EPILOGUE

The fire flickered aimlessly in the cold air casting warm golden light against the deep blues of the fading evening. Ella sat on a log, her fingers brushing over the worn cover of Tom’s journal. The weight of her experience in that other world settled over her like a distant dream. The world felt different now. Lighter.

She tilted her head back, tracing the constellations her grandfather had once pointed out. . Orion’s Belt, the North Star and the Seven Sisters. For so long, she had carried his absence like a wound that refused to heal. 

Her grandfather had lived for adventure, for the thrill of the unknown. So, when he unexpectedly passed away, her world completely shattered. For years she thought she had gotten over his death, but she hadn’t, not really. But seated now, staring at the stars she felt like she had found the closure she didn’t know she needed.

Ella recalled her last moments in that other world that night.
After walking through the door, she had a long chat with Tom at the Whispering Grove where they emerged. Tom explained everything to her, how Orpheus was a god of chaos who was imprisoned in that world he called the ‘Unknown.” Apparently, the goddess of order Themis was the one who did it with the help of a few brave humans. Tom also said he got to see Sarah as Orpheus had promised but only for a moment before she disintegrated into nothingness and he got swallowed by the shadows. He also theorized that Themis bound his soul to journal and sent it to the real world for Ella to find. But Ella doesn’t think that is true. It’s not like the goddess of order could see the future, right?  After this entire ordeal, unfortunately, as a god of chaos Orpheus cannot be truly killed and eventually he will reform again in the unknown. Thinking about it drove Ella crazy, that somewhere in the distant corners of existence, Orpheus still lingered, waiting for his time to come back. But Ella defeated him for now and that was enough.

Morning came quietly, the sun’s warmth nudging her awake. Ella exhaled, stretching her sore muscles, wincing as her ribs ached from everything she had been through, but the air smelled of earth and pine. The events of the past few days—had it only been days? felt like they belonged to another lifetime. She had faced the impossible, stood before a god of chaos, and walked away free.

A quiet rustling in the trees made her look up. The whispering grove was far behind her now, but the forest still carried its voice, though different. This was not the ominous, haunting murmur of the past—it was the wind, the leaves, the soft hum of the world as it was meant to be.

Her fingers flipped to the last page of the journal. Tom allowed her to keep it, saying it had finished the work it was intended. It wasn't like he could keep it where he was anyway. The ink had changed. The old, frantic scrawl of Tom’s desperate notes was gone. In its place, only three simple words remained:

Thank you, Ella.

She let out a small breath, a mix of sadness and peace settling within her. She wished she could have saved him, but maybe this was the closest thing to saving he could have had. Maybe some stories didn’t get perfect endings. Maybe freedom wasn’t always about escape. Maybe, sometimes, it was just about finally letting go.

She closed the journal gently and placed it in her pack.

Her stomach growled loudly.

Ella chuckled softly, shaking her head. "After everything, I’m still just a person who needs a good meal."

She pulled out her phone, checking the time—6:33 A.M. The same time as before. The universe, it seemed, had a strange sense of humor.

With a deep breath, she Zipped her backpack, stood and took one last look at the forest behind her. 

“It was fun while it lasted…not really. I need to go to a doctor... Ow!" Ella said clutching her ribs.

She wasn’t running from the unknown anymore.

She was walking toward the life waiting for her and this time she would live it to the fullest like her grandfather did.