Epilogue

Richard tripped to the ground in a daze. His head throbbed and his greasy teal hair stuck to his face. Where was he?

He tried to gain his bearings. The last thing he remembered was being in Purga and destroying the demon village.

"Louis?"

The swordsman was unconscious beside him, groaning.

"Wake up, Bourbon!"

Louis's eyes snapped open and he rolled over, drawing his sword at Richard.

"Who— Gredig? What happened?"

Richard shook his head. "I don't know. I just awoke myself. I don't even know where we are."

"Near Edgeton," Louis said, rising to his feet. "Though I don't remember how we got here."

The two shared what they could remember. The assault on the demon village. The explosion that killed the majority of their men. The bandits and monsters who had taken advantage of their weakened state. The empty mountain.

"All those lives lost, and for what?"

The numbers calculated in Richard's head. He'd lost hundreds of thousands on his expedition, and for what?

"We should head back to the capitol for now," Louis said. He seemed to be in the same daze as Richard. Then again, he never did use his head for anything aside from swordsmanship.

"You're right. I need to report to His Highness and let him know his source about the Essence Stones—"

A sharp pain stabbed into Richard's brain and he grabbed his head trying to pull whatever it was out. Then it faded.

"Are you alright, Gredig?"

He nodded. He didn't know what had come over him, but he could worry about it when they reached civilization.

***

Yahime's new appearance caused quite the stir in the village the next morning. We'd decided that she should maintain whatever image she was most comfortable with and she admitted she felt more relaxed not towering over everyone as a shadow monster.

Thankfully, the transition was easy. She'd won the hearts of the villagers long ago and the children were actually disappointed at the change. In the end she'd assumed her Dusk form just for them.

Then there were Nyu and Vibby. Nyu had been having night terrors since the attack. Martoh had a feeling it had something to do with what she'd witnessed before Lucinda sent her to get help, but the girl refused to talk to anyone about it. Vibby had gone mute and become more timid than Hachiko. She clung to Rikki twice as hard as the dogboy did to Derry. Only the ducklings had escaped any lasting trauma. Hanabi joked it was because their brains were so small.

On the subject of Hanabi, Yahime and I decided it was best if she knew who we really were. Surprisingly, she took it in stride, even the part about living in a game.

"Piss on the gods," Hanabi said. "Besides, you've already said things are different from the world you knew. That's proof enough that we're real."

These people are amazing. I wouldn't have been able to accept things that easily. Makes me wonder if my life in Japan was just a game, too.

"I'm more interested in what you plan to do now. You've got all of Stonewood eager to hear what their new Saint plans to do."

"Don't call me that," I said, blushing. "If I had my way, I'd put Yahime in charge. She has more leadership experience than I do."

"I respectfully decline. I like my supporting role."

"You'll need allies." Hanabi upended a bottle she'd stolen from Martoh, draining it into her mouth like it was a sink. "A good place to start would be Heilig."

"Heilig?"

Hanabi uncorked another bottle and poured a small bit into cups for me and Yahime. Then she tapped the neck against them and took a hearty swig. I hoped her drinking wouldn't cause any problems. She'd lost two daughters and held one as she died. I refused to believe she was as well as she claimed to be.

"It's the only city in Purga rife with ruffians who will foam at the bit to join you."

"I get the feeling it won't be as easy as asking," Yahime said.

"They may require some… hands on motivation. The current leaders of the city are greedy fools who hoard resources and extort the populace. Leaving the public ripe for a new leader to take."

"Fantastic," I muttered, taking a drink. "Are there going to be any fighters or will this be another Stonewood situation?"

Hanabi shrugged.

"That's up to you two."

You two?

"You're not coming with us?"

"No. Stonewood needs all the help it can get right now. Taro and Martoh are already drafting plans to mine the Essence Stones and Martoh is practically drooling at the chance to experiment with them."

"That's a shame," Yahime said. "Having a folk hero by our side would have been a huge help to win people to our side."

Hanabi slammed her bottle on the table and laughed.

"Quite the opposite. Despots don't like heroes wandering around. Whenever I'm there they do everything they can to hurry me out. It's a good place to stop for free wine."

I sipped my cup while I listened to Hanabi regale us with her exploits in Heilig. Murdered gang leaders, burning brothels, Frosthound races. I could only imagine the city of debauchery we were heading to. Would we really be able to find people willing to join our cause?

It didn't matter. I could already feel Vide guiding us to the city. I didn't know what she was planning, but she seemed to have every intention of using me to accomplish her goals. I intended to do the same.

I watched Yahime as she spoke to Hanabi, memorizing every laugh and every smile. In her human form, she really was just another girl. I hated what she would have to do. What we would have to do.

I rubbed my hands on my pants. I still couldn't get them clean, even after scrubbing so raw Yahime had to heal them. It was just another mystery to solve.

Still, we'd solve it together. We were family and I intended to protect her to my dying breath, regardless of the edict Vide had given me. We would walk side by side to the heart of the empire and rip it out. They would never see another Sun or Moon rise again.