A part of Meera's heart was happy to see Narikas get the adoration he deserved after how long he suffered in solitude to protect his kingdom. The other part of her heart was absolutely crushed.

She was so excited to finally have someone to travel with in her lonely quest. But it's good that she didn't have to look forward to Narikas's company for long, or it would have hurt even more.

As the soldiers cheering slowly came to a stop, Narikas gave his first order as king.

"My fellow countrymen, not even in my wildest dreams did I think I would get the honor to serve you all as your king. But I promise to do my best to ensure my nephew's dream of turning Azeria into a paradise comes true."

More cheering from the soldiers. Narikas raised a hand, and they settled down.

"My first order is let's clean the battlefield and ensure the bodies of our brothers and sisters reach their families with respect."

A bloodied soldier whose armor was more distinguished than the rest stepped forward. Meera figured he must've been a general or lieutenant.

"Your will be done, my king." He bowed his head and turned to the soldiers. "Men, let's get to it."

"I will take your leave, Uncle," Dirik said. "I'm leaving with the Wardens of Numheia. For my part in defeating the Cosmarians, they've offered to heal Mother or try, at least."

"When will you be back?" Hilnoa asked. Her face was stoic, but her eyes were numb.

Dirik looked to his comatose mother. "I-I don't know…"

He hugged her and then Narikas and moved to pick up his mother but stopped as he was passing Meera. His lips trembled. "T-Thank you for saving my family."

Meera smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I hope your mother gets better soon. She saved us all. If not for her, we would've been facing the might of Draros's army. And please say goodbye from me to the other Wardens."

He was about to walk off, but Meera remembered something. "Your mother's last words before Doromar took over her for good. I don't think you heard them as deprived of all her strength, she could only whisper. She said…son, I will always love you."

Tears dripped from his eyes. "Thank you."

He picked up his mother and left for the woods, where Brison waited with the healing Wardens. It hurt not to say goodbye to them in person. They had helped her so much, and she had grown so strong because of them, but she needed to move on. If fate willed it, she might see them again someday.

As Dirik was about to leave with his mother. Narikas called. "Wait a moment, son." He removed his Shadowsteel sword from his sheath and placed it in Dirik's empty one. "The road is a dangerous place. This will protect you. Be safe, and remember, you will always have a home with us."

Dirik looked like he was about to weep. "Thank you." He didn't say more and left towards the forest with his mother in his arms.

Once he was gone, Narikas turned towards Meera. "Walk with me."

He hopped over the mound, and she followed. He was moving towards his soldiers. She frowned at first but realized the Gateway Mirror was inside the walls of the now-destroyed fortress. The soldiers who had split into groups stopped and bowed to their new king. It didn't take them long to reach the bridge.

Narikas sighed as he stopped before the bridge to his former home. "I owe you a debt that I can never repay."

"Please not this again," she said jokingly.

He snorted. "I will achieve my dream of dying in my bed as myself all because of you."

"Well, you are king now, so I hope you do a lot of good before that."

He nodded and stepped onto the bridge. "In the end, the prophecy did come true. All of it…"

"Truth be told, I only remember parts of it," Meera said.

Narikas recited it as they crossed the bridge.

War and Death will surround you all,

To rain and fire will the cage of tears fall.

An oath to a parent shall a son break,

His throne the king shall forsake.

The enslaved will end the war with a final breath,

And Justice unleashed on living Death.

"The War and Death part is easy to see," Meera said. "We literally fought a war with the undead."

"And Draros's army had us practically surrounded," he added. "And you brought down the fortress with rain and fire."

"I had help, remember," Meera said. "I wonder if it was Delkoris who broke his oath by killing his father."

Narikas sighed. "No, that was me. I had promised my mother on her deathbed that I would always protect Rokibor with my life. I broke it by letting Delkoris kill him." He paused for a moment. "In my heart, I had always known it alluded to me. It's why when I first heard the prophecy, it angered me so that I never let those men complete it."

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Meera gave him a reassuring smile. She didn't want to say he did the right thing by letting his brother die. He must've loved him in some way, no matter how crooked he was.

She continued. "Who would've thought that the king who gave up his throne would end up being Delkoris, but was he king since he never took the crown?"

"He was next in line to be king. With Rokibor dead, he automatically became the king."

She nodded.

"All this time, I thought I was the enslaved that would end the war," he said. "But it ended up being the queen."

"I did not see that one coming," Meera replied. "I think it took too much off her. That's why she's in her current predicament."

"Poor Nisaya…"

"And Justice unlashed part is the Wardens taking down Doromar," Meera quickly added, as she did not want to explain to him how she saw a goddess personally dispatch the necromancer.

He was quiet as they crossed the bridge and walked through the open gates of his fortress. The melted metal fumed in the morning sun, and she could feel the heat coming off it. To the side lay the Gateway Mirror, safe in the cage—the reason Narikas had brought her here.

"This is part where I fulfill my end of the bargain," Narikas said.

"Yes, what was the problem with the Miravane?"

