It took a while for all of us to get together and just… talk.

Azure Heights burned in the background, while we set up camp by one of the rivers flowing through the field. The witches cast a protective spell around us, making sure that no other daemon would be reckless enough to disturb us. We’d been through enough already.

The body count was exceptionally high, but the worst part was over. There was a new world order coming to Neraka, and it started with Zane nominating Velnias as his right hand. He tasked him with reaching out to the daemon cities and conveying Zane’s message: either they all got on board and backed away from hurting the Imen and other Nerakians, or they died.

To make sure that his point got across, Velnias enlisted the assistance of several fire and ice dragons to join him, along with the fighters that Derek had brought over from Calliope.

Once we were made aware of the time discrepancy that Lumi’s protective shield had caused on Neraka, we became even more aware of the damage that could be done if the wrong people got their hands on swamp witch magic.

We brought our parents and families up to speed with every detail of our mission, from the moment we’d set foot on Neraka until the moment they came to fetch us with their little gemstones. It took us several hours to cover every essential topic, to explain what had driven the daemons and the Exiled Maras to band together, and what they’d gotten wrong when they reached out to us for “help”.

“So, in the end, it all came down to the dragon,” Derek concluded, after he’d listened carefully to all our accounts. “They didn’t know we had dragons.”

“Basically, yes,” Harper replied with a nod. She sat by Caspian’s side. He’d been enveloped in a glowing blue spell designed by Corrine to speed up his healing process. “They would’ve handled us swiftly, otherwise. I’ve seen what tricks they employed and the lengths that they were willing to go to in order to get what they wanted. But when they saw Blaze, their whole plan was turned upside down, and they had to improvise while they got to know him better. Unfortunately for them, they could never catch him alone.”

“And the longer they spent trying to fool us, the more cracks appeared in their story,” Fiona added, sitting next to Zane and her parents. They’d already made the introductions, and, based on Yelena and Benedict’s expressions, they were still adjusting.

Corrine took a seat in the tall grass next to Lumi and the Daughters, offering Lumi a bowl of water with a mixture of herbs inside. “Drink this, little witch,” Corrine said, smiling. “It will give you some strength.”

“Thank you,” Lumi murmured. She took long sips from the herbal water, watching us all with curiosity.

“What about the souls?” Tejus asked, giving Harper a brief, worried glance. “Can they be healed?”

Lumi nodded slowly. “I need to fix myself, first. It will take a few days, but I can help with that. Soul-eating itself was discovered by accident, but it has roots in swamp witch magic. We don’t know who came up with it first among the daemons, and therefore we can’t investigate its origins as a ritual. But I’ve seen it done before in other worlds throughout my travels. A consumed soul can be fully healed, provided it wasn’t consumed in its entirety. If there’s even a wisp left, I can fix it with my magic.”

“Just like with Neraka, I suppose,” I muttered. “It will take some time, but it will recover, eventually.”

Neha smiled. “We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you,” she said, then looked at our parents and elders. “You are all lucky to have brought such noble creatures to life. Cherish them.”

“We most certainly will,” Derek replied. “This was supposed to be a simple recon mission, and yet they managed to overthrow an entire kingdom. There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not in awe of what our people can do.”

“You were all unbelievable,” Sofia added. “You’ve managed to pull through some truly extraordinary circumstances. Your critical thinking and fast reflexes have put you ahead in the game. It didn’t matter how well armed or magically equipped the enemy was. Their numbers didn’t matter, either. You analyzed the situation and went straight for the right scenario. We are proud of you all.”

I couldn’t help but blush.

We went on talking for a while, and Derek and Sofia got better acquainted with Neha and Nevis. Lumi had already been brought up to speed with what had been happening in Eritopia. She’d been under such duress that she hadn’t even had the time to grieve her sisters’ deaths properly. I could see the sadness in her white eyes, though. It was going to make its way to the surface, soon.

Fortunately for her, she had the Daughters and our Shadian witches with her. Lumi, the last of her kind, wasn’t truly that alone. Especially since all it took was one swamp witch to create another.

“You said swamp witches are made, not born,” Corrine said, watching her intently. “How does that work?”

