Chapter 32: Emotional Reunion (1)
After settling all debts and giving everyone their due, Finn had carried out every one of his ominous promises in the harshest, most brutal ways imaginable. Whether by blade, blood, or the raw crush of his will, he made sure no betrayal went unpunished, no sin unjudged. The last screams of his enemies still echoed somewhere in his mind—but they didn't disturb him. If anything, they gave him peace. Real peace. No more loose ends. No more chains. Just a clean slate for the future he was now building.
What shocked him most was how numb he felt about it all. No guilt. No regret. Not even a hint of shame. To him, it wasn't cruelty—it was justice. Cold, fair, and long overdue.
"You're my servant and you betrayed me—how could you expect kindness?"
And the woman—
"You didn't care for my kindness, my gentleness—you were devious. Why should I be nice to you?"
In Finn's eyes, not killing them had been mercy. Letting them live after what they did was more compassion than they deserved. That was the new Finn: decisive, unshaken, and unbothered by the weak cries of moral doubt.
But one matter still lingered unfinished—and it wasn't with his enemies. It was with the princess. He still owed her. Not revenge, not pain, not even punishment. No, what he had in mind for her was more intimate. He would leave her with no confusion about where she stood: not a queen, not a lover, just a wet, breathless sex doll between his fingers. One night. One unforgettable, raw night. Then she'd finally understand what it meant to be beneath him.
As for Simon... Finn's rage hadn't cooled yet. Forgiveness was far off, maybe impossible. Still, the man had value. So instead of wasting time on revenge, Finn used him. The soul eviction technique had been a calculated, emotionless choice. Neither vengeance nor compassion. Just utility. Simon's suffering and Finn's future didn't need to be enemies.
With a quiet breath, Finn brushed those thoughts aside. Now wasn't the time for anger or dominance. Something else tugged at his heart—something older, more stubborn.
He stood before the wooden door beneath the great, familiar branches of the treehouse. The shape of it stirred memories, things he tried to forget but never could. This next step wasn't part of some grand plan. It wasn't about power or control. It was personal. Unavoidably personal.
He had to face Jake.
The thought twisted something in his chest. Emotional moments disgusted him now—they felt sticky, messy, unproductive. But a whisper from deep inside, a voice that sounded like the boy he used to be, wouldn't let him walk away. No matter how far he'd fallen or how high he'd climbed, Jake was the one person whose image never faded.
He wouldn't call it love anymore. Not like before. The old brotherly bond was long buried beneath blood and fire. But respect? Appreciation? That still burned steady. Jake had always been simple in the best ways—chill, careful, only fought when necessary, and when he did... he annihilated. That kind of friend? Worth more than gold, even now.
With a low sigh, Finn pushed the door open.
The old air greeted him, warm and stale. He moved through the treasure room, its relics of adventure untouched, then climbed the stairs quietly, step by step. The second-floor kitchen stood still and silent—like time had stopped in his absence.
He didn't pause.
Up he went, to the third floor, the second-to-last—the living room. And there, like a memory frozen in time, floated the long, striped body of rainbow light: Lady Rainicorn.
Jake's partner. His wife. His storm of color and warmth.
Their history was brief but tense. After Jake got jealous about them spending too much time together, things had cooled... maybe even turned bitter. They hadn't really talked since. Not deeply. Not sincerely.
Still, when Lady felt his presence, her head lifted instinctively. Her half-asleep eyes blinked, trying to adjust to the figure rising from the staircase like a ghost.
Then she shot up—eyes wide, breath caught—and floated toward him in a blur of color and emotion. Her short hands rubbed her eyes fast, as if trying to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.
When realization hit, she let out a joyous cry and launched herself at him, wrapping her long body around him in a tight, twirling embrace. She spun around the room with him, crying out words in rapid, ecstatic Rainicorn speech.
Finn's face remained flat. His arms stayed still at his sides. But something cracked in him. Just slightly.
"What the hell is she saying?" he muttered under his breath, knowing full well she couldn't hear or understand him.
[Oh... oh... this can't be! Finn! Finn, oh Finn, it's really you... You have no idea how worried I was. You have no idea how much Jake worried about you...]
The words came out of nowhere—Sika's voice translating clearly in his ear. As always, the spirit didn't need prompting.
Lady's expression suddenly shifted. Her joy turned urgent.
She dropped Finn mid-spin and waved her arms frantically as she burst into more hurried Rainicorn speech.
[Oh, right—Jake! Finn, quick! You have to go see him. You don't understand... these past five months were like death for him. He barely spoke, barely ate... and—]
Sika went quiet.
Lady had frozen, staring at Finn more closely now. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. Then her mouth twisted, and she spoke again—sharper this time.
[Ugh, I forgot this idiot can't even understand me. Why does my husband care so much about a dumbass like him anyway? And ignores me for five months—with zero sexual attention!]
She crossed her hooves and grumbled bitterly, unaware—or maybe fully aware—that her complaints were being heard after all.
Finn arched an eyebrow, completely unimpressed.
"Well, Lady, I was struggling to survive... and Jake was a wreck. But you had no sexual care?" he muttered dryly. "Yeah, that's a serious crisis."
Her jaw dropped in comedic shock, but Finn didn't stick around for her reaction. He turned toward the stairs without another word.
As he rubbed the side of his face with one hand, he sighed again.
"For a girl, yeah," he thought wryly, "I guess that's a big deal."