjoining room, presumably to deal with dishes or whatever other duties kept him busy when she wasn’t looking.

  Vera stayed behind, pondering some things, until Serel eventually came running back, a leather-bound book clutched proudly in her arms.

  The girl all but dragged her back to the table, insisting they go through every page, locate every rare sketch or mention of dragons. Vera didn’t mind sinking into it, chuckling along with Serel’s laughter and curious questions.

  First off, apologies for the unnanounced radio silence these past few days. The latest chapter was meant to come out on Friday, but life (and things in general) got in the way.

  here. Right now it's 11 chapters ahead, As I build up a backlog, it'll get 1-2 extra releases each week (likely 2 this week) until it reaches a more respectable size.