And by these vows I stand with all who seek peace.”
Her voice rings out clean and certain.
Then — seamlessly — she shifts into the Reaper blood-chant, syllables vibrating with ancient rhythm:
“By bone and storm, by spirit and flame,
By winds that carve our names into the valley,
By blood that binds all living kin,
I walk forward, fearless and unbroken.”
There’s a tension suspended in the air — not fear, not reverence so much as absolute clarity.
For a breath, there isn’t a single sound.
Then —thunderous applause.
Not polite clapping. Not muted approval.
Roaring.
Vibration.
Thunder in hundreds of voices.
I see Reapers stamping their feet as the chant ends, arms raised, voices rolling like a tide of flame and bone:
“Zhar’kana! Zhar’kana! Zhar’kana!”
I look for Brom — and that’s when I see it: tears. Big, salty glints rolling down his weathered cheeks. He doesn’t hide it. He doesn’t wipe them away. He lets them fall, like rain against iron, and claps harder than anyone else.
Kallus and I exchange a glance — a quiet smile blooming between us, unguarded, wholehearted.
The Bone-Singer lifts his voice above the roar:
“Let this be known across every valley and star-way. The oaths are renewal. The bond is affirmed. The child born of this union stands as testament to what can grow from peace and unity.”
More cheering — rising, roaring, the valley itself echoing it back like stars reflecting in a dark sea.
Kallus moves then — like he’s borne upward by the rumble of sound. He reaches down, scoops Chelsea into his arms, and lifts her high over his head, turning in a slow, expansive circle.
She giggles — a sound like wind through crystalline chimes.
And then Kallus let out hiswar-call howl— a long, rolling sound that starts deep in his chest and climbs into the air like wildfire.
The entire valley responds.
Not just a shout — a chorus — answering down the stone corridors, echoing off the cliffs, joining in with thunder and wind.
I watch, heart full, eyes glistening.
It’s more than ceremonial.
It’salive.
I look at Chelsea — her cheeks flushed, hair cascading like wildfire in the wind, eyes shimmering with light and laughter.
