Chapter 19: "Mountain of Shadows"
Nestled among the sharp cliffs and frost-lined paths, the village of Galdura sat silent beneath the gray mountain sky. Known for its herb gardens and rare mineral mines, it now stood eerily still.
Division 10 made their way along the narrow pass. The wind howled, sharp and cold, but spirits among the knights were lighter than before.
The new recruits and senior knights had started to bond, in the strangest of ways.
"You really hugged a mud lizard to stop it from exploding?" one recruit asked Meth.
Meth crossed her arms. "No, I trapped it in a mud cocoon. Pay attention."
Aloy chuckled. "Still better than Dred, who tried to suplex a bear golem."
"It worked," Dred muttered defensively.
Synoh, walking beside him, smirked. "Sure, and I'm your savior now. Remember, I saved your life last mission. You even called me 'superior.'"
Laughter echoed behind them.
Dred's face turned red. "I was delusional from blood loss!"
As the teasing continued, the mountain trail opened into a small flat ridge near Galdura's entrance. There, another unit of knights waited.
Clad in deep navy cloaks with silver trim, they stood sharp and quiet.
And at their head—
Captain Alistair, tall and calm, stood with arms crossed, his silver hair short and wind-swept.
Elara dismounted, her eyes narrowing. "So the rumors were true."
"Hello, little lion," Alistair said with a smirk. "Looks like we're working together."
Synoh leaned toward Dred to ask something, but before he could speak—
Ursa suddenly spoke up beside him, voice quiet but firm.
"Don't say anything dumb."
Synoh blinked. "I wasn't—"
"That's Captain Alistair," she continued, still looking forward. "The Stealth Division leader. And more importantly, Captain Elara's idol… or older sister figure. Maybe even both."
Synoh turned to her, surprised she was talking to him at all.
"Really? She never mentioned—"
Ursa cut him off. "She wouldn't. Elara doesn't boast. But Alistair was the one who inspired her to join the knights."
Synoh, quiet now, looked back toward the two captains. Alistair and Elara spoke briefly—two leaders cut from different but connected cloth.
"Strange," Synoh murmured, "seeing her serious for once."
Ursa glanced at him, then away. "She's only serious with people she respects."