The boat lands on the shores of Jubert Island, with Zanrit leaping off the ship to drag it further onto the beach. Tisha follows with Glyn and Mila, now with one tail slowly exiting. The four stand around in silence, taking in a breath as they take in their surroundings cautiously.

            “Do we have to be so on edge?” Mila asks.

            “Sadly. We don’t know how Miller and the others fared against the Knights and those mercenaries. The only thing we can confirm is that they held the line while we were away.”

            “But….”

            “Let’s hurry back to the manor, then we can confirm the situation from there and the village.”

            “That won’t be necessary.” A voice says from inland.

The group turns to see Miller standing above them as everyone else comes out of hiding. Mila’s eyes widen and she rushes ahead, leaping up to Miller as she wraps him in a hug.

            “Brother!”

            “Hey, Mila.”

            “I was so worried. I knew it was the only thing we could do, but I hated leaving you like that.”

He rubs her back and smiles. “Sorry for worrying you so much. But I promised you I’d see this through.”

            “You did, but I couldn’t help it!” She yells out as tears roll down her face.

            “Ah, sibling love. It’s so cute,” Faye says before turning to Glyn. “I can assume you guys had a successful trip?”

Glyn smirks. “We beat his ass and won the day.”

            “Good.”

            “But what happened? Why are all of you here? Are there any enemies left?” Zanrit asks.

Sam shakes his head. “No. most of the enemies have already been dealt with.”

            “Dealt with?” Tisha asks.

Miller pushes Mila off and walks forward. “Allow me to explain as we get back to the manor. There’s a lot to go over.”

Glyn nods. “Well, we have nothing but time as of right now.”

 

The group beaches the boat and makes their way up the road towards the manor. Along the way, Miller explains the previous week of combat his team experienced. Starting with the initial attack, they lost their momentum early on because of the sheer number of the enemy. They took shelter in hidden rooms across the manor and keep them on their toes with quick and fast attacks as they slowly take them down one after another. Whenever they defeated an enemy, they sealed them in the basement of the manor behind the hidden door and used the cursed sigil etched in the ground to create a makeshift prison.

Over time, the number of mercenaries dropped to more reasonable levels, and they launched an all-out offensive. The Knights proved to be dangerous opponents, but soon the pair were overcome and quartered. Sealed inside of the basement, the group worried about what to do next before the Shadows appeared.

The Shadows stole away the Knights and the mercenaries, giving news of Glyn’s victory against Fenwick. After a quick celebration, everyone rested from their extended battle and await the Glyn’s group’s return.

 

As they arrive at the manor, Glyn stands stunned, looking at the building. While the originally rundown manor wasn’t completely restored, their restoration efforts bore some fruit. However, now the building looked more decrepit than ever before. Holes in the walls burns from various fires and water stains, and the courtyard looked like a battlefield. Glyn stares at the horrid sight and turns to Miller with a look of concern in his eyes.

            “What happened?”

            “What did you think would happen when you invited the enemy to attack your base?” Miller asks.

Glyn shakes his head. “I predicted something bad, but this is worse than I imagined.”

            “At one point, they were gonna burn the whole place down. But we stopped that.” Fiona says.

Glyn sighs. “Well, despite some misgivings, the operation was a success. Sadly, now we have to rebuild our base, but right now, I just want a long nap.”

            “Agreed,” Tisha says.

Zanrit nods. “I’d like to sleep in my bed after so long.”

            “Well, good news. The rooms are intact mostly.” Rufus says. “We had to replace some furniture. But everyone should be able to get a good night’s sleep.”

Glyn nods. “Right. Everyone, let’s call it a day today. after everything we all need a break. We can start rebuilding tomorrow, but for today, let’s rest and relax for a change.”

            “Agreed. Both teams look utterly exhausted.” Miller says.

            “Beside. I’ve got a lot on my mind to think over now.”

 

Everyone splits up to look over the damaged areas of the manor and return to their rooms for a long-awaited rest. Glyn returns to his room, finding it an utter mess. Books lie scattered across the floor with trash and torn pages scattered about. As he looks around the room, Mila walks up behind him.

            “I thought you were going to stick with Miller.”

Mila pauses. “Brother and I are going to go check on our grandparents. We might spend the night there.”

            “That’s good. I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you both alive and well.”

            “Do you want to come with us?”

            “No. I’m going to get a head start on cleaning up.”

            “Oh right, the books.”

Glyn laughs. “Most of these were just decorative. Not a lot of books you can find on this island. Maybe we can get to work fixing that later, but it’s no big loss, just makes the room incredibly messy.”

            “Um, Glyn.”

            “What?”

            “You're not planning to go anywhere, are you?”

            “Huh?”

            “On the boat, you had this far-away look in your eyes. I’m worried you're going to leave suddenly.”

He pauses and turns away. “I’m not going to suddenly leave. I’ve got to clean up this mess and square away a few things first.”

            “And the war?”

            “That too. I have to try harder than that. It’d be embarrassing to go home after winning my first battle.”

Mila smiles. “I believe in you, Glyn. I know we can go all the way with this.”

He turns to her with a strained smile on his face. “Of course. We’re in this to win.”

            “Of course! I know you said you don’t want to be the king. But I know you're fighting for a reason and I’m going to support you with everything I’ve got!”

            “Thanks.” Glyn turns back. “Eat well when you go home. I imagine they’ll have a nice spread for you.”

Mila nods. “I will bring leftovers for everyone. Grandma always cooks too much, anyway.”

            “Sounds good,” Glyn says, focusing on picking up the books off of the floor. “Just have a good night. You’ve earned it.”

Mila smiles. “So have you Glyn.”

After Mila leaves, Glyn stands around for a while before moving over to his bed. He stares up at the ceiling and takes in a breath.

            “That girl is way too perceptive.” He says to himself. “Or maybe she’s just anxious after everything that happened? Either way, I have to tie up my loose ends here before I leave. With Fenwick gone, I have no reason to stick around in this little game. I can go home; I can quit this little war game.”