The mist lifted on the seventh day, revealing a forest refreshed— leaves greener, streams clearer, the air crisp and clean. Leon and Isabella stood outside Kael's old camp, their packs bulging with herbs: star moss for warding off miasma, moonwort for fatigue, ironwort for repelling insects, and a handful of rare starblossom they'd found near the stone circles. They'd also collected jars of camellia oil, bags of pure salt, and a vial of the three-eyed frog's paralytic secretion— all treasures from the southern edge.
"We need to dry the herbs before we leave," Leon said, spreading them out on clean linen in the sun. "If they get moldy, they'll be useless."
Isabella nodded, sewing leather sacks from the hide of a small deer they'd hunted. "One sack for each herb," she said. "And a separate one for the salt and oil. We don't want them mixing."
They worked through the day— drying, sorting, sewing. Leon copied Kael's notes into a leather-bound journal he'd found in the camp, adding his own observations: where to find each herb, how to cultivate mushrooms, how to purify salt crystals. "This will help the village," he said. "Master Eldrin can use it to teach others— and Father will have better remedies for hunting wounds."
In the evening, they reinforced their tent with extra bamboo poles, preparing to wait for the last of the mist to clear. Leon sat by the fire, sharpening his knife, while Isabella polished the vial of frog secretion. "Do you think we'll make it back before winter?" she asked.
Leon looked at the sky— clear now, stars twinkling— and nodded. "The mist is gone. The rivers are calm. We'll follow Kael's trail back— it's safer now that we know the way."
He thought of Acorn Village: the ginkgo tree in their yard, Erika's honey cake, Garin's rough smile, Master Eldrin's quiet lessons. They'd left as two children eager to prove themselves; they were returning as survivors, as healers, as bearers of knowledge that could help their home.
As the fire died down, Leon tucked the journal into his pack, next to the leather sacks of herbs. The southern edge had tested them— with floods, venomous frogs, thorny weeds— but it had also given them gifts: strength, skill, and a bond that would never break.
Tomorrow, they'd start the journey back. Tomorrow, they'd bring the southern edge's treasures home. And tomorrow, Leon would show Acorn Village just how much he'd grown.