Cass and company were held at the scene for entirely too long. All Cass wanted to do was pass out. Her little campfire wasn't refilling her Focus nearly fast enough to keep track of everything happening around her now that the adrenaline in her system was gone and everything hurt.

She was covered in cuts from paladin blades and lightning burns from Kohen's attacks. Blisters covered her hands and the exposed sections of her arms. Her armor was missing large sections and all her clothing was soaked in blood.

Her Health was once again in the teens. It would be days before that crept back up and her body stopped aching.

Vaguely, she was aware of Alyx and her dragon talking to one another beside her and Salos in her lap.

At some point, they carried Kohen out on a stretcher. His parents followed, his mother all but clinging to him as they left.

One of the knights asked Cass, Alyx, and Pellen questions. They were simple things, like how she ended up here and how they knew about the dragonlings. They gave simple answers in return, all failing to mention the demonic involvement of the day's events.

Finally, Ahryn stirred.

Emenie, his dragon, uncurled from around him. Her white scales had taken on a pearlescent shimmer, like glitter suspended in water. Her wings unfurled, the white membrane speckled with flecks of silver. Her eyes—now inky black and speckled with silver—blinked slowly as her consciousness returned to the waking world.

Ahryn, her knight, mumbled as he sat up. He still looked faint to Cass's eyes, but he stood at Emenie's side without shaking.

"Ahryn Delim Veldor," the duchess said, towering over the boy, seeming to dwarf even the pony-sized dragon at his side. "Knight of Emenes of Kaidrach's Hoard."

His head whipped back and forth, suddenly very awake. He visibly relaxed as his hand brushed up against Emenie's neck.

"Prepare yourself." The duchess stared down at him, her expression hard but not quite glaring. "You are no longer the child hiding behind your father's name."

He nodded quickly, his hand curling into Emenie's mane.

The duchess's eyes turned on Alyx. "Alyx Aretios Veldor, knight of Kelstor of Kaidrach's Hoard. Hold your head high. You have done what few would dare and won. I expect much from both of you.

"Come. It is time to introduce you to the city." The duchess turned on her heel and strode out of the cathedral.

Ahryn stared after her. Emenie butted her head against his shoulder. "Come on, let's go."

He nodded again and scurried after his grandmother.

Alyx followed too. She glanced over her shoulder at Cass. "Us too."

Cass pushed herself to her feet. Finally. Maybe she could slip away once they were outside the Temple. Her every instinct screamed she should get away from the duchess before more pointed questions started flying.

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Maybe she was more wired from that last fight than she thought. A tension was building in her shoulders, like her body was waiting for something in this situation to snap.

They wound their way through the Halls of Fortitude, the green glass strangely lusterless around them. Had it always been like that?

Either way, it was a relief when they finally left the green halls behind and stepped out into the main complex, green glass giving way to bright blue. The relief would be even greater when she could finally get outside.

Telis and Marco waited for them there.

"You're back," Telis said. She stood tall and proper, but her voice wavered with emotion.

"I'm back," Alyx repeated softly.

"I told you she'd be fine." Marco nodded to himself, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You sent her in alone!" Telis hissed. "The average level was well above hers. And she went in alone."

"I sent the mage," Marco huffed.

"That's—" Telis stiffened as she looked over Alyx's shoulder.

Kelstor lowered his head down to Alyx's shoulder. "Hello, Miss Telis."

"That can't be," Marco muttered.

"Hello, Sir Marco," Kelstor said.

The two stared up at the dragon, their mouths agape.

Kelstor looked away. "I'm sorry I'm back so late."

"You fool." Telis shook in place. She stared up at the dragon, her eyes wet.

"I'm sorry I didn't bring Aris home," Kelstor said.

"Boy," Marco rushed past Alyx, slamming his face against the dragon's chest and wrapping his arms around the dragon's neck. "We buried her nine years ago. No one's expectin' you to bring her back. We're just glad to see you again."

"What took you so long?" Telis looked away. Was she crying?

"We're home," Alyx said quietly, stroking the side of Kelstor's face.

Cass slowed down to give them space. Would her homecoming look like that? Cass could see it, somehow, she stumbled back across worlds and into her family home. She'd walk through the door, proudly calling she was home. Kaye and Robin would rush to the front door.

Would they recognize her? She hadn't changed much physically. Just her eyes were different. Would that scare them? Or would they be too relieved to see her alive to care?

Would she tell them everything that had happened to her? The life and death adventures. The monsters she'd fought. The people she killed.

Would they understand?

Would it scare them?

Would it be enough that she made it back alive?

She shut her eyes, trying not to cry.

"Miss Cass?" Pellen chirped, poking up from Cass's side. The little argu's eyes all looked up at Cass with infinite worry. "Are you alright?"

"Pellen?" Right, the little mage had shown up at some point in the fighting without explanation. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, um." Pellen looked down, her fingers suddenly very interesting to the vast number of her eyes. "You said you had something for me. And then you didn't show up. So I got worried. So I got Lady Alyx. And I realize that might have been overstepping, but—"

So that's how Alyx had arrived when she did. A grin spread across Cass's face. She clapped Pellen's worrying hands between her own and made eye contact with Pellen's central eyes. "Thank you."

"Th-th-thank you?" Pellen squeaked.

"Getting Alyx saved me," Cass said. And Kelstor. And probably Kohen and Ahryn too. "Thank you."

Pellen's ashy skin reddened. "Oh. I'm glad. I was afraid I may have overstepped."

Cass shook her head. "No. I would not have survived if you hadn't brought Alyx as quickly as you did."

A small smile slipped across Pellen's face.

A gong rang through the temple.

Cass cocked her head.

"Miss Cass?"

The gong rang again. The sound rippled through her.

"What is that?" Cass asked, more to herself than anyone else.

"What is what?" Pellen asked.

The gong rang.

"That."

Pellen frowned.

You hear that, too, right? Cass asked Salos.

I fear to ask, but what are you referring to?

A gong?

It rang again. Her body flinched with the sound.

"That!" Cass said again.

Pellen shook her head.

I don't hear anything, Salos said. Are you sure—

The world went dark.

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