As Annie and Zayne—who was carrying an unconscious Menma on his back—were walking toward the remains of the castle where they had each fought their battles, a sound was heard.
Someone was running…
No, more than one.
Zayne slowly put Menma down, thinking it might be the remaining troops coming to continue the battle.
But Annie, who was still walking ahead, said to him, "No, don't worry. It's my daughter and her friends."
Lunara and the guardians came out of the forest, running—
Almost crashing into Annie's face.
Luckily, she dodged to the side just in time.
"Where… where is he?" said Lunara, her eyes full of tears, barely holding back the cry.
And when she saw Menma, she couldn't hold it anymore. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she fell to her knees.
"No, Brother… come back."
"He ain't dead, you stupid," Annie said, grabbing a healing potion from the guardian's satchel. She sat Menma down and slowly opened his mouth, helping him drink the liquid.
Meanwhile, Lunara hugged Sybil tightly.
"I'm sorry. I heard you got pretty hurt as well… I'm sorry," she said.
"No worries," said Sybil, grabbing her spear. "I'm fine now. Menma will get better as well."
"Yes, he will," said Annie. "However, his mind is a bit lost, so he'll probably not wake for a while."
"Then let's sit here and rest for a bit," said Saphyra.
"Good idea," added Sylvara, and they all sat down—except for Lunara, who climbed a nearby tree.
"Wow! What a beautiful kingdom. When we came, I didn't focus on it too much because I was anxious… but now that I see it—it's too beautiful."
(She didn't see the destruction the undead giant had made earlier.)
Annie looked at Zayne and said, "Yeah, it is a pretty kingdom. However, the way they made it was not pretty at all."
Zayne didn't say anything at first. He just lowered his head, guilt weighing heavily on him.
"Yes… it's true," he finally said. "They call this the Mercenaries' Kingdom… because we work for money. Someone said they wanted some dead witches they couldn't kill. We killed them, and they gave us money."
Annie's eyes widened. "Wait, wait—what about us? Does that mean someone ordered you to kill us?"
"No," said Zayne as he lifted his head. "You were what we call 'Jackpot.' Garrick had somehow found you and called for my help to trick you.
He used his Illusion Creation to make you think many men were attacking, when in fact it was only me and him."
"Nice strategy," Lunara said, hopping down from the tree. "It made you look like a hero while we were fearing for our lives."
"I know… and I'm sorry," Zayne replied. "But I would never let them hurt you. After all, I've been searching for witches who can open gates to Purgatory my entire life."
Annie looked at him, confused. "Hold on—you really want to go to Purgatory? It wasn't just a bluff to get us interested in forming an alliance?"
"No, it wasn't," Zayne replied.
"I come from the Red Speed Kingdom—one of the three kingdoms that have a Speed Creation. I'm the next in line to become King of my kingdom… of course, I never told the 'brothers.'"
He continued, voice heavier now.
"When I was ten years old… something happened. My mother was screaming, and I still hadn't awakened my Creation. I just ran to her—ran like never before—but I was too late. Even my father was too late.
The Resurrectors of the Purgatorists came to kidnap my mother and use her royal status to resurrect a Purgatorist."
Annie was shocked—but not surprised. She had heard of this before. Without the Resurrectors, the Purgatorists could never return.
Zayne wiped away the tears forming in his eyes and went on.
"My father and I made a pact to find and kill both the Purgatorist and the Resurrectors. But with no luck… and my father, he was growing older. He couldn't carry the burden of protecting the kingdom while chasing revenge, not with all the wars happening lately.
So I joined the Brotherhood, hoping to find answers through different missions. But the Resurrectors… they're sneaky.
They never show themselves until the moment of attack. So I decided to focus on the Purgatorists instead."
He looked straight at Annie now.
"But I had a problem. I couldn't make a portal to teleport there… until I learned witches could."
A slight hope lit up in his eyes as he glanced at Annie's beautiful golden hair.
Annie stood up and started walking.
"I believe you, Zayne. After all, if it wasn't for you, maybe my family would've gotten hurt. But you helped us.
And that's why we're going to help you too… and you're in luck, because the Purgatorists have killed some of our friends."
She looked at Menma, sadness swimming in her eyes.
"…And a loved one as well."
The atmosphere fell still.
They were all grieving in silence.
"Alright then," Zayne said with a smile. "Let's make a deal—to go and kill the Purgatorists for taking our loved ones."
Lunara and the guardians were happy to hear it. After all, Zayne wasn't weak.
Annie wanted to speak—but then…
Menma stirred.
His fingers twitched. Then his eyes cracked open, blurry and unfocused. The sky above him was light blue, and for a moment, he didn't remember what happened.
Only the ache in his chest and the quiet hum of warmth against his skin told him something… had changed.
"Menma?" a voice called—soft, relieved.
Lunara knelt beside him instantly, tears already forming in her eyes. She cupped his cheek gently, brushing back a few strands of messy silver hair.
"You're awake…" she whispered, her voice breaking as a smile stretched across her lips. "You idiot… you scared the life out of me."
He blinked slowly, then managed to rasp, "Lu…nara?"
Before he could say anything more, she wrapped her arms around him tightly, holding him like he might vanish again. Her grip trembled, but it was steady in its love.
"I thought I lost you," she murmured into his shoulder. "You went wild on us… I didn't know if you'd ever come back."
Menma's body was still sore, but the warmth of her hug was real. It grounded him more than any Creation ever could.
Then another figure appeared beside them.
Annie.
She knelt down, her usually sharp eyes softer than ever. She placed her hand gently over Lunara's and smiled down at Menma with something different.
Deeper. Not the affection of a comrade—but of something older, primal, eternal.
A mother's love.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't want to hurt you, but… you wouldn't stop. You weren't there anymore."
Menma looked up at her, and despite the bruises still on his face, his lips curved in a small, tired grin.
"You pack a punch," he muttered.
Annie chuckled, brushing his hair back, then leaned in and pressed her forehead lightly against his.
"You're my boy," she whispered, her voice trembling with affection. "And I'll always bring you back."
Zayne stood nearby, arms crossed, watching them with a quiet smile. Sybil and the other guardians sat a little farther off, allowing space—but their eyes were warm, watchful, and ready just in case.
Lunara pulled back slightly, wiping her eyes.
"You know," she said, half-scolding, half-laughing, "next time you wanna go full demon, at least warn us first."
"I don't remember anything," Menma murmured. "Just… fire. Rage. Then light."
"That was Annie," Zayne said, patting his forehead gently. "She lit you up like a sunrise."
"She always does," whispered Lunara.
Annie's lips curled softly, then she leaned back, letting him breathe.
"You're safe now," she said. "You're home."
And for the first time in what felt like forever, Menma closed his eyes—not in pain, but in peace.
Zayne then turned around to check if anyone was eavesdropping and said, "Shall we go and continue this discussion at your village?
I fear someone might come. Someone more powerful than the Brothers. After all, the Mercenaries' Kingdom has a lot of strong, evil people."
And they started walking.
But they weren't alone…
But they weren't alone… In the shadows beyond the trees, eyes burned with spite. Garrick followed—silently, patiently...