The peaceful night beside the lake eventually came to an end.
Not suddenly.
Not dramatically.
The conversations slowly faded one by one while the fire burned lower beneath the stars. Selene eventually fell asleep resting lightly against Darin's shoulder while Kael and Aira remained beside an increasingly overwhelmed Riven, who still looked like he couldn't understand how his life reached this point.
Arin and Liora stayed awake the longest.
Mostly because neither of them wanted the quiet moment to end.
But morning came anyway.
Soft sunlight filtered through the forest first, followed by the sound of distant birds and cold winds drifting across the lake. Slowly the group woke one after another before preparing to continue the journey home.
And for the first time in a long while—
everyone felt the destination getting closer.
The familiar forest paths slowly returned as they traveled deeper southward. The trees became larger here, older somehow, their roots and branches stretching across ancient trails the group had walked since childhood.
Every step carried memories now.
The place where Arin first met Darin and Riven.
The river where Liora, Selene, Kael, and Aira used to gather during summers.
The old paths connecting both sides of the forest.
Home.
It had been weeks since they left searching for the fragments of Vijaya.
Weeks since they stepped into ruins, kingdoms, mountains, and distorted lands that barely resembled reality anymore.
And now—
after everything—
they were finally returning.
Riven stretched his arms while walking through one of the larger forest paths afterward.
"…I forgot normal trees existed."
Kael looked toward him.
"You say that like the mountains tried to personally offend you."
"They absolutely did."
Selene quietly smiled afterward while Darin walked beside her carrying part of their supplies.
The atmosphere remained lighter now despite the looming threat of war.
Because returning home did something to people.
It reminded them who they were before everything became complicated.
Arin walked slightly ahead of the group while Vijaya remained sealed once more. The divine bow no longer radiated overwhelming energy constantly now, though faint golden markings still occasionally flickered across his arm where the weapon rested spiritually connected to him.
Liora walked beside him quietly afterward.
"…you're thinking too much again."
Arin glanced toward her slightly.
"…am I that obvious?"
"Yes."
A small silence followed.
Then softly—
"…I'm trying to remember this place properly."
Liora looked around the forest afterward too.
The sunlight moving through leaves overhead.
The familiar smell of wood and rivers.
The peaceful silence of the ancient trees.
"…it feels smaller somehow."
Arin nodded faintly.
"Because we changed."
That answer stayed with her quietly afterward.
Because it was true.
The forest hadn't become smaller.
They had simply seen worlds larger and far more terrifying beyond it now.
Eventually—
the first signs of the villages finally appeared.
Wooden fences.
Smoke rising through distant trees.
Old pathways worn into the earth from years of travel between homes.
Riven immediately looked relieved beyond belief.
"…civilization."
"You grew up here," Selene reminded him.
"Yes and I missed it."
Kael crossed her arms afterward.
"You missed food that wasn't cooked over a mountain fire."
"That too."
The group continued forward through the final stretch of forest afterward while the atmosphere slowly shifted again.
Because now reality returned fully.
People.
Families.
Ordinary life continuing peacefully without understanding what approached from the horizon.
Arin quietly looked toward the village ahead afterward.
Children ran between pathways laughing while workers carried supplies through the streets normally. Farmers discussed trade near the center roads while smoke rose peacefully from homes beneath the afternoon sky.
Completely unaware.
The coming war felt impossibly distant compared to this place.
And maybe that frightened him more than anything else.
Because he knew exactly how quickly peace could disappear.
The first people noticed them moments later.
Then immediately—
the entire atmosphere exploded.
"ARIN?"
"LIORA!"
"THEY'RE BACK!"
Within minutes half the village seemed to emerge into the streets.
Riven instantly groaned afterward.
"…here we go."
Parents, merchants, workers, and children surrounded them almost immediately with endless questions and relieved expressions.
Because the group had disappeared for far longer than expected.
And considering the dangerous forests surrounding both towns, many people had started fearing the worst weeks ago.
An older woman immediately grabbed Riven by the ear afterward.
"You disappeared for WEEKS."
"OW— WAIT—"
"I should hit you harder."
"That's fair actually."
Meanwhile Selene's younger siblings nearly tackled her into the ground while Darin awkwardly stood nearby trying not to laugh.
Kael and Aira were already surrounded by friends asking endless questions about where they'd been.
And through all the noise—
Arin quietly noticed something else.
Relief.
Real relief.
These people genuinely cared about them.
Not because of prophecies.
Not because of powers.
But because they were family. Friends. People who grew up together.
Liora eventually moved beside him afterward while watching the chaotic reunion unfold around them.
"…normal life feels strange now."
Arin remained silent briefly.
Then softly—
"…that's exactly why we need to protect it."
The words settled heavily between them afterward.
Because the vision still remained clear inside his mind.
Burning homes.
Broken skies.
The Entity's army flooding through the opening beyond the forest.
He couldn't allow that future to happen.
Not after finally returning here again.
As evening approached, news of the group's return spread across both villages connected through the forest. Familiar faces continued arriving throughout the day while endless questions followed them everywhere they went.
Most of the group avoided mentioning the truth entirely.
How could they explain any of it?
Fragments of divine weapons.
Ancient cycles.
An army approaching from beyond reality itself.
No ordinary person would understand that.
But eventually—
as the sun began setting behind the trees—
Arin quietly stood near the edge of the village overlooking the distant opening beyond the forest.
The massive plains connecting both towns stretched far beyond the horizon from there.
Peaceful now.
Still.
But not for long.
Liora approached him quietly afterward.
"You're looking at the battlefield already."
Arin didn't deny it.
Because deep down—
he could already feel it.
The war was getting closer every single day.
And somewhere beyond the horizon—
the Entity's army was already marching toward them.