After a while, everyone returned to the village.
"We did it!"
"We deactivated it!"
"We won the battle!"
All four groups, each from a different tower, ca back battered and wounded, but victorious.
They had lost people.
The price had been heavy… but they had still won.
One by one, survivors reunited with the families who had been waiting in fear and hope.
"Big brother! Dad!"
Ethan was pulled into an embrace by his little sister and mother, their relief spilling out in tears. Mark stood beside him, greeted just as warmly.
Oliver returned to his father and the rest of his family.
So did Steffney, Julian, and Katherine.
They were safe. They had made it back. But not everyone was so fortunate. So stood alone… with no one waiting for them.
Nora and Malphas had no one left.
The joy of reunion was shadowed by silent grief.
Soon, the injured were taken to the healing center.
Amon and Scarlett were among them, both heavily wounded. The few available healers worked tirelessly, moving from one patient to another.
Kaelan oversaw everything, ensuring order amidst the chaos. Now, only one thing remained, finding a way out.
---
While most stayed behind, Roland and Peter left the village once again. They needed to be sure. Were they truly free? The forest was dark, eerily quiet.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Dry leaves cracked beneath their steps as they moved forward.
"…Did you hear that?" Roland asked, pausing.
Peter nodded. "Yeah."
It was faint, but unmistakable. The sound of water. They exchanged a look, then quickened their pace.
Monts later, the trees parted.
And what greeted them stole the breath from their lungs.
A vast, shimring blue sea stretched endlessly before them. Gentle waves rolled toward a sandy shore, glistening under the fading light.
"This… this is the sea…" Roland whispered, his voice trembling.
After so many years. After being trapped for so long. They had finally escaped the loop.
"Oh goddess… we finally found a way out!" Peter said, tears filling his eyes.
---
By the ti Roland and Silvana returned to the village, the dead had already been laid to rest.
Graves marked the cost of their victory.
One body, however, was missing.
Malphas.
There was nothing left of him, his final attack had reduced him to ashes.
Night fell.
Inside the healing center, fire torches flickered along the walls, casting warm, unsteady light across the room.
Amon lay unconscious on one of the beds.
Just away from him. Outside the healing center, Roland, Rei, Mark, Kael, Silvana, and a few others gathered, deep in discussion.
"We found the sea, it's close," Roland said, rubbing his chin. "But how do we leave this place?"
"We need a ship," Kael replied, leaning against the wall. "One big enough to carry everyone. But even then… sailing without knowing the direction? That's nearly impossible."
"We have to find a way," Rei muttered with a tired sigh.
They continued, turning over every possibility. Every desperate idea.
"I have a way." The voice cut through the discussion.
All eyes turned. Scarlett stood there. She was still recovering, but strong enough to walk now. Hope flickered across their faces.
"What is it?" Roland said with hope.
"Yeah! what's your plan?" Rei asked in desperate tone.
Without a word, Scarlett raised her hand. A faint glow flickered from the storage ring on her finger.
She pulled sothing out. A dark blue crystal. But it wasn't ordinary.
"That's—!" Roland's eyes widened as realization struck.
"A communication device," Scarlett said calmly. "It connects to my house. It's still functional. I ahev this with when I ca to this Island. But when I entered this loop kind of thing...It stopped working."
The room went silent.
"I just need to contact them now since its wirking again," she continued. "If I do, they can send help. They'll circle the island… and find us on the shore."
For a mont, no one spoke.Then hope surged through the room. They had finally found a way out.
"Do it then!"
"Yeah, what are you waiting for!"
Hearing their words, Scarlett nodded. She raised her hand and exhaled slowly. Mana moved from her body to the communication crystal.
It started to glow, indicating it was connecting to the other side. But no one answered for a while. They waited. Wishing for anyone to answer back.
Just then, a clicking sound ca.
"Who might this be?"
A male voice ca from the other side. It was heavy and cold. Scarlett gasped in surprise after hearing a familiar voice after nearly four years.
She clenched her other hand into a fist.
"Hello? Is there anyone on the other side?"
Scarlett's voice trembled slightly, but she forced herself to remain steady.
"…It's … It's , Sir Darian… I am Scarlett… Scarlett Bloodhart."