Lumi sighed, staring at the campfire just fifty feet away. “A swamp witch picks an apprentice,” she explained briefly. “First, there’s a trial of trust. The swamp witch must be able to trust the apprentice with all the knowledge, including the thousands of words we didn’t record in that triple-tome. Then comes the theory part. That’s just a lot of reading, really. Then comes the practice. The beauty of the power of the Word is that, as long as the pronunciation is flawless, a spell will be cast. With experience comes the witch’s ability to write the spells from memory. Once the teacher decides it’s time, the apprentice will be subjected to one final test, before she’s given her markings,” she added, pointing at her tattoos.

“What’s the test about?” Viola asked.

“It’s different from one apprentice to another. But they all involve pain, misery, grief, and sacrifice. The apprentice must be tested. Her resolve must be flawless. Her dignity unbreakable. Her loyalty eternal,” Lumi said.

“I’m still amazed at how you managed to survive for so long,” I replied, shaking my head slowly. “How did you keep your sanity throughout the years?”

Lumi smirked. “Who said I’m sane?” she shot back, chuckling. She then exhaled, resuming her serious face. “I tried to kill myself many times,” she added, her voice low. “Whenever they took the gag off, it was the first thing I attempted. After a while, though, understanding that the daemons and the Maras weren’t going to let me die so easily, I started bracing for the future. I lived for the day that I would be free again, so I could watch the city burn.”

She pointed over her shoulder at Azure Heights, which was still blazing behind her.

“Achievement unlocked, then.” I scoffed. “It’s why you were really selective about the spells you gave them, right?”

Lumi nodded. “Absolutely. My luck was that they weren’t aware of how much a swamp witch really knows. We keep our secrets well-hidden. Even the Maras couldn’t tell if I was holding out on them or not. They had no choice but to take what I gave them.”

I shifted my focus to Patrik, who was sitting by the fire with Draven, Laughlan, Ryker, and the other Druids who had come on the rescue mission. We exchanged glances and smiles, and Mom nudged my shoulder with hers.

“Are we going to talk about that yet?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

My face caught fire. “About what?”

“Are you serious?” She chuckled softly, while my dad watched our exchange with childlike confusion.

“What are you two talking about?” he asked.

Mom gave him the “are you blind?” look, then grinned. “You of all people should be able to tell when a guy is completely and utterly in love with a girl,” she said.

That just confused my dad even more. I sighed in response.

“Well, it’s only been days for you guys, but for us it was weeks,” I replied. “To be honest, I’ve had a bit of a crush on him since before we got here, but—”

“He was grieving, wasn’t he?” Dad asked. “The Lamia. What was her name?”

“Kyana,” I muttered. “Yeah. He’s still grieving, I guess. But we just got closer, and… Well, you know.”

“Know what?” Dad replied, now feigning confusion.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, while Mom groaned. “Oh, come on, Jeramiah. It’s obvious our little girl can’t share the details of her relationship with a Druid we barely know anything about!” she said, and I did not miss the double-edged blade there. My mom had a way of using sarcasm to her advantage.

I laughed. “Mom, I promise, I will dish as soon as we decompress properly,” I said. “And, Dad, try not to intimidate him or anything. After what he’s been through, believe me when I say you won’t scare him.”

“That’s a shame,” Dad replied, grinning. “I had this whole hazing ritual planned out. Sort of a ‘welcome to the Novak family’ ceremony.”

My stomach churned. “Ugh, please don’t. Not that you’ll scare him off, Dad, don’t get me wrong. It’ll just be… lame.”

We all laughed this time. I’d missed this. The little stings we delivered. Our inside jokes. The feeling of calm and hope that my mom and dad constantly inspired me with. They were truly irreplaceable. I would’ve been miserable without them in the long run.

Good thing that shield came down.

I wanted to say something, but my attention was captured by a spine-tingling roar. I jumped to my feet, instantly recognizing it. Hundurr was still by Colton’s body, refusing to leave his side. Jovi and Dmitri were trying to coax him into doing just that, so they could prepare Colton for the funeral ceremony in the morning.

“Whoa there, boy,” Jovi muttered, putting his hands out in a defensive gesture. “Nobody wants to piss you off, now.”

I rushed to their side and reached out to Hundurr. Both Jovi and Dmitri were stunned by the sudden change in his behavior, as he stilled and lowered his head, allowing me to touch him.

