The caravan continued northward as Colm sat in the wagon, gazing out across the horizon. Lost in thought, a new scent drifted through the air, catching his attention. He perked up, sniffing instinctively.

Don noticed and chuckled. "We're getting close. You can smell the salt in the air as it carries over. Shouldn't be more than a couple more hours now."

Colm nodded, a smile creeping onto his face. I'm almost there. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this excited to see the sea. He let the euphoric feeling settle before turning to Don.

"Say, Don—when we get to the coast, will we be right up against the water where we can dip our feet in, or is it more of an overlook where we can just see it?"

Don glanced at him and let out a laugh. "That's an excellent question. We'll actually be spending a couple of days at a beach."

Colm perked up at that, excitement bubbling in his chest.

Don caught his reaction and laughed again. "That's everyone's favorite part of the trip. We'll stay at the beach for about a day or two, depending on how well everyone scavenges. After that, we'll head a little east—less than half a day's journey—to some rocky alcoves where rare minerals can be found. All in all, we'll be making a few different stops."

Colm nodded. "Thanks. It's been a while since I've been to a beach… really brings back old memories," he said, his voice soft, a tear forming in his eye.

Don gave a quiet nod, saying nothing.

Colm sat with his head in his hands, trying to push the memories away. But deep down, he knew—if he didn't speak now, he might never do it.

"My wife… or I should say, my late wife," he began, his voice quieter than before. "We used to go to the beach all the time. We lived near the coast, and whenever we wanted peace, we'd find a quiet spot—just us and the kids, spending the day there. Sometimes, we'd stop by for only an hour, just to breathe in the ocean air, to feel that breeze."

He exhaled sharply, his shoulders loosening as if a great weight had been lifted. "It's… It's been a long time since I've been to one. Longer than I care to admit."

For a moment, silence stretched between them. Then, Colm looked up toward Don. "Thanks for listening," he said, releasing a heavy sigh.

Don nodded. "Anytime, Colm. I'm sorry to hear about your wife. I wouldn't have pictured you as a married man with kids at your age."

Colm let out a small chuckle. "Yeah… we married young. Had kids. The whole shebang. It was hectic for a while, but we found our rhythm. I loved her. I loved them."

Don dipped his head in quiet understanding.

"I've been alone now," Colm continued, his voice thick with emotion. "For far longer than I care to admit. After the accident, I shut everyone out. My whole world changed in an instant." Tears welled in his eyes, but he forced himself to stay steady.

Taking a slow breath, he let the moment settle. "I needed this. I was losing myself for years. But then… everything happened so fast. And now here I am." He glanced toward the horizon, his expression unreEmmable. "I never thought I'd find myself back on a beach again. It's… bittersweet."

The waves crashed before him, the salty breeze tugging at his hair. Sand clung to his feet as the sun dipped toward the horizon, casting a golden glow over the endless expanse of water.

Colm stood still, watching the tide ebb and flow—relentless, powerful, serene. He let the moment seep into every fiber of his being, reaching into the darkness that had once consumed him. And for the first time in a long while… he saw the light.

"It's beautiful," he murmured softly.

* * *

Colm sat there, sipping his coffee, his fingers tapping nervously against the table as his thoughts spiraled.

"It was just under two months ago," he muttered to himself. "And nothing happened to him. He got away with it. How the hell did he get away with it?" His voice barely rose above a whisper. Money? Connections? It didn't make sense. It was over before it even had a chance to begin.

His mind raced, frustration tightening in his chest. I don't know what to do anymore… He exhaled sharply, dropping his face into his hands.

The soft chime of the café door cut through his thoughts, signaling a new customer.

"Hey," a voice called.

Firm, yet heavy with sadness.

"I thought I'd find you here."

Colm didn't move as the scrape of a chair echoed beside him, followed by the soft creak of someone sitting down.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Colm." The voice was closer now. "I'm sorry. I saw the news… and believe me, I know it's not fair. I wanted justice for them too."

Slowly, Colm lifted his head, his tired eyes settling on a familiar face—red hair, freckles. For a brief moment, his heart flickered with something unspoken.

But it was only Ann.

She held his gaze, her expression holding strong. "I can't say I know exactly what you're going through. But believe me when I say I understand. The pain. The anger. I miss her too… she was my sister."

Her hand rested gently on his shoulder, but Colm didn't react.

"I'm here if you ever need anything, okay? If you ever want to talk… to vent… let me know."

Colm sat in silence before finally giving a small nod. "Thank you," he murmured.

Ann smiled softly. "Of course, Colm. You're family."

She pulled him into a tight hug, and for a moment, the weight of grief seemed to ease, if only slightly.

They sat there for what felt like hours, letting the sadness settle.

After she left only the dark thoughts remained swirling in his mind.

You don't know what I might be capable of.

The scary thing is that I don't either.

