Foundation of Smoke and Steel

Chapter 56

DanielIt’s amazing he didn’t die. The skyglass—while not exactly glass—is closer to obsidian than it is granite, so it fractured in a way that could have been bad if Daniel hadn’t taken precautions.

“The mana shield was a good technique to learn,” Daniel said, collapsing onto his side, trembling violently. “That could have been bad.”

Ethan commented.

Daniel snorted but didn’t respond.

The pieces of skyglass lay in larger fragments, seeming to glow with leftover mana. They pulsed softly as he placed them in the containment sleeve but slowly became inert. He had succeeded. But the cost of that success…

He knew what this place was now. It was a monument to the true horror of the Demon Sect. A destruction so absolute, it erased even the lingering spirit, leaving only the raw, undying stain of emotion. And the skyglass, in its purity, had held it all.

He wasn’t sure what made him do it. But before he left, he took Qinglan Silence, which reacted again to his touch, and he cut some words into the stone.

On impulse, he imbued the words with mana:

Daniel took a step back and bowed.

Daniel shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Hopefully, somewhere, it helps them find some peace.”

He wiped the cold sweat from his brow. The ascent from the deepest chamber was a silent, solemn affair. The glyphs on the walls—once frantic etchings of despair—flickered once more as he passed, like tired eyes watching a final departure.

At the mouth of the cave, daylight broke in soft beams through thinning fog.

Daniel stepped into it, heart still echoing with what he’d felt. Their pain, their loss, their fear…

He stood for a long moment at the entrance, listening. But the mine made no sound. Behind him, the last pulse of resonance flickered… and went still.

He hoped—he truly hoped—that the silence wasn’t temporary, the relief wasn’t buried. He hoped for a true release.

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The descent back down the ridge was harder than the climb, as the quiet was suddenly relentless. It was the kind of quiet that comes after a funeral of a loved one whose death is unexpected.

Daniel moved with mechanical efficiency, retracing his route through the winding forest trail. Every root he’d stepped over, every faint scar of an old mountain rail track—he hit them all again. But the mountain didn’t feel the same.

It was lighter now. But emptier too.

“You okay?” Ethan asked.

Daniel nodded once. “Yeah.”

“You haven’t said anything for like an hour.”

“I was thinking.”

“Clearly. About?”

“Violence is part of our world too. We’ve had wars that have killed hundreds of thousands, millions even. In the last century and a half, we’ve had it happen twice—where some crazy asshole tried to take over the world and almost succeeded. He murdered—I cannot tell you how many people. I’ve seen the remnants of his actions. Whole towns, dead. Entire family lines, gone. There’s a memorial in a place that shows all the shoes of people who died. It was… hard. But this… this is happening here too. It’s a bit different when I can feel the emotions of those lost. And you’re telling me… you’re telling me that the things that caused this suffering are trying to make their way back. It’s just a lot.”

Ethan didn’t answer right away. Then: “

Daniel righted himself. “Then we’d better make sure we are ready. Remind me to ask you about the Demon Sect later. It’s time for me to try to figure out my enemy.”

Daniel smiled at that.

The field transport came into view at the edge of the ridge—a sleek, dark-mirrored construct resting just where they’d left it, low to the ground, armored and rune-sealed.

Daniel opened the rear compartment and slid the satchel of shard cases inside, securing them in the spirit-insulated stasis box. The internal shielding flared once, then sealed with a low hum.

One less variable to worry about.

He climbed into the front seat and keyed the ignition crystal.

“Where to now?”

Ethan’s voice was steadier. “The blood copper is actually in an old battlefield. There is tons of the stuff, but the route is pretty dangerous, so we’re going to want to go on the main thoroughfare toward Mount Serathune.”

Daniel raised an eyebrow. “Anything as bad as what we just walked out of?”

Ethan’s voice echoed in Daniel’s mind, “T

Daniel let out a sigh. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel·fiɾe·net

Ethan continued like he couldn’t hear him. “T

Daniel stopped listening at that point. Attempting to focus as he made his way to their next destination.