The crackle of flames still echoed in the distance, but the forest just outside Velhara's borders offered a moment of calm. A small, hidden clearing surrounded by trees thick with moss and starlight served as the temporary camp for Ryuuji and his reunited companions.
The silence after their escape was filled not with tension, but something heavier—memories, guilt, longing. And for the first time in years… healing.
Reina sat cross-legged by the fire, her arms wrapped around her knees. Her tail twitched now and then, brushing the grass, a rare sign of agitation. Raphtael sat nearby, nursing a partially-healed wound across his ribs. His white hair had dulled from exhaustion, but his eyes still carried that warmth that had once earned him the title Angelic Touch.
Ryuuji stood with his arms crossed beside a tree, watching the stars, while Elysia sat on a low rock, letting the moonlight kiss her scales. Duncan paced, restless, sword slung casually across his back. Sierra, as ever, sat quietly between them, like a still point in a storm.
"...I thought I'd never see you again," Reina finally whispered, her voice hoarse from days of silence.
"You're not the only one," Ryuuji said softly, turning to face her.
"I was ready to kill them," Duncan growled. "If you hadn't stopped me, Ryuuji, I would've leveled the whole damn city."
"You nearly did," Sierra said with a faint smile. "One more minute and the north wing would've collapsed on us."
Raphtael let out a quiet chuckle. "I heard the rumors about Ryuuji returning… but I didn't believe it until I saw you cut through that wall."
"I didn't believe it either," Reina murmured. "Until I felt that same presence again. That warmth. The same man who dragged us across the continent, shouting about hope."
Ryuuji rubbed the back of his neck, looking awkward. "I was younger then."
"You were reckless," Elysia added, smirking.
"But we followed you anyway," Sierra said gently.
Ryuuji looked at them all in turn. "Because we were all needed. We still are."
He stepped closer to the fire, his tone growing serious. "The Council is rotting from within. We've seen what they did to Duncan, to Sierra, to both of you. Hypnosis, experimentation, using magic like a leash on people they fear."
Reina's ears flattened. "They tried to strip the beast from me."
"They tried to make me heal things I didn't understand," Raphtael added. "Not just people. Machines. Spells. They wanted to use me like a forge."
Ryuuji's fists clenched. "That ends now. We're going to destroy the Council's leadership. Root and stem."
A long silence followed. Crackling wood. The breeze rustling the leaves.
Then Duncan let out a bark of laughter. "You always did have a flair for grand declarations."
"Doesn't make him wrong," Sierra said, standing. "I'm in."
"You know I'll follow," said Elysia, her wings unfolding slightly. "This world was built on lies after your victory. If it must be reshaped, we will do it together."
Raphtael slowly rose to his feet, wincing as his ribs protested. "I can still cast a few miracles… if we're careful."
Everyone turned to Reina.
She met their gaze, then let out a sigh. "I said I wouldn't fight again. That after the demon lord fell, I'd find peace."
"You deserve that," Ryuuji said.
"But if the people in charge now are worse than the ones we fought before…" Her claws dug into the earth. "Then peace won't come until we tear their throne apart."
She stood. "Let's go to war."
Ryuuji nodded. "Not just for revenge—but for the future. For Kiko. For every child born into this world who shouldn't have to fear magic."
Elysia smiled warmly. "She's waiting for us back at the island. Kenta, Jarred, Marla—everyone's there. We're building something new. Something better."
"Then it's time we bring the fight to them," Duncan said. "But smartly. Not like before."
"I agree," Ryuuji said. "The Council's territory is massive. We'll need allies. We'll need information. And most of all—we'll need people to believe in what we're doing."
Sierra nodded. "Then our next step is simple. We move east. To Norwyn."
Reina raised an eyebrow. "That desert kingdom that never joined the war?"
"They stayed neutral, but their people remember us," Sierra explained. "Their Queen is sympathetic. And their libraries might hold the key to unraveling the Council's magical network."
Ryuuji looked at his friends—his family—and smiled. "Then we head to Norwyn."
---
Later that night, as the campfire died down and the others drifted into sleep, Ryuuji sat by the edge of the clearing with Elysia.
"You did well," she said gently, resting her head on his shoulder.
"They deserve peace," he said. "They were happy, I could tell. Even after everything, they still laughed."
"You carry too much on your shoulders."
He shook his head. "No, this time… I'm not alone."
Elysia wrapped her arm around his. "Never again."
The wind rustled the trees around them, whispering through the night like a song long forgotten. Ryuuji closed his eyes and let it wash over him.
For the first time in years, he wasn't just fighting for something.
He was fighting with the ones who mattered most.