* * *

Colm stood there for what felt like hours letting the waves crash at his feet endlessly. A hand came and clasped Colm on the shoulder. Colm turned and saw it was Don.

"How you holding up?" Don asked.

Colm let out a deep sigh. "I've been better. But… I needed this. I finally feel some form of closure—at least, as much as I could get."

Don nodded. "I'm glad to hear that," he said, turning his gaze back to the ocean.

Minutes passed in relative silence, the two simply standing there, letting the moment settle. Eventually, Colm felt a sense of fulfillment and turned to Don, clasping his hand.

"So, what's next?" he asked.

Don chuckled. "Eager one, aren't ya?" He continued, "Honestly? Not much. We just rotate the guard shifts to monitor the entrance we came through. It's pretty convenient since the terrain funnels everything into one path, so it's easy to defend."

He gave a small shrug. "Other than that, we just keep an eye out and do our own thing nearby. It's a pretty easy gig since nothing really happens."

Colm nodded. "Honestly, that's nice. So nothing ever really happens on these trips?"

Don nodded. "Nope. I've done this countless times, and the most we've run into is an occasional undead like today, or sometimes a random monster."

Colm perked up at that. "Random monster? I feel like all I've ever seen are undead or some beasts. Never really seen any monsters outside of an echo though. That's new to me."

Don nodded. "Yeah, it's not too common, but it definitely happens. Basically, when Echoes collapse or weaken, sometimes monsters from inside break free and start wandering, looking for prey."

His expression darkened slightly. "The scary part is that once they're outside the Echo, they can grow. Something about the magic in an Echo keeps creatures locked at a constant level, but once they escape, they can hunt, feed, and get stronger. Most of the time, the beasts out here are tough enough to handle them. But sometimes… they carve out their own path instead."

Colm absorbed that, frowning. "We've seen some nasty ones over the years," Don continued, "but what we've figured out is that lower-tier Echoes are more likely to have monsters escape. Higher-tier Echoes? It's practically impossible, but… it can happen." Don said with a shudder.

"Shit," Colm muttered. "I didn't know that. That really puts things into perspective… something else to keep an eye out for."

Don nodded. "Yeah. It's terrifying. That's why being in a city like Brimhope is great—we've got incredibly strong folks who can handle just about anything. But out here in the wild? We've only got ourselves."

Colm exhaled. "Thanks. Can't believe I didn't know about this."

Don smiled. "Glad I started rambling, then," he said with a laugh. "Seems like you got something out of it."

Colm smiled back.

"Speaking of guard shifts," Don continued, "mind taking the next one? It's time to rotate out, and you've been standing here a while."

Before Colm could respond, Don added, "Which is perfectly fine, by the way. I know you were dealing with stuff. But now that you're feeling better, I figured you could relieve whoever's on duty."

Colm nodded. "Yeah, no problem. I'll take the next shift."

Don perked up. "Perfect. If you need anything, let me know. We're all here to help each other," he said with a smile.

Colm returned the nod. "Thanks, Don." With that, he made his way back toward the caravan, scanning the area until he spotted a familiar face sitting upon a rock on the outskirts of the caravan watching the entrance—Levi, another adventurer he had chatted with briefly before but never for long.

"Hey, Levi," Colm called out. "Don sent me to relieve you."

Levi turned, nodding in acknowledgment. "Got it. Thanks, Colm. Been pretty quiet—haven't seen anything."

"Good to hear," Colm replied.

With that, Levi stood and stretched before making his way toward the caravan. He's probably off to grab some of that stew they were making, Colm mused. Kinda regret not getting some myself. Smelled amazing... oh well, maybe later.

Settling onto the rock Levi had occupied, Colm activated Phantom Warrior and Phantom Spearman, summoning Carver and Lance to assist with the watch.

As the two finished materializing beside him, Colm grinned. "Hey, you two. Guard duty—mind keeping an eye out with me?"

Carver gave a subtle nod and immediately turned toward the entrance. Lance, on the other hand, slumped his shoulders dramatically and sat beside Colm on the rock.

Colm laughed. "I know, I know—it's not the most glamorous job. Definitely not as fun as slaying monsters in the Echoes we've been through. But hey, someone's gotta do it."

Lance looked at him, then gave a reluctant nod.

Colm chuckled again. Something about a phantom acting bored is both hilarious and kind of unsettling.

With his phantoms focused on the entrance, Colm took the opportunity to practice meditation, attempting to split his focus between maintaining awareness and deepening his concentration.

The moment he tried, a sharp pain lanced through his skull.

"Ooph," he muttered, rubbing his temples. Maybe I shouldn't try to do that…?

But the urge to push forward lingered. If I can level it, maybe it'll help. If I keep at it, I might be able to manage both.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed through the discomfort, keeping his gaze trained on the entrance, scanning for any potential threats.

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