The wind whipped across the rooftop, pulling at Reidar's new cloak. He adjusted the strap; the leather creaking in the silence. Around him, the leaders of the Spriggans stood in a loose semi-circle, watching.

Matthias leaned on his cane. He didn't smile, but his eyes were clear. He looked worn out. The lines around his mouth were deeper than Reidar remembered, carved by the week of constant fighting and healing.

Reidar looked at him and felt apprehension. He was leaving his father behind, but at least Matthias was safe inside the walls now, and that was without taking into account the Aegis Phalanx was here.

But in this world there was nothing sure.

Reidar stepped closer to his father. Matthias straightened slightly, leaning less on his cane.

"It's time," Reidar said.

Matthias nodded. "What will you do?"

"We're going after Silas first," Reidar said. "Wherever he's headed, we'll chase him down. After that, we'll move on to the Church of Unbinding as we make our way to Kingsgate."

Matthias's expression didn't change, but his eyes softened a little. "You'll need to be careful."

"I will." Reidar said, then met his father's gaze. "Take care of her. Please."

He didn't need to say who. Matthias understood; they were talking about Judy, Reidar's mother.

"I will," Matthias said, but there was weight behind it. This was a promise Matthias had all the intentions to keep; they were not just words. "I'm going to try to heal her. Once I reach level 300, if I'm lucky with the perks, of course... I'll do everything I can."

Reidar nodded. The tightness in his throat made it difficult to speak, so he didn't. He just held his father's gaze for a moment longer, committing it to memory.

Matthias reached out and gripped his son's shoulder. "You've grown into someone I'm proud of. You know that, right?"

Reidar's breath hitched. "Yes. Thank you."

Matthias released him, stepping back. The wind pulled at his cloak, and for a moment, he looked older than Reidar had ever seen him.

"Go," Matthias said. "And come back." Reidar nodded and turned to Seraphine, who was walking forward. She stopped a few paces away, her expression composed but sincere.

"Thank you," she said. "For everything you did."

Reidar nodded. "It was the bare minimum, given what you did for my father. For my mother."

Seraphine nodded. There was nothing else to say. She stepped back, and Helga and Aldric moved forward.

Helga's arm was whole again, but the scar was impossible to miss. It ran around the entire length of her thick shoulder. It was pale and raised against her skin as if the scar had been there for years. Matthias had reattached her arm, but healing skills weren't omnipotent. Not at his level, and certainly not with the tier his skills were, so the arm wasn't as responsive as it was before, but at least it worked.

She caught him looking and grinned. "What, you think it makes me look tough?"

Reidar couldn't help the faint smile that tugged at his mouth. "I think you already looked tough."

"Damn right." She clapped him on the shoulder with her scarred arm. The grip was as firm as usual, which gave Reidar the impression that she wasn't going to have trouble. "Don't get yourself killed out there, alright? I didn't save your ass just so you could throw it away."

"What saving?"

"Well… I mean… I remember a particularly intimate conversation in front of a fire."

Aldric stepped forward then. "What conversation?"

Helga grinned wide, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Reidar turned to look at Aldric, his brow furrowing. There was something in the way Aldric asked that which made him uneasy. Regardless, it was Aldric's turn at that point to say his goodbye.

"Good luck."

That was it.

Reidar nodded. "You too. All of you."

Helga stepped back, her grin fading into something more serious. Aldric gave a single nod, and the two of them moved aside.

The others exchanged their farewells. Jake stood apart from the group, arms crossed. He hadn't made friends during the siege. The age gap was too wide. Most of the fighters were adults in their twenties or older, and Jake wasn't interested in playing with the younger children who spent all their time hidden in basements with their families.

Even if he had an inkling of that interest, given all he went through, everything seemed childish to him.

The people he'd worked alongside were soldiers, craftsmen, and leaders. They treated him with respect because of his powers and because of his connection to Reidar, but they weren't kids. He was too young to be their peer and too competent to be dismissed as a child. So he stood alone, watching the goodbyes unfold around him.

Lena wasn't the type for long goodbyes. She had barely opened up to Reidar and Jake over the past months, sharing only what was necessary and keeping most of her thoughts locked away, anyway. The idea of doing the same with the others—people she'd fought alongside but never truly connected with—felt weird and, definitely, forced.

Still, she sought Matthias. He stood near the edge of the rooftop, leaning on his cane. When she approached, he looked up, and she stopped a few paces away.

"Thank you," she said. "For saving my life."

Matthias nodded. "You're welcome."

She said nothing else. There wasn't anything else to say. She gave him a curt nod and stepped back, rejoining the others in silence.

Reidar summoned his feral pack. The ravens' dark feathers materialized against the gray sky.

He mounted first, settling onto the broad back of the nearest creature. The creature shifted beneath him, adjusting to his weight. Lena climbed onto the second without a word. Jake hesitated for only a moment before pulling himself onto the third, gripping the feathers tight.

The ravens' wings spread wide. The sound was like canvas snapping in the wind.

Reidar looked back one last time. Matthias stood at the edge of the rooftop, leaning on his cane. The others were beside him—Seraphine, Helga, and Aldric. They didn't wave. They just watched.

The man nodded once in salute or appreciation. It was all he could manage.

Then the ravens launched into the air. The rooftop fell away beneath them, the city shrinking as they climbed. The wind was cold and sharp, pulling at his cloak, but Reidar didn't look back again.

They were leaving Creamont behind.

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