I made my way to the sitting room in the East Wing.
I took a few deep breaths before opening the door.
Everyone froze in motion the moment they noticed who had entered.
The sitting room was one of the few places in the Castle that didn't feel completely lifeless.
Several couches surrounded a low wooden table, while a large fireplace provided some warmth against the cold stone walls. Bookshelves covered one side of the room, and scattered papers occupied another table.
It was almost... comfortable.
Almost.
Nyvera and Raveth played chess at the far end of the room while Damien doodled on a few pages.
"Rhaen?"
I casually rolled my eyes and walked in.
"Woaah, look who used the front door."
"Very funny, Damien."
"I heard you got whipped real good."
"And I heard you are still the same old buffoon. But then again, we shouldn't believe everything we hear, Raveth."
Damien laughed.
Nyvera remained focused on the chessboard.
Raveth simply raised an eyebrow.
The four of us...
Damien, Nyvera, Raveth and I.
We were very few, but we were Zarin's elites.
And more importantly...
We were old-time pals.
"It's been way too long."
Damien flung an arm over my shoulder, pulling me close.
He hadn't changed much.
Still the same carefree attitude.
Still the same stupid grin.
Raveth was the opposite.
He was blunt, straightforward and had absolutely no concern for whether his words hurt someone's feelings.
Nyvera...
She was quieter.
Always observing.
Always calculating.
But somehow, the three of them were the closest thing I had to family in this place.
"Frankly, I thought you were dead."
Raveth said it without even looking away from the chessboard.
"I'd be glad if I was."
I said it casually.
But deep down...
I still cherished my life.
"By the way, I go by Eric now."
I looked between them.
"Eric McCalsky."
"A human name?"
Raveth finally looked up, a disgusted expression crossing his face.
"Where do you get off adopting another name?"
"I don't see the problem."
I shrugged.
"I'm whoever I choose to be."
"Nah, Rhaen. It doesn't work that way."
Damien finally spoke.
"The day we chose to renounce our human names was the day we chose to pledge our lives to the Demon Realm. You can't just flip like a switch to suit your moods."
His perspective wasn't wrong.
But his opinion didn't matter to me.
"You only say that because you are pleased with your life."
Damien and Raveth suddenly exchanged glances.
Then both burst into laughter.
"Rhaen, we all chose this life."
Raveth wiped the corner of his eye, having laughed a little too hard.
"Why are you running away from accountability and responsibility?"
"Maybe it's because he regrets that choice."
Nyvera's voice broke through the laughter.
The room suddenly fell silent.
My eyes rested on her.
She continued casually playing with the chess pieces, attempting to checkmate her opponent.
"What if our little Rhaen there deems himself too self-righteous to be a demon?"
Unlike Damien and Raveth...
Nyvera's words stung like hell.
"Unfortunately for him, he's just an ignorant fool who thinks the world revolves around him."
"Damn... Nyv, that's harsh."
That was weird coming from Mr. Blunt himself.
Damien walked toward the bar and pulled out a bottle and four glasses.
"What matters is that he's found his way home after having self-doubt."
He placed the glasses on the counter.
"We all went through a stage like that."
He filled each glass and handed one to everyone.
"So come."
He raised his glass.
"We have a lot to celebrate."
"A toast to Rhaen."
We all raised our glasses before drinking.
Nyvera, however, continued with her game of chess.
"Don't worry."
Raveth gave me a wink before returning to his game with her.
"She'll warm up to you."
Damien slouched into a nearby couch and patted the seat beside him.
"Come, Rhaen. We have a lot to catch up on."
I hesitated for a moment before sitting down.
I wasn't sure what I had expected when I returned.
Anger.
Rejection.
Maybe even indifference.
But this...
This wasn't so bad.
For the first time since returning to the Demon Realm, I didn't feel completely alone.
My eyes drifted toward the window.
Somewhere beyond the walls of this Castle was the world I'd spent years trying to escape.
And somewhere beyond that...
Hunter and the others were probably wondering what came next.
I wondered the same thing.
-----
We made camp in this new forest.
After barely making it out of Elton, we had finally arrived in this new dimension.
Hunter lay unconscious beside me. Tyra had closed his wounds to the best of her abilities. Hopefully, they'd heal naturally.
But something kept bugging me.
A gunshot?
From where?
A Purge officer?
But they were all unconscious, and when I protected Zayn and Hunter, that creature was the only thing attacking us.
Surely it didn't pull out a gun, right?
Amidst my thoughts, Zayn began to snicker, earning a confused look from everyone.
"Finally lost it?" Annabeth asked, throwing a stick into the flames.
"It's just funny," Zayn replied while picking at a weed.
"Everything changed in one night. One second we were rescuing Amanda and her father, the next we were the ones being rescued."
"I suppose it's a bit funny."
Annabeth threw another stick into the fire.
My eyes lingered on her actions a little longer than needed.
Something about the motion intrigued me.
"Everyone..."
Amanda suddenly rose to her feet and bowed slightly.
"I apologize for the trouble I've caused you all. I realize what my careless actions have led to, and I deeply regret it."
A brief silence lingered.
"And Tyra..." She turned toward her. "I've heard that Master Xavier is your father. I'm sorry about that. My actions have put you in a terrible situation."
Tyra barely said a word after our escape. She was still in shock and pain.
Regardless of how the rest of us felt about Master Xavier, he was still her biological father.
And that wouldn't change.
"What are you apologizing for?" Tyra finally spoke.
"You lost your father too."
"If I hadn't made that promise with Hunter, he wouldn't have gotten involved with me and definitely wouldn't have dragged you all into this mess."
Amanda...
She wasn't my favorite person, but she was someone Hunter risked his life to protect for some reason.
Regardless of their relationship, everything about her bothered me.
Maybe I was overthinking things, but I believed Hunter was old enough to make his own choices.
"Hunter made a promise to you, and he decided to keep it. We decided to help him. It's not that deep."
I stated firmly, looking into the flames.
"We're responsible for our own actions, so there's no reason for your apology."
"I agree with Jace."
Katara joined in, supporting me.
"Besides, this isn't the end of the journey. For all we know, Master Xavier and your father may still be alive."
"But—"
Amanda tried to argue once more, but Tyra cut her off.
"Just before the portal closed, I think I saw another beacon just like ours near Master's location."
"You mean they defeated Zarin?" Iris chimed in, her eyes brimming with hope.
"They probably escaped, Iris. But if so, that's good news. They could be hiding out in another dimension."
Zayn sat upright, pointing at Cody.
"You can find them with your abilities."
Everyone turned to face Cody.
He stared back blankly.
"Do you think I'm some kind of overpowered god?"
"Kinda," Zayn replied immediately.
Cody's expression darkened.
"Regardless of my abilities, I'm still as amateur as the rest of you. There's a limit to what I can do, and that's one of them. There are multiple dimensions. It would take days to search through all of them, and that's only possible if I'm able to enter a certain state."
"How unfortunate..."
Zayn rubbed at his already existing wound, earning an annoyed look from Cody.
"We should all get some sleep," Annabeth suggested, getting to her feet.
"We'll come up with a solution later. For now, regaining our strength is what matters most."
Everyone began to follow suit.
I glanced at Hunter and moved him closer to the fire to protect him from the harsh cold before heading off to find a spot to sleep.
As I stared into the sky of this strange world, everything seemed as natural as Elton.
But something about it was different.
The air carried a strange sense of mystery.
I slowly closed my eyes, preparing myself for whatever this world had in store for us.
And soon, sleep took over.