Chapter 360: To Those Who Remain

Regis stared at the dragon, struggling to connect Hagios’s words with the creature lying before them. Its golden eyes followed the Pope’s hand as he withdrew it, and its head drew closer to its folded forelegs.

"How could something like that be born?" Anna asked.

"That is what we need to find out." Hagios slowly rose. "I can recognise what is present within it. How those natures came together is another matter."

Levada’s gaze remained fixed on the black sheen across its scales. Beside Regis, Killian had gone unusually quiet, while Pandora moved closer to Aurelia.

The dragon shifted beneath their attention, dragging its tail across the ground. Regis stepped back when its wing lifted, giving it room until it settled again.

"What happens to it now?"

"For now, we continue caring for it," Hagios replied. "Anna and Levada will help observe its condition. Tell them if you notice anything unusual."

Regis glanced towards the two executors before nodding. "I’ll keep helping."

"Without neglecting your own recovery," Hagios added, his gaze briefly lowering towards Regis’s injured leg.

"I know..."

"And Tinateria?" Anna asked. "Whatever happened to the dragon, Sir Mehar’s sword was embedded in its egg."

Regis looked down at his storage ring. He had found the sword badly damaged, but neither the cave nor the egg had told him how it ended up there.

"I would like the Temple of Craft to examine it," Hagios said. "I’ll consult Bargadon. They may be able to tell us what repairing it would require."

Anna lowered her eyes for a moment before nodding. Regis remembered the way she had touched the ruined blade, and his fingers curled slightly around his ring.

"Should I give it to you?"

"Keep it with you for now. We will speak again once I know more."

Levada remained behind when the others prepared to leave. The dragon watched them move away, its head lifting slightly when Killian’s foot scraped against a loose stone, but it made no attempt to follow.

Hagios and Anna turned towards the wounded gathered nearer the courtyard. Regis followed more slowly with his companions, still thinking about the creature resting behind them.

***

By late afternoon, Vanessa had finally been persuaded to leave the patients to the people who had arrived with Hagios.

She found Regis near the wall and sat beside him. For a while, she watched the newcomers carry supplies through the courtyard before turning towards him.

"Could we gather everyone for a little while?"

Regis followed her gaze towards Perto, who sat a short distance away with his hands resting between his knees. He nodded without asking what she meant.

They chose a quiet stretch beside one of the surviving walls. Patti cleared away the smaller stones so Regis could sit comfortably, while Auryn settled near Marzana. Aeola and Raxon remained close to her, and the others gradually joined them.

Aurelia had written the names on a flat piece of stone. Regis watched her set it upright, his eyes catching on each line before she moved aside.

Brutt. Lesfera. Sera. Kara. Palma.

Zild. Sora. Hans. Dabi.

He knew who they had lost. Nevertheless, seeing all nine names together made him press his lips together until the trembling stopped.

Vanessa sat beside Perto. He stared at the first name for a long time, rubbing his thumb against the side of his hand before finally speaking.

"Do you remember when Pandora started teaching us magic?"

Pandora lifted her head, and Perto glanced towards her. "Brutt kept bringing the book closer to his face. I could barely understand any of it either, so I ended up doing the same thing." He let out a faint breath. "We must have looked ridiculous."

"You did," Vanessa said softly. "Both of you."

The corner of his mouth moved. Pandora looked down at her hands, remembering the books she had rewritten for them and how relieved they had been when the explanations finally made sense.

"I keep turning to say something to him," Perto continued. "Sometimes I’ve already started talking before I remember."

His voice weakened on the last word. Vanessa placed her hand over his, and he held onto it without looking away from the stone.

Morgana drew her knees closer, stopping when the movement pulled at one of her injuries. Her gaze moved slowly over the next four names.

"Sera and Kara were always in front. Lesfera and Palma were behind us..." She swallowed before continuing, "I keep remembering where everyone was standing."

"I used to know where I could fall back to," Rumi murmured. "Even when I couldn’t see them."

