The sea wind was warm as the ship carved through crystal-blue waters, nearing the quiet shores of Ryuuji's island haven. Towering cliffs stood like sentinels, green with vines and trees, guarding the beach with ancient strength. On the shore, a little figure bounced up and down with excitement, her horns poking out from beneath her straw sunhat.
"They're here! Papa's back!" Kiko shouted, waving both hands toward the ship. Her excited cries echoed through the forested hills.
Beside her, Elysia stood with arms crossed, silver hair blowing behind her like a royal banner. She didn't wave, but her eyes were soft with relief.
Ryuuji stood on the ship's deck, watching the two most important girls in his life with a tired but peaceful smile. Jarred leaned against the railing beside him, Marla resting with a blanket around her shoulders.
"I can't believe this place is real," Jarred said.
"It wasn't," Ryuuji replied. "Not until I built it."
Marla smiled faintly. "It feels safe."
"That's the point."
The ship docked on a newly built pier guarded by two Crimson Wolves—Kaen and Yuki, both sitting proudly like regal beasts. Kaen barked once in greeting.
"Wow," Jarred muttered. "S-class magical beasts? Just... chilling?"
"They're family," Ryuuji said simply, stepping down onto the dock. Kiko was already sprinting toward him.
"Papa!" She launched herself into his arms. Ryuuji caught her with practiced ease and spun her around, laughing.
"Did you take care of the wolves while I was gone?"
"I gave them snacks and brushed their tails!"
"That's my girl."
She turned her big eyes toward Jarred and Marla, who were disembarking slowly. "Who are they?"
"These are very old friends," Ryuuji said, kneeling so Kiko could look at them. "This is Uncle Jarred. He helped Papa when Papa was still confused and lost in this world."
"Did he fight demons too?"
Jarred laughed. "Nope! Just angry drunk people and kitchen fires."
"This is Auntie Marla," Ryuuji continued. "She's going to have a baby, just like when you were really small."
Kiko gasped. "Will the baby have horns too?!"
"Probably not," Marla said with a chuckle. "But I'm sure he or she will cry just as loud."
Elysia approached silently, her gaze inspecting the couple with the subtle caution of a dragoness. But then she extended her hand to Marla. "Welcome. You're safe here."
Marla nodded with a grateful smile. "Thank you."
Elysia then looked at Ryuuji. "You're late."
"I know."
"I cooked."
"You didn't poison anything, did you?"
"I considered it."
They both smirked, and Kiko giggled between them. The tension broke like a brittle twig underfoot.
The day passed with warm meals and fresh introductions. Jarred found himself lost in wonder at the growing village nestled between forest and sea—a handful of new buildings shaped by dragon and magic, protected by runes and walls of living vines. Marla was quickly ushered into a room made ready for expectant mothers, and Kiko insisted on giving them a full tour, complete with made-up names for all the wolves.
That evening, Ryuuji sat under a canopy of stars, sipping hot herbal tea while Elysia leaned against his shoulder. Kiko had fallen asleep in her lap after a long day of questions and playing.
"She's grown," Elysia murmured. "Since you left."
"I was only gone a week."
"For her, that's a lifetime."
He didn't answer, but his fingers gently brushed over Kiko's sleeping horns. There was peace in that silence.
Then—like a ripple in still water—Ryuuji's bracelet pulsed with magic.
A soft blue glow surrounded it, flickering like candlelight. A message crystal, attuned only to those he once called family in battle.
Ryuuji's eyes narrowed. "Another one…"
Elysia sat up straighter, alert. "Who is it?"
He pressed the crystal to his temple, letting the magic flow into his thoughts.
The voice that echoed in his mind was soft but strained. Familiar. Female.
"Ryuuji… it's me. Sierra. I don't know if this will reach you, or if you still walk this world.
I'm trapped in Dalewatch. They're calling it an academy city now, but it's not what it was. Not anymore.
They took the children. They said it was for training. I tried to stop them.
Now I'm hiding, hunted. Please… if you can come…
Help me."
The message ended. The crystal dimmed.
Elysia's gaze darkened. "Sierra… that name."
"She was the wind mage," Ryuuji said quietly. "She was the one who made sure I lived long enough to strike the Demon Lord's castle. She used to sing to calm the dying."
Elysia nodded slowly. "And she never once asked you for anything."
"Exactly."
Ryuuji stood, cradling Kiko gently as he passed her into Elysia's arms.
"I'll get ready."
Elysia frowned. "And what if there are more? What if they all need you?"
Ryuuji looked out to the ocean, wind catching the edge of his cloak.
"Then I find them all."
Elysia watched him with a strange mix of love and worry. "You'll burn yourself out trying to fix the whole world again."
"I'm not trying to fix the world. Just my people."
Jarred stepped out from the nearby building, having overheard the message. "You're going, aren't you?"
Ryuuji turned toward him, solemn. "I have to."
Jarred hesitated. "Then I'm coming with you."
Marla's voice echoed from the doorway. "No, you're not."
Jarred flinched, looking sheepish.
Marla folded her arms. "You already almost died once. You owe me at least one peaceful childbirth before running off again."
Ryuuji chuckled. "She's got you there."
Jarred sighed. "Fine. I'll stay and keep the island standing while you're gone."
"You'll have help," Ryuuji said, already drawing the runes that would open the mapstone in the sky, revealing the quickest path to Dalewatch.
As stars swirled above and magical paths unfolded across the heavens, Kiko stirred in her sleep.
"Papa?" she murmured, half-awake.
Ryuuji kissed her forehead. "I'll be back soon, little one."
And then, without another word, he stepped into the magic and vanished into the night sky.