While Leo and Elna shared their embrace, the others slowly gathered around them. Leo gently moved Elna to his left, still holding her close, as they turned to face Arthur.
"You look more… prepared," Arthur said, his eyes taking in Leo's appearance, a subtle shift in his posture, the way he carried himself. There was a quiet respect in his voice, something unspoken that came from seeing someone who had faced hardship and came out stronger.
Leo smiled, his tone a little lighter. "It's been a long time."
"Not for us," Briva added with a small grin, though relief lingered in her eyes. Then she glanced at the massive tree behind them.
"Wasn't that tree supposed to hurt anyone who got too close? How are all these people safe?"
"The Creator's awakened once more, and he bestowed his power upon us. Also, the divine power that once lingered there has almost faded away." Leo said, his gaze shifting toward Paul and the others "These are people I found in the maze, and my friends."
Paul stepped forward, the other five fighters following closely behind him. He shook Arthur's hand with a firm grip.
"Paul Hackney," Paul introduced himself.
"Arthur Caelum," Arthur replied.
After the brief exchange of greetings, the group continued toward Hope. The Shadowland felt different now, filled with more life and energy, as if the land itself was finally breathing again. When they reached the city, the first to welcome them were Alina and Arlasan. The shouts of greeting and the cheers from the townspeople lifted a weight from Leo's chest. It was good to be back, even though there was still much to be done.
They reached the castle, and Luciana was waiting for them at the entrance, a faint smile on her face as she watched Leo approach.
"You look... different," Luciana said, taking a moment to assess Leo. "Bigger. It's clear you've been through a lot." She cocked an eyebrow, a challenge in her voice. "Maybe we should have a spar. I need to see how much you've really changed."
Leo let out a tired chuckle. "Tomorrow," he replied, shaking his head. "I'm really tired right now."
Luciana smirked but didn't press. "Alright."
Leo nodded. After a few more words, he excused himself from the group and went to their room with Elna. The familiar surroundings of the castle felt more like a refuge now, a place where the weight of the past could finally settle.
After a long, much-needed shower, Leo rested on the bed, the exhaustion of the journey finally catching up with him. Elna was by his side, and for the first time in a long while, Leo allowed himself to relax completely, the sense of peace washing over him.
…
The next morning, Leo woke up early, a habit formed during his time in the maze. He took a quiet walk through the city with Elna, making sure that everyone he had found was settling in well and happy with their new lives. It felt good to see them safe, no longer trapped in a world of fear. Once he was sure all was well, they returned to the castle yard.
As they walked into the courtyard, Leo spotted Vanessa and Liane deep in conversation with Arthur. He was about to approach them when, unexpectedly, Luciana appeared from the side, stepping directly in front of him and blocking his path.
"You ready now?" she asked, a spark of challenge in her eyes.
Leo smiled, feeling the familiar rush of anticipation. "Sure."
He looked toward Elna, who gave him a nod before walking to the corner, giving them space. Leo's focus returned to Luciana just as she suddenly launched herself at him, moving with incredible speed. In her normal form, her claws extended, coated in a thin sheen of blood.
Without hesitation, Leo raised his hand.
Pah.
His fingers closed around her wrist mid-air, halting her attack with effortless precision. Luciana's eyes widened in disbelief. She was an A4, close to A5, and yet, Leo stopped her strike as if it were nothing. For a moment, she was frozen, unable to process how easily he had countered her. Leo wasn't just stronger now, he was something else entirely. And the scales of their fight had completely shifted.
Leo met her gaze, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Ready, Luciana?" he asked, his voice calm, but there was an undeniable challenge in his tone.
With a sharp flick of his wrist, Leo threw her back. Luciana twisted in the air and landed on her feet, skidding a short distance across the stone. Realizing how much stronger Leo was than she had imagined, her expression hardened. Her eyes turned crimson, and a faint glow spread through her hair. Her aura shifted in an instant.