“Cuz, I didn’t peg you for a pit wolf charmer.” Dmitri chuckled.

“Well, I didn’t either, but we seem to get along,” I replied, then focused on Hundurr. “It’s okay. We need to prepare Colton for his funeral, Hundurr. I know. I know you’re grieving. I know it hurts. We have to bury a lot of friends in the morning, but… we have to. You know that.”

He whimpered softly, then settled on the ground, next to Colton.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I got closer to him. It hurt me deeply to see him like this, but I had to break him out of his state. It was time for the real Hundurr to come back out.

“The pack leader is dead, Hundurr,” I said, keeping my voice low. “He took your place, you know. Your pack needs a new alpha now. What are you going to do?”

Hundurr looked up at me, his red eyes sparkling with an emotion I’d yet to understand.

“Will you wallow here in misery, or will you snap out of it and assume control of your people once more? They need someone to lead them, Hundurr. You’ve been on the other side; you know what to do. You know what works, what doesn’t… Come on,” I added.

He exhaled, then put his head down, breathing heavily.

I watched him for a minute, then moved back and turned to face Jovi and Dmitri. “I think you guys should give him another hour or two,” I murmured. “He’s obviously in a foul mood. I mean, understandably so. He just needs some time.”

Jovi and Dmitri’s expressions froze when they looked behind me. Their eyes nearly popped out. Their jaws dropped. I glanced over my shoulder and lost my breath, too.

Hundurr was lying on his side, heaving and whimpering. His bones started to crack. His skin began to ripple. His muscles twitched, and he howled from the pain. We all stood back as we watched him transform.

Patrik rushed to my side, watching the entire extraordinary scene unfold before our very eyes. Hundurr was turning! His reddish mane emerged from the top of his head as he regained his humanoid figure.

One head, two legs, and two arms. A broad chest. Strong back with ropes of muscle.

His skin turned white. His hair grew long, wavy, and orange-red.

He grunted and groaned as he rolled over in the grass. For the first time, he’d managed to return to his Adlet form, after two years trapped inside the body of a pit wolf.

I gasped when Hundurr raised his head and looked at me. The only aspect of him that I still recognized were his big, beautiful red eyes. Those stayed the same—perhaps like a scar of his pit wolf existence.

“Hundurr?” I murmured, staring at him.

He looked down at himself, panting, then stood up in all his naked glory. Jovi, Dmitri, and Patrik were the first to grumble and turn around. Hundurr was a gorgeous creature. His frame was imposing, his limbs long and muscular. His abs were perfectly sculpted, and the human expression on his face could make any girl simply swoon.

Had I not been in love with Patrik already, I would’ve definitely fallen for Hundurr because… Good grief, he’s superb.

“Can someone get this guy some clothes before Scarlett passes out?!” Jovi cried out, prompting Dmitri and even Patrik to burst into laughter.

Blaze showed up with a pair of pants, which he handed over to Hundurr, who stared at them as if he didn’t know what purpose they served.

“It’s okay, just put them on,” Blaze said. “I’m guessing it’ll take a while before more of your fur comes back, and we’re all squeamish about naked dudes here, for some reason.”

“Yeah, you’d know!” Jovi shot back.

Hundurr nodded slowly, then put the pants on and looked around, still speechless and in shock.

“You did it!” I said, moving toward him.

He nodded again. I ran toward him quickly, then jumped and hugged him, in his humanoid form, for the first time. He stilled. Then I felt his arms wrap around my waist as he reacted and hugged me back. Half a minute later, he breathed deeply, then stepped back and gave me a soft smile.

“I did it. Thanks to you,” he said, his voice low and raspy.

Patrik joined us and rested a hand on Hundurr’s shoulder.

“Good to see you made it out in the end,” Patrik said.

“You and Scarlett helped me. I… Sorry,” Hundurr replied, shaking his head and frowning. “I’m still trying to adjust.”

“Take your time,” Patrik said. “It takes a while. It’s okay.”

It was okay. It really was.

This was beginning to look more and more like a good conclusion to our Nerakian adventure. If anyone deserved a damn good happy ending, it was Hundurr. He’d been through hell and back. And now, he had his body back.