Morgana turned towards her. Rumi’s eyes had reddened, though her voice remained steady until she tried to speak again. She pressed a hand over her mouth instead, and this time, Morgana was the one who reached for her.

Killian sat with his elbows against his knees, staring at the names beneath Zild’s.

"Sora, Hans, Dabi..." His fingers tightened together. "They saved me."

Regis looked towards him, but Killian kept his head lowered. There was nothing Regis could say that would change what had happened, and after a moment, he rested his hand against his companion’s shoulder.

Marzana quietly spoke her mother’s name. Aeola moved closer, while Raxon lowered his head beside them. For a while, the distant voices from the courtyard were the only sounds reaching their gathering.

Nobody hurried to leave.

Eventually, Morgana wiped her face with her sleeve and looked towards Regis. "Are we going back to Harmonia?"

"That’s what I want." He shifted his aching leg before continuing, "There are still things we need to settle here first."

She nodded, her eyes returning to the stone. Regis watched her for a moment, then looked over the others.

He had been thinking about their return as though everyone would naturally follow him. Even now, he wanted to believe they would be together when they reached Harmonia again. ’But what if they don’t want that anymore...?’

His fingers tightened against his robe before he made himself speak. "Do you still want to continue with me?"

Several faces turned towards him. Perto lifted his head, while Vanessa’s hand went still over his.

"With the Order," Regis continued. "If we go back, if we take another quest... I don’t want to assume that’s what all of you want."

"Brother..."

He glanced at Pandora before returning his attention to the others. "I want you to stay. But I’ll understand if you want to leave."

Saying it made his chest tighten. He waited anyway, resisting the urge to fill the silence with something that might make them answer differently.

"You don’t have to decide today," Regis said. "But I want you to know that you can."

Vanessa was the first to answer. "I’m staying." She looked towards Perto, her hand loosening around his. "That’s my answer. You can take your time with yours."

Perto stared at their hands before looking up at Regis. "I don’t know yet."

Regis had expected it to hurt, but hearing the words still made his stomach sink. He gave a small nod. "Alright."

"I want to go back to Harmonia," Morgana said. "I want to be somewhere familiar for a while. When I think about going into another fight..." She shook her head, unable to finish.

"You don’t have to answer that now," Regis replied.

Rumi rubbed at her eyes before speaking. "I want to stay with the Order. But I’m scared too."

Her admission drew his gaze back to her. Regis wanted to tell her that he would be stronger next time, that he would find some way to keep everyone safe. He had believed those words before.

"Me too," he said quietly.

Rumi’s shoulders lowered a little. Beside him, Killian remained close enough for their arms to touch, and Aurelia rested her hand over the fingers Regis had curled against his robe.

The others stayed quiet, and he let them. They sat together until the light began to fade and someone came to tell them that food was ready.

***

That evening, Regis asked Aurelia whether she could find him something to write with.

She returned with paper, a pen, and ink, placing them on the table in front of him. After checking that the lamp was close enough, she left him to it.

Regis adjusted the position of his wrist and wrote Dahlia’s name. They had exchanged letters for years, yet he found himself unable to move past the greeting.

Eventually, he lowered the pen again.

"I’m alive. I was injured, but I’m recovering."

He paused, looking at the words before continuing beneath them.

"We lost several people in Edenelia. I don’t really know how to write about it yet."

Regis leaned back slightly. Perto’s uncertain answer returned to him, followed by Morgana’s wish to go somewhere familiar. He could not yet tell Dahlia when he would leave Paradis, or who would be travelling with him when he did.

Still, there was something he could tell her.

He remembered the promise he had made with Doron and all the time he had spent looking forward to Grandella. Before coming to Edenelia, he had wondered what he would say when he finally stood in front of her.

His wrist began to ache. Regis shifted it against the table, dipped his pen again, and continued writing.

"I still intend to come to Grandella. I haven’t forgotten."