The Last Silver

The darkness came again.

It did not move like smoke.

It did not move like shadow.

It moved like something alive.

The black mass poured across the chamber floor, swallowing everything it touched. Stone vanished beneath it. Light bent around it. Even the air seemed to recoil as the darkness advanced toward the exhausted group.

For one terrible moment, nobody moved.

Then Dinraal stepped forward.

His boots struck the stone once.

The sound echoed through the chamber.

He raised his right hand, the silver mithril gauntlet catching what little light remained, and spread his wings behind him.

“Stay behind me.”

His voice was calm.

Far too calm for what was coming.

Isolde stared at him.

“Din—”

“Stay behind me.”

This time there was something in his voice that made everyone obey.

The darkness surged.

Dinraal planted his feet.

Silver light exploded from his body.

His horns began to glow, and the silver in his eyes became almost blinding. His wings spread to their full width, forming a living shield between the approaching darkness and everyone behind him.

The darkness struck.

The impact shook the entire chamber.

Dinraal grunted.

His feet slid backward several inches.

But he did not fall.

The silver light surrounding him flared violently.

“Dinraal!”

Isolde started forward.

A hand caught her shoulder.

Gilgamesh.

“Not yet.”

“But he’s—”

“He’s buying us time.”

Gilgamesh stepped past her.

His expression had changed.

The easy confidence that usually accompanied the ancient warrior was gone.

What remained was something much older.

Something deadly.

He drew his weapon.

“If he stands,” Gilgamesh said, “then so do I.”

Alexander moved beside him.

“Agreed.”

Julius Caesar stepped forward next, his eyes fixed on the approaching darkness.

“I’ve spent enough of my life watching others stand in front of me.”

He drew his weapon.

“Today, I stand beside him.”

Johanna followed without hesitation.

The First Weapon came last.

The corgi simply walked forward, giving a resolute bark.

It stopped beside Dinraal.

Dinraal glanced sideways.

“You don’t have to do this.”

The First Weapon looked at him.

“Woof.”

Then it turned toward the darkness.

“Grrrrrr.”

Dinraal smiled faintly.

“Fair enough.”

Six figures now stood between the darkness and the others.

Dinraal.

Gilgamesh.

Alexander.

Julius.

Johanna.

And the First Weapon.

Six warriors facing something that should never have existed.

Behind them, Asha was desperately working.

“Come on.”

Her hands trembled as she manipulated the energy around them.

The spell had been devised to open a gateway between locations, but the overwhelming presence of the darkness had disrupted the channeling.

Asha gritted her teeth.

“Come on!”

The spell sparked.

Nothing happened.

“I don’t have time for this!”

Another pulse of darkness slammed into Dinraal.

He roared.

His wings snapped forward.

A massive wave of silver energy erupted from him and collided with the darkness.

For a moment, the two forces pushed against one another.

Silver against black.

Creation against annihilation.

Dinraal’s muscles strained.

Blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Gilgamesh stepped forward.

“Dinraal!”

“I’m fine!”

“You are bleeding.”

“I said I’m fine!”

Alexander laughed.

“He’s certainly stubborn.”

Julius glanced at him.

“You would know.”

“Indeed.”

Johanna raised her weapon.

“Less talking.”

The six warriors attacked together.

Gilgamesh struck first.

His weapon tore through the darkness, forcing it backward.

Alexander followed with a powerful downward blow.

Julius attacked from the side.

Johanna drove her weapon directly into the ground, releasing a shockwave that scattered the black mass.

The First Weapon moved almost too quickly to follow, its attacks cutting through the darkness with terrifying precision.

And Dinraal—

Dinraal opened his mouth wide.

Silver fire erupted in a blazing cone of devastation .

The chamber became white.

The darkness screamed.

Asha looked up.

“That’s it.”

She could feel it.

The gateway.

It was there.

She just needed enough power to force it open.

“A little more.”

She closed her eyes.

Then she reached deeper.

Far deeper.

Power surged through her.

The damaged gateway began to glow.

“Aurelius,” she whispered.

She pictured the Imperial colony.

The station.

The meeting room.

The people waiting for them.

Aurelius.

Arcturus.

Aramaeis.

Asha’s eyes opened.

“Open!”

The gateway ignited.

A circular portal formed in the center of the chamber.

Beyond it was the unmistakable interior of the Imperial station.

Asha almost collapsed from relief.

“I’ve got it!”

Dinraal heard her.

“Everyone!”

Gilgamesh turned.

“Move!”

The darkness surged one final time.

Dinraal stepped forward.

“No.”

His wings spread.

“You’re not getting them.”

He raised his gauntleted hand.

The silver light intensified.

The darkness slammed into him.

Dinraal screamed.

But he held.

“GO!”