Blood dripped from her fingers, pooling briefly before shaping itself into a red longsword in her hand.
Across from her, Leo's hair turned white, his eyes glowing red. Thorn slowly emerged from his palm, its dark surface pulsing with restrained power.
They locked eyes for a brief second.
Then both vanished.
Dave instinctively opened his book, beginning a shield spell, but before he could finish, a dome of golden light wrapped around the arena. He looked up to see Arthur standing with one hand raised, maintaining the barrier.
Inside the shield, Leo and Luciana reappeared in the center. Their swords collided immediately. The shockwave slammed into the golden barrier, sending a deep ringing sound across the courtyard.
Their figures blurred, vanishing and reappearing as they clashed again and again. Leo raised his sword and slashed, sending a crescent of blood racing toward Luciana.
Two blood-formed wings burst from her back and folded forward, blocking the attack without effort. When the wings pulled away, a confident smile crossed her face, until she noticed Leo calmly aiming Thorn at her.
Her smile faded.
Thorn reshaped in Leo's hand, its blade thickening into a mace. In the same moment, the weapon extended, its length stretching unnaturally. The mace head slammed into Luciana's stomach faster than lightning.
Her eyes widened as she was launched backward, crashing into the ground. She rolled once and sprang back to her feet almost instantly, fury now burning on her face. Her wings grew larger, and blood spread across the stone beneath her, forming a dark pool.
She charged but her sword sliced through empty air.
Pain exploded across her back as the flat of Leo's weapon struck her. She hit the ground again, breath knocked from her lungs. Before she could rise, Leo was already above her, Thorn resting against her neck.
"I win."
Luciana smiled, brushing a streak of blood from her cheek. "You really did get a lot more powerful."
Leo let Thorn dissolve back into his palm and reached out, pulling her to her feet. "I trained for more than twelve years," he said calmly. "But mastering a full transformation in just three months, that's impressive."
Luciana dusted the dirt from her clothes. "I'm not the only one."
Leo frowned slightly and followed her gaze. His eyes landed on Elna. "Elna?"
"And Arthur," Luciana added.
Leo's surprise was genuine. Luciana had been a vampire for a long time; her progress made sense. Elna, though talented, had only been one for a few years. That alone was remarkable, but Arthur mastering it too? That was something else entirely.
Even Leo had needed nearly a year to fully control that power.
A slow smile spread across his face. Arthur truly was exceptional.
"Let's go," Leo said. "I have a lot to tell you all."
They moved into one of the castle's rooms and took their seats. Just as Leo was about to speak, a gentle presence filled the space. Light gathered beside them, and Ilandra appeared.
Leo could exist in both his domain and the real world at once, but after everything that had happened, he had chosen to rest. Even so, Ilandra had felt his return, and now she was here.
Vanessa and the others, unfamiliar with her, froze the moment they saw the beautiful woman standing among them.
"Everyone," Leo said calmly, "this is Ilandra. You may know her as the Goddess of Nature."
That explanation did nothing to ease the tension.
Liane jumped to her feet.
Paul let out a breath. "You weren't joking…"
"I don't joke about things like this," Leo replied.
Ilandra smiled and took a seat, clearly used to such reactions.
After a moment, everyone slowly sat down again. From time to time, the new members, except Paul, cast cautious glances at the goddess.
Leo leaned forward. "I'll start with what happened in the maze."
He gave them a clear summary of everything that had taken place. When needed, the others who had been there filled in the details. By the time Leo finished, more than an hour had passed, and the room was completely silent.
Arthur leaned back in his seat, letting out a slow breath. "To think all of that happened to you," he said. "But are you sure the Mad God won't follow you here?"
Leo nodded. "We're in the Shadowland. It's difficult for him to trace us here, but we can't waste time. We need to deal with the corrupted part of the Beast God as soon as possible." He looked at Arthur. "What news do you have about it? Did you find it?"
