Dawn arrived quietly, its pale light washing across the mountain slope in soft bands of gold and white.

  Eis was the first to wake — as she always was. The air carried the scent of thawing frost and the faint smoke of last night’s fire.

  Below, the world felt changed.

  Where once the sky had been a storm of ley fire and snow, now a calm haze blanketed the valley — distant, still, alive.

  For the first time since she arrived in this world, the stillness felt real.

  A short walk down the slope brought Team Argent back to the place where they had parted from the Archmage guide.

  He was exactly where they left him — maintaining the wagons, the protective wards still glowing gently around the cargo.

  When he saw them, his relief was immediate.

  “You’re alive!” he exclaimed. “All of you!”

  Kael muttered, “Barely.”

  “The Vault?” the guide asked, voice trembling. “I could feel the mana fluctuations even from here.”

  Eis answered simply, “Sealed.”

  The guide sagged with relief. “Thank the gods. Thank you.”

  Ronan clapped his shoulder. “Let’s get you home.”

  And with that, the caravan began the long descent.

  The journey back took three weeks.

  Spring roads half-melted under wagon weight, forcing detours through soft ground and narrow passes. Progress was steady but slow—measured in distance earned rather than miles crossed.

  The days blurred together, but patterns formed.

  Early on, the land still carried the imprint of the mountains. Frost-bitten stone gave way to pine forests than to plains, meltwater carving thin silver rivers through the slopes. Nights were cold and clear, stars sharp overhead, undisturbed by ley storms or unstable currents.

  Kael took watch often, habit unchanged, bow never far from his reach.

  Lira checked wards each evening, fingers brushing glyphs out of routine more than fear.

  Ronan walked close to Eis when the terrain narrowed—never crowding, never distant.

  On the fourth night, Eis offered to cook.

  No announcement. No explanation.

  She simply took the ingredients Lira had gathered, added the game Kael brought in, and worked quietly beside the fire. Her movements were efficient, unhurried. When she handed out bowls, the smell alone drew attention.

  Kael took one bite, then another. Then paused.

  “…Okay,” he said. “I’m offended.”

  Lira blinked at her own bowl. “Since when can you cook?”

  Eis shrugged lightly. “I had time to learn.”

  Ronan said nothing at first. He just ate—slow, thoughtful—and went back for more.

  After that, Eis cooked whenever it made sense. The meals were simple, but grounding. Warm. The kind of food that settled the body after long days of walking.

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  Somewhere along the road, Team Argent noticed the change.

  It wasn’t dramatic.

  Eis was still quiet. Still reserved. Still chose listening over speaking. But the tension that used to sit just beneath her movements—always coiled, always ready—had eased.

  She stayed closer to the fire at night. Sat with them longer. Answered questions without hesitation. Sometimes even laughed—soft, brief, real.

  Lira noticed first.

  “She’s… lighter,” she murmured one evening while checking the wards.

  Kael nodded. “Yeah. Maybe telling us the truth unburdened something in her.”

  Ronan noticed last, and understood most.

  Whatever the Sun Vault had done—whatever had ended there—it hadn’t taken anything from Eis.

  It had released something.

  As the weeks passed, storms softened into spring rain. Travelers’ markers appeared along the road. Smoke rose from distant farmhouses. Wagon tracks crossed theirs, fresh and ordinary.

  Once, they passed a merchant caravan arguing loudly over cheese prices.

  Kael shook his head. “Whole world could have ended, and they’re mad about goat cheese.”

  Lira smiled. “That’s the point.”

  The land flattened. Hills replaced stone. Ley lines beneath the soil hummed steady and calm.

  On the final night before the city, they shared stew, passed a flask, and slept under a mild sky.

  When Lumaire finally appeared—banners glowing gold, towers rising high—the city’s hum carried even from a distance.

  Lira exhaled. “Home.”

  Kael nudged her. “You say that every time.”

  “And every time I mean it.”

  Ronan glanced at Eis as the gates drew closer. “Guild first.”

  “Yes,” Eis said easily. “They’ll want confirmation the Vault is sealed and news of Vauren.”

  “And after?” he asked.

  Eis looked ahead at the city—not guarded, not uncertain.

  “After,” she said, “I’ll decide.”

  This time, it sounded like a promise—to herself.

  The Guild Hall was alive with noise — adventurers shouting, clerks arguing, stew bubbling in the side hall.

  But when Team Argent stepped in — the nearly two month expedition showed obvious signs— the hall quieted.

  Whispers swept across the room.

  A clerk rushed forward.

  “You’re alive! The whole city felt the mana pulse from the north!”

  Lira murmured to herself. “If they felt it all the way here, what about Valsyr…”

  Ronan nodded.

  “Vauren is gone. The Vault is sealed.”

  “The ley lines?” she pressed.

  “Stable,” Eis said. “Safe.”

  The clerk ran upstairs, undoubtedly to summon the Guildmaster.

  Kael sighed. “Couldn’t she let us drink first?”

  “You can survive five minutes,” Lira said.

  The Guildmaster descended with slow dignity.

  He examined them all, then spoke:

  “Welcome home, Argent. You’ve done more than you know.”

  His gaze settled on Eis.

  “And you, Eis. No doubt played a huge role in stopping Vauren.”

  Eis bowed slightly.

  “I did what I could.”

  A faint smile tugged the Guildmaster’s mouth.

  “Then you deserve rest.”

  He signaled to the clerk, who presented four insignias — silver with a rising sun.

  “Gold Rank. Your rewards will be handed out another day.”

  The hall erupted in cheers.

  Kael looked shocked.

  Lira grinned.

  Ronan nodded with quiet pride.

  Eis traced the sun engraving with her thumb — saying nothing, but feeling everything.

  Kael stretched.

  “I’m finding the biggest meal in this city.”

  Lira yawned. “Then I’m sleeping for three days.”

  Ronan smirked. “Not before one drink.”

  He looked to Eis.

  “Join us?”

  She paused — then nodded.

  “One drink.”

  Together, the four stepped into the warm glow of the tavern lanterns, the noise of Lumaire surrounding them like a familiar embrace.

  For now —

  peace held.