For a mont there was silence. As if the other person was trying to understand what he had just heard.
From a mind trying to process sothing it had long given up on.
Then the reply ca. "…L–Lady Scarlett…?"
The voice on the other side shook. It was no longer cold. No longer composed.
"…Is that… really you?"
The words ca slowly. As if he feared that speaking too loudly might break the mont.
Scarlett closed her eyes for a brief second. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, but she didn't let them fall.
"Yes…" she replied softly. "…It's ."
A sharp inhale ca from the other side.
"Lady Scarlett…!"
Darian's voice rose, filled with disbelief and overwhelming relief.
"Where were you for so long?!"
"We thought… we thought we lost you…"
His words faltered for a mont before continuing, his voice thick with emotion. "We searched… we waited… but after years… we had to accept…"
A pause. "…We had lost hope."
The room around Scarlett fell completely silent. Everyone watched her. No one spoke.
Because they knew this was the reaction everyone would have after talking to soone familiar after so many years.
Scarlett clenched her free hand tightly, her nails digging into her palm as she steadied herself.
"I'm fine…" she said quietly. "I'm alive."
A small pause followed.
"What happened to you?" Darian asked, his voice softer now, but still filled with urgency.
Scarlett exhaled slowly.
"…It's a long story," she replied. "I'll tell you everything… when I co back."
Another silence followed. Then Darian spoke again, this ti with urgency.
"Wait. I will inform Lord Sebastian imdiately."
The connection didn't cut. They could hear faint movents from the other side. The sound of footsteps and a door opening.
Voices in the distance.
Everyone in the room waited. No one dared to interrupt. Scarlett's grip on the crystal tightened slightly. Her heart was beating faster now.
After everything she had endured. After years of being trapped. She was finally this close.
A new voice ca through. It was authoritative.
Yet, there was sothing beneath it. Sothing that couldn't be hidden.
"…Scarlett…"
The single word carried weight.
"…Is that really you?" The voice was steady. But it trembled just slightly at the edges.
Scarlett's breath hitched. Her entire body froze. Her lips parted, but for a mont, no words ca out.
Her vision blurred. Her throat tightened. "…F–father…"
Her voice cracked. The word barely ca out as a whisper. She nodded instinctively, even though he couldn't see her.
"Yes…" she said, her voice shaking now despite all her effort. "…it's ."
Silence followed again.
On the other side. Even without seeing him, everyone could feel it. What that man might be feeling right now.
Silence remained for several seconds.
"…You're alive…"
His voice dropped lower and softer.
"…You're really alive…"
Scarlett couldn't hold it anymore.
Tears finally slipped down her cheeks. "I'm sorry…" she whispered. "I'm sorry… I couldn't co back… sorry for not listening to you and coming here."
Her hand trembled slightly as she held the crystal. "I tried… I really tried…"
There was a faint sound from the other side. Like soone exhaling deeply.
"…It doesn't matter." His voice was firm now.
But gentle. "Nothing else matters. You're alive. Tell where you are."
Scarlett wiped her tears quickly, forcing herself to regain composure.
She explained briefly, trying to give as much detail as possible. On the other side, there was no hesitation.
"We will find you."
His voice carried absolute certainty.
"No matter which corner of the island that place is… we will find it."
A faint shift in tone followed. More commanding now.
"I will send ships imdiately."
"They will circle the region until they locate the shoreline you described."
"You just need to reach the coast and stay there."
Scarlett nodded again, her grip tightening around the crystal.
"…Yes."
Another brief silence.
"…Scarlett."
Her na was spoken again. Softer this ti. "…Co back."
Her lips trembled. "…I will," she whispered.
The connection slowly dimd. The glow of the crystal faded. She looked at the others with a small smile. "We are leaving soon."
---
Scarlett goes back inside.
Towards Amon's bed where he slept.
He was in deep slumber. Exhausted and tired but safe.
Standing beside the bed, she extended her hand and put the strand of so hair on his face behind his ear.
His hair had grown around neck length.
She saw his face which had few cuts.
Her palm gently caress his cheek, "We are going back Amon."
A soft smile blood on her face. This ti it was for Amon.
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