Arthur nodded. "Yes. It's in the same path to the City of the Future. The deeper we went, the stronger the monsters became." He paused, then glanced at Elna. "We also managed to see the real beast from a distance."
A moment later, Elna's small illusion appeared above the table.
The image showed a massive spider-like creature with far more than eight legs. Its upper body was enormous, and thick tentacles of varying lengths hung from it, writhing slowly. The image was blurry, clearly formed from long-range observation.
"It wasn't as large as Osara," Arthur explained, "but it felt stronger. I'd estimate it at around S2."
Monster ranks followed a different system than their ranks. Osara, for example, was powerful and terrifying, but at best it only reached the lower end of S-rank, around S1.
"That shouldn't be a problem," Ilandra said calmly. "We already have four S-ranks here."
"Four?" Luciana said, turning sharply toward Leo. "You're already S-rank?"
Leo nodded. "I wasn't sure I'd reach S-rank when I escaped, but once I returned, I felt it. The Creator's domain became stronger, likely because of the changes in your domains. As I said before, our domains influence each other. Since I'm connected to the Creator's domain, my power grew even more." He paused. "I'm confident I'm S1 now."
Originally, he had expected to be at the peak of A5. The increase was far beyond that. The way domains fed into one another fascinated him, he needed to visit Ethereon soon and learn more about the rules.
Leo then looked at Arthur. "It seems you've reached S1 as well. That was fast."
"I was already close after the Creator's last empowerment," Arthur replied. "I just needed time to stabilize it. I also managed to open the Creator's building in my domain."
"Same here," Luciana said. "Once I mastered the transformation, it opened for me too."
Arthur nodded in agreement.
Leo leaned forward slightly. "What was inside?"
"In mine, there was a golden sword stained with blood at its center," Arthur said. "Its power was greater than anything I've ever felt."
"And in mine, an orb of blood," Luciana added.
"I think that building grants us the same abilities we already have, but refined and strengthened," Arthur continued. "It's like our power merges with the Creator's and becomes something far more complete."
Leo nodded slowly. "Good." The outcome was even better than he had expected.
He then turned his attention to Elna and Briva, who sat side by side.
"What about you?" he asked. "Were you able to connect with Ethereon?"
Elna nodded. "We were. But we still need time before we can form our domains."
"Take all the time you need," Leo said without hesitation. "Domains shouldn't be rushed." After a brief pause, he added, "We'll learn more about domains at the next gathering. For now, we also need to start planning our attack on the monster."
After a moment, Leo spoke again. "What about the war?"
Arthur answered calmly. "The Magic Kingdom is holding back the orcs, but their numbers are overwhelming, so they can't spare forces. The Kingdom of Light is also resisting, but they took losses in the south after Osvald was pulled back to deal with a new S-rank orc near the Shadowland. Ryan and Edgarth have joined them, and for now, the line is holding."
Leo nodded once. "Good. Give me the details later."
With that, the meeting came to an end. One by one, everyone left the room, except Elna, who lingered and walked toward Leo.
"You've already started planning for what comes next," she said quietly.
"I have to," Leo replied. "If I want to defeat the God of Light, I'll need to go to Ethereon. That's part of the plan."
Elna understood what that meant. Leo would be leaving again.
A hint of sadness crossed her face.
Leo noticed and gave her a small, reassuring smile. "That's only one part of it. I promise, I'll take you with me whenever I can."
"That's not what worries me most," Elna said softly. "You're going to challenge a god. A true god. That's on a completely different level from everything we've faced so far."
Leo nodded. "I know. That's why I need to find a power capable of standing against him."
"What kind of power?" she asked.
"I'll tell you once I'm sure," Leo said. "Speaking about it too soon could be dangerous."
Elna didn't press him. She stayed where she was, close to him. Leo carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, and for now, the only thing she could do was stand beside him, and she intended to do exactly that.