Isolde hesitated.

“Dinraal!”

He looked back at her.

For the first time, she saw fear in his eyes.

Not fear for himself.

Fear that she would stay.

“Isolde.”

She understood.

Tears filled her eyes.

“Come back.”

“I will.”

“You’d better.”

A small smile crossed his face.

“I always do.”

Isolde ran through the portal.

Johanna followed.

Julius.

Alexander.

Gilgamesh.

The First Weapon.

One after another, they disappeared through the gateway.

Dinraal remained.

Asha stared at him.

“DINRAAL!”

He looked toward her.

“Go!”

“But—”

“Close the door behind me!”

Asha shook her head.

“You’re insane.”

“Probably.”

The darkness pushed him backward.

He dug his feet into the stone.

“Now!”

Asha reached out.

The gateway expanded.

Dinraal turned toward the darkness one final time.

His silver eyes burned.

“You don’t get them.”

Then he charged.

The explosion of silver and black swallowed the chamber.

Asha screamed his name as she threw herself through the portal.

The gateway collapsed.

Silence followed.

The Imperial colony was unusually quiet.

Aurelius stood at the center of the meeting room, staring at the readings displayed before him.

Arcturus stood beside him.

Neither had spoken for several minutes.

Aramaeis remained near the far side of the room.

His hands were clasped behind his back.

But his eyes betrayed him.

He was worried.

Terrified, even.

He had spent sixteen years telling himself that his sister was dead.

Sixteen years of believing that the woman he remembered growing up with existed only in his memories.

Sixteen years of carrying grief that had never truly left him.

Then the gateway appeared.

Everyone turned.

Asha stumbled through first.

“Everyone!”

Aurelius immediately moved toward her.

“Where are they?”

“They’re coming.”

“Who?”

Asha looked back.

“Everyone.”

The gateway flickered.

Isolde emerged.

Aurelius froze.

For a moment, the emperor could do nothing but stare.

“Isolde?”

She looked up.

Her eyes widened.

“Father.”

Aurelius crossed the room in an instant.

He pulled her into his arms.

Isolde buried her face against his chest.

Aurelius closed his eyes.

His hands trembled as he held his daughter.

“You’re alive.”

“So are you.”

“I never doubted.”

“I know.”

He pulled back just enough to look at her face.

“You look older.”

Isolde laughed through her tears.

“So do you.”

Aurelius smiled.

Then his expression changed.

“Where is Dinraal?”

Isolde looked back toward the portal.

“He stayed behind.”

Aurelius’s heart dropped.

“What?”

“He was protecting us.”

The gateway flickered again.

Then—

Someone stepped through.

Silver hair.

Silver eyes.

Silver wings.

Aurelius stared.

“Dinraal.”

Dinraal stumbled forward.

He barely managed to remain standing.

Aurelius caught him.

The Chancellor wrapped his arms around the young man without hesitation.

Dinraal froze.

He had expected questions.

He had expected concern.

Instead, Aurelius simply held him.

“You came back.”

Dinraal closed his eyes.

“Yes.”

Aurelius’s voice broke.

“I was afraid I would never see you again.”

Dinraal swallowed.

“I wasn’t going to leave.”

Aurelius pulled away and looked at him.

“You’d better remember that.”

Dinraal smiled.

“I will.”

Then Aramaeis saw her.

He stopped breathing.

Tiamat stood on the other side of the room.

For sixteen years, he had imagined this moment.

In some versions of the memory, she was young.

In others, she was old.

Sometimes she was angry.

Sometimes she was smiling.

Sometimes he imagined her saying his name.

But never once had he imagined her standing there.

Alive.

Tiamat looked across the room.

Her eyes found him.

“Aramaeis.”

He broke.

He crossed the room.

Tiamat barely had time to open her arms before her brother crashed into her.

She wrapped both arms around him.

Aramaeis buried his face against her shoulder.

For several seconds neither spoke.

Then he whispered—

“I thought you were dead.”

Tiamat closed her eyes.

“I know.”

“I buried you.”

“I know.”

“I spent sixteen years mourning you.”

Tiamat’s tears began to fall.

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t get to apologize.”

His voice cracked.

“You don’t get to apologize for surviving.”

Tiamat held him tighter.

“I missed you.”

Aramaeis began to cry.

So did she.

“I missed you too.”

They remained together, neither willing to let go.

Sixteen years disappeared.

They were children again.

A brother and sister who had once believed they would grow old together.

Aurelius looked away.

Even Arcturus quietly wiped his eyes.

Dinraal watched the reunion.

Then Tiamat looked over Aramaeis’s shoulder.

Her eyes found Dinraal.

Her son.

Dinraal stared back.

“Mother.”

Tiamat’s expression shattered.

