Isle of Beasts and Shadows (The Forgotten Isle Saga #1)

Epilogue

The isle had not changed in fifty years. Its jagged cliffs stood tall, unyielding, while the wind that swept across the land whispered the same songs it had since the beginning of time. Much like the isle, Airella had remained unchanged, suspended in a cruel version of eternity. Her ageless face reflected none of the years that had burdened everyone else. She still looked the same as she had the day Alikad disappeared—frozen in time. She stood on the precipice of a towering cliff, her gaze locked on the churning waters below, the salty air tangling in her hair as it always did.

But while her physical features showed no signs of the years that had passed, Airella’s heart bore the weight of every second.

It had been fifty years since Alikad had stepped through the portal. Fifty years since he had struck the deal with Conivx, the dark enchantress who had bound him to her will. Fifty years since Airella had been ripped from death’s grasp and thrust back into life—forever altered.

Airella’s chest tightened as she stood in the same place she had countless times before. Here, where the cliffs met the sea, she had always felt closer to Alikad. Closer to understanding why he had made the choice that had taken him from her.

But there were no answers. There never had been.

Behind her, footsteps crunched on the rocky path. She didn’t need to turn around to know it was Arii. Her younger brother had grown old, his once blonde hair now silver, his strong figure now hunched slightly with the weight of years. And yet, despite his age, there was still strength in his steps. Ryder, Arii’s son, walked beside him. He was tall and strong like his father once was, his face filled with the youth that matched Airella’s.

Ryder was a reminder of the passage of time she had stopped feeling, of what she had lost. His bright blue eyes, so much like his father’s, always seemed to watch her with an odd mixture of curiosity and something deeper—something Airella could not place.

“Another year,” Arii said softly as he approached, his breath visible in the cool evening air.

Another year without Alikad.

Airella nodded but didn’t speak. What was there to say? The anniversary of his disappearance was always the hardest. Fifty years without a word, without any sign of him. She had no answers, only the questions that plagued her mind each time this day arrived.

Ryder came to stand beside her, his broad shoulders towering over hers. He, like the rest of the village, had grown up knowing the story of Alikad—the reaper who had vanished after the final battle in Zol’s icy domain. Ryder had heard the stories his whole life, of Airella and Alikad, the demon within her, and the sacrifice Alikad had made to bring her back.

“You should come to the village tonight,” Ryder said, his voice gentler than his father’s. “There’s a gathering. For you.”

Airella shook her head. “I don’t want to be the reason for another reminder of what was lost.”

“It’s not about that,” Arii said, stepping forward, placing a weathered hand on her arm. “It’s about remembering what we’ve survived.”

Airella's gaze dropped, the weight of his words sinking into her. She had survived, yes—but at what cost? Her demon had been awakened, whispering in her mind ever since that day. It begged to be released, and while she had never spoken of it to anyone, the voice had grown stronger over the years.

But the people here didn’t know the burden she carried. They saw her as their protector, the ageless warrior who had fought to keep the village safe from the Miscreants that roamed the island.

“I’m not sure I can,” Airella murmured. “Not today.”

Ryder exchanged a look with Arii before stepping closer. “It’s been fifty years, Airella. Alikad… if he were coming back, wouldn’t he have done so by now?”

Airella’s jaw tightened at Ryder’s words, the unspoken truth cutting deep. She had spent every year hoping—waiting—for any sign of him. But there had been nothing. Only the silence and the empty space where Alikad should have been.

“Do you think I don’t know that?” she replied, her voice sharper than she intended. “Do you think I haven’t spent the last fifty years wondering where he is? Or if he’s even alive?”

Arii stepped forward, his eyes searching Airella’s face for a moment before he spoke. “I know you have. But you’re not alone in this. We all miss him. We all lost something that day.”

Ryder’s face softened, his eyes filled with understanding. “It’s alright to move forward, Airella. You don’t have to carry this on your own.”

Airella turned away from them both, her heart heavy with the weight of her guilt. How could she move forward when so much of her past still haunted her? She was trapped in the present, ageless and unchanged, while everyone else had moved on, aged, lived.

“Maybe I don’t want to move forward,” she whispered.

The wind howled around them, filling the silence that followed her words. Arii looked as if he wanted to say something, but Ryder shook his head slightly, signaling him to give Airella space.

“We’ll be in the village if you change your mind,” Ryder said quietly, stepping back. “We won’t push you, but you don’t have to face this alone.”

Airella didn’t respond as they turned and made their way back down the path. She stood alone once more, the sound of the waves crashing below echoing in her ears.

Fifty years. Fifty years of silence. She had told herself she was waiting for him, but perhaps Ryder was right. Perhaps it was time to accept the truth—Alikad was gone, and he wasn’t coming back.

But as she stood there, staring at the horizon, the faintest whisper brushed against her mind, the voice of the demon inside her stirring once more.

He’s not gone, it hissed. Let me out, Airella. He’s waiting. And so are you.

Airella’s hands clenched at her sides, the battle within her far from over. Perhaps the others had moved on. Perhaps the world around her had changed. But deep down, she knew that something—whether Alikad or the darkness he had disappeared into—was still out there.

And one day, she would find it.