[POV Liselotte]

  The walls of Whirikal rose before us like a tangible reminder of everything we had left behind… and everything we had survived in order to see them again. They were tall, solid, built from the pale stone characteristic of the capital, reflecting the light of the setting sun as if it refused to leave just yet.

  We slowed our pace without saying it out loud.

  After weeks of moving through ruins, bckened forests, and roads marked by death, the sight of a living city felt almost unreal. The murmur of people, the sound of carts, the smell of freshly baked bread and worked wood cshed violently with my recent memories of screams, uncontrolled magic, and ash.

  “Whirikal…” Leah murmured.

  She didn’t sound excited or relieved.

  She sounded tired.

  Chloé walked beside us, her presence impossible to ignore among the crowd. Her white ears twitched almost imperceptibly, turning toward distant sounds, and her tail swayed slowly behind her. Several people stopped to stare—some with open curiosity, others with a caution that never quite became fear.

  “If it becomes a problem…” Leah began quietly.

  “It won’t,” I interrupted. “We didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Chloé turned her face toward me.

  “I’m used to being stared at.”

  I pressed my lips together. I didn’t like that she had to say that.

  We passed the entry checkpoints without major issues. The guards checked our identification, watched Chloé longer than necessary, but ultimately let us through. There were no arrest orders, no active alerts, nothing that justified stopping us.

  The heart of the capital was as alive as ever.

  The Adventurers’ Guild stood imposing before us, with its reinforced stone fa?ade, broad columns, and the emblem carved above the main entrance. That pce had been the beginning of many of our paths… and now, also the point where everything had to be brought to a close.

  “Let’s go,” I said, and pushed the door open.

  The interior was crowded.

  Overpping conversations, the metallic ctter of weapons being set against tables, ughter, arguments over rewards, reports delivered in haste. The atmosphere was thick, heavy with stories that had yet to be told.

  We walked toward the main counter.

  The receptionist looked up as we approached. Her expression was neutral and professional, but her eyes lingered a second longer than usual on Chloé.

  “Good afternoon,” she said. “How may I help you?”

  Leah stepped forward and pced the enchanted iron pte on the counter.

  “We’re here to submit proof of completion for the escort and demonic containment mission. Rank A promotion.”

  The woman took the pte with both hands. The moment she touched it, the magical glow intensified slightly, running through the engravings in a slow, steady pulse. Her posture changed immediately.

  “This is no ordinary object,” she murmured.

  “It isn’t,” I replied.

  The receptionist took a deep breath.

  “It will need to be verified. The procedure includes confirmation of the enchantment, cross-checking pending reports, and approval by the guild council.”

  Leah nodded.

  “We understand.”

  “You won’t receive an answer today,” she continued. “Return tomorrow at midday.”

  She wrote down our names and looked back at us firmly.

  “If the proof is legitimate, the promotion will be approved.”

  With nothing else to do, we left.

  As soon as we stepped outside the guild, the weight of waiting settled over us. There was no immediate urgency, no orders, no battles.

  Only time.

  “Let’s go home,” I said.

  The walk to my house was quiet. Every street stirred memories—early training sessions, childish arguments with Cire, afternoons when I believed the world was far smaller than it truly was.

  The door opened before I could even knock.

  “Lotte—”

  Andrea pulled me into a tight embrace, the kind that left no room for doubt or reproach. I felt her hands tremble slightly.

  “You’re alive,” she whispered.

  “I promised.”

  She pulled back just enough to look at my face… and then her gaze slid toward Chloé.

  Andrea froze completely.

  Her eyes traced the white ears, the tail, the bright blue eyes.

  “…”

  “Hello, Mrs. Andrea,” Chloé said politely.

  The silence stretched for several eternal seconds.

  Then Andrea took a deep breath.

  “Alright,” she said at st. “That expins a lot.”

  “Mom—” I began.

  “You’ll tell me ter,” she interrupted. “Come in. All of you.”

  Leah smiled with relief.

  “Good afternoon, Mrs. Andrea.”

  “Leah, dear. It’s so good to see you.”

  Before we could go any farther, I heard hurried footsteps.

  “Lotte!”

  Cire came running down the hallway and smmed into me without slowing down. I almost lost my bance, but hugged her tightly.

  “Don’t disappear like that again!” she protested.

  “I’ll try.”

  Cire looked up and noticed Chloé.

  She froze.

  “…”

  “Hi,” Chloé said.

  It took Cire exactly two seconds to react before breaking into a wide grin.

  “That’s amazing!”

  Andrea sighed.

  “Get inside before the entire neighborhood comes to stare.”

  Inside, the warmth of home wrapped around us. I told them what had happened—the essentials, without diving into the darkest details. I expined Chloé’s change, her new power, her form.

  Andrea listened without interrupting.

  “As long as you’re still yourself,” she said at the end, looking at Chloé, “this will remain your home.”

  Chloé lowered her head slightly.

  “Thank you.”

  Dinner was calm—almost unreal. We ate slowly, sharing small stories and restrained ughter. When the door opened again, I knew it was my father even before I saw him.

  “You’re back already?”

  Carl entered, stopped when he saw Chloé, studied her for a few seconds, and then smiled.

  “Welcome.”

  During dinner, Carl watched Leah carefully.

  “Now that you’re close to Rank A,” he said calmly, “and you’ll be able to use the artifact that analyzes magical power… what will you do next?”

  Leah hesitated.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Will you go see your parents?” he asked gently.

  Leah lowered her gaze.

  “I’m not sure I want to.”

  Andrea took her hand.

  “You don’t have to decide that now.”

  Carl nodded.

  “No matter what happens, you’re already part of this family.”

  Leah’s eyes filled with tears.

  “Thank you…”

  And I knew.

  After years of running, fighting, surviving…

  Leah had finally found a pce where she belonged.