“I thought you stayed behind...”

She rushed toward him.

Dinraal barely had time to open his arms before she embraced him.

He held her tightly.

Tiamat pressed her face against his chest.

“My son.”

Dinraal closed his eyes.

“I missed you.”

“I thought—”

Her voice broke.

“I thought I had lost you again so soon after reuniting.”

“You didn’t.”

She pulled back and touched his face.

“You’ve grown strong.”

Dinraal smiled.

“I’ve been told.”

Tiamat laughed through her tears.

Then she touched his horns.

“And these?”

“They look good, right?”

“They do, Bahamut would be proud.”

She laughed again.

Dinraal smiled.

For the first time in years, he felt like a child again.

Not the Last Silver.

Not a warrior.

Not a weapon.

Just a son.

The meeting room doors opened.

Aurelius turned.

“Aurelius, I—”

The succubus queen stopped.

She had clearly entered with something important to discuss.

Something political.

Something urgent.

But none of it mattered anymore.

Her eyes had fallen upon Isolde.

Then Dinraal.

Rhiannon’s face went completely still.

Isolde noticed her.

“Mother?”

Rhiannon’s lips parted.

“My little girl?”

She took one step forward.

Then another.

Her eyes filled with tears.

“Isolde?”

Isolde smiled.

“Hi, Mom.”

Rhiannon broke.

She ran.

The queen of the succubi, ruler of an entire kingdom, abandoned every trace of dignity and sprinted across the room.

She threw her arms around Isolde.

“My baby!”

Isolde laughed as Rhiannon nearly knocked her over.

“Mom!”

“I thought you were gone!”

“I came back.”

Rhiannon held her tighter.

“I know.”

Then Rhiannon looked over Isolde’s shoulder.

Her eyes found Dinraal.

She froze.

Dinraal stared back.

Rhiannon’s face crumpled.

“Oh, Caelum.”

She crossed the remaining distance and pulled him into the embrace.

Dinraal stiffened.

Then he relaxed.

Rhiannon hugged him with all the strength she had.

“You came back too.”

Dinraal swallowed.

“Yes.”

She ran a trembling hand through his silver hair.

“You’ve gotten so big.”

Dinraal laughed softly.

“I hear that a lot.”

Rhiannon pulled back.

She looked at his horns.

His wings.

His silver eyes.

Then she cupped his face.

“You look just like your mother.”

Dinraal glanced toward Tiamat.

“I’ve been told that too.”

Rhiannon laughed through her tears.

Then she pulled him back into the hug.

Aurelius watched.

His family was scattered across the room.

His daughter.

His adopted son.

Tiamat.

Aramaeis.

Rhiannon.

Friends.

Warriors.

Survivors.

For years, Aurelius had feared that the people he loved would slowly disappear one by one.

And yet somehow—

They kept coming home.

Aurelius smiled.

Then he noticed something.

Dinraal’s smile had disappeared.

The young man was staring toward the place where the gateway had closed.

Aurelius followed his gaze.

“The others?”

Dinraal nodded.

“They’re safe.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

Dinraal looked at his gauntleted hand.

“The darkness.”

The room became quiet.

Aurelius’s expression hardened.

“What happened?”

Dinraal looked at Gilgamesh.

Then Alexander.

Then Julius.

Johanna.

The First Weapon.

Finally, he looked at Asha.

“It wasn’t trying to kill us.”

Arcturus frowned.

“Then what was it trying to do?”

Dinraal’s silver eyes darkened.

“It was trying to get through us.”

Tiamat’s expression changed.

“Get through you?”

Dinraal nodded.

“To this place.”

Aramaeis slowly released his sister.

“Why?”

Dinraal looked toward Aurelius.

“I don’t know.”

Asha stepped forward.

“But I think I do.”

Everyone turned toward her.

Asha took a breath.

“When I opened the gateway, the darkness reacted.”

Aurelius frowned.

“How?”

“It followed the connection.”

Arcturus’s face became grim.

“So it knows where we are.”

Asha nodded.

“Yes.”

Silence filled the room.

Then Dinraal looked toward the others.

“Which means we have a problem.”

Gilgamesh smiled grimly.

“Only one?”

Alexander laughed.

Julius shook his head.

“Then we had better get to work.”

Johanna raised her weapon.

The First Weapon stood silently beside them.

Tiamat stepped toward her son.

Aramaeis stood beside his sister.

Rhiannon took Isolde’s hand.

Aurelius looked around the room.

For the first time in sixteen years, his family was together.

And somewhere beyond the walls of the Imperial colony, something ancient was coming.

Aurelius straightened.

“Then we face it together.”

Dinraal stepped beside him.

Silver light faintly glimmered in his eyes.

“Together.”

And this time—

he would not stand alone.

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