"As per my uncle, the Shadowsteel Warlord before me, he said they found the Miravane in the same cave as my old armor. When I showed it to your brother, the armor or Erenyx told me she had created it to find the Reflectora. She also gloated that the relic was useless, as only a Cosmarian could use it."

"Was she telling the truth?" Meera asked.

"Absolutely not," he replied with a smile. "Or maybe your brother is special in more ways than one. When he picked it up, he said, it was missing much of its original power. The armor didn't like being called out. Well, you can imagine what happened next. Regardless, we figured that the device needed lots of Mana to work. A Cosmarian's worth of Mana. These were beings that could rival the gods, so it stood to reason they thought only they could use it."

"But aren't all the living Cosmarians supposed to be confined to Rothedon's forest?" she countered.

"As far as I know, they are… so I thought, until the whole mess we just dealt with."

"Again, not living, breathing Cosmarians." Meera pointed out. "So, did Neel go to the gods for help?"

"No, not the gods. Could you imagine one of them descending from Mirithia to help a lone human?"

You'd be surprised.

"There are other beings in the world that are said to be equivalent in power to the Cosmarians…"

"Dragons!" Meera blurted out, remembering what Kalrina had told her about the archdragon Akhessai and how the head of her order had killed it and used its body as the headquarters for the Sorceresses of Akhessai.

"That's correct," Narikas said. "Your brother has gone dragon hunting on Gethys. More precisely, he's hunting dragonlings. They're not full-grown dragons, so much easier to kill. The best place to find them is in the great forest called Wiryar, which lies between the city of Drurith and the dragon keep called Akhessai. I will not lie. It is perhaps one of the most dangerous places in all the worlds. The dragons there are sworn enemies of all humans on account of the Sorceresses having killed their mother."

"I know that story," Meera replied. "What was Neel's plan? How is killing dragons going to power the Miravane?"

"Simple, and funnily enough, it was Erenyx who inadvertently provided the solution in her arrogance. Even a dead dragon's body continues to remain a strong conduit for magic, as do dragon heartstrings. He just needs to place enough of them into the wand's core, and it'll work."

"Wand?"

Narikas frowned. "Did I not tell you? Miravane is a metal wand made of Shadowsteel. So, whole pieces of the heart wouldn't work. Hopefully, he's accomplished his task and moved on because…" He lowered his gaze.

"What?"

"I'm sorry I had to tell them, or they would have killed Hilnoa and…me, and killing me would have unleashed Erenyx. I couldn't have that. Meera, please forgive me—"

"It's okay. There's nothing to forgive." Meera saw his condition. She might have done the same if she were in his place. She couldn't focus on what had happened but had to concentrate on what to do from here on out. "How long ago did Neel leave your place?"

"About three weeks before you arrived."

"And those two assailants were here about…five days ago?"

He nodded. "Just about."

"How hard is it to hunt a dragonling?" she asked.

"Honestly, I cannot say. Neel might have achieved his task and moved, but from what I've heard, the Wiryar forest is massive. It won't be easy to find anyone, especially with dragonlings out for blood."

That gave Meera some hope, at least. "Any idea where he would be headed from there?"

He shook his head. "He didn't share much of his plans with me, I'm afraid. The Sorceresses of Akhessai are not far from Wiryar, but I warned him to only go to them as a last resort."

"I've had dealings with one of them before. They would imprison him and experiment on him or use him for their own gains."

"Imprison him how? I tried with my shadow boxes, and he burst out of there in half a breath." He smiled. "I don't believe there is any cage that can hold your brother."

Meera smiled. "That's a relief. One last question: how do I get to Gethys and, more precisely, Drurith?"

"Go to Nelees and take the southern road to the trading post called Kantos. It's about a day's ride on horseback. Just follow the roadside signs. It's hard to miss them during this time of day. Do you still have the king's seal?"

Meera nodded.

"Good. Just show them that and tell them you're on kingly business. They'll give you no trouble, and given your level, I doubt they'll even want to."

Meera made a mental note of the instructions. "Okay. I guess…this is goodbye."

Narikas gave her a small smile. "Let me walk you to the mirror."

They walked in silence, and Meera's heart thumped. She had left many people behind on this journey already, some of whom had helped her out so much, but why was she so sad now? Maybe it was because he had said he wanted to come with her. So, she was looking forward to having a traveling companion.

The gate to the cage had been ripped open and lay a distance away. Most likely the result of the lightning storm Meera and Lexa had wrought.

As they walked several times, Narikas opened his mouth to say something but didn't. He must've thought, Meera didn't notice, but she saw with more than her eyes. They reached the Gateway Mirror.

"I guess this is it," Meera said with a smile.

"Seems so," Narikas said. "I—"

"I—"

They both said simultaneously and chuckled.

"No, you go ahead first," Narikas said.

"I just wanted to say, take care and…make sure you live life to the fullest," she said.

"I'm planning on it once I sort this mess out." He paused, looking unsure. "Meera, I couldn't come with you now, but if you ever need me, all you need to do is ask. I and the entire might of Azeria will come to help you."

Meera had hoped. He was about to say that he had changed his mind, but given that he was the king now, he couldn't drop everything to come with her. She nodded. "Hey, you can finally marry now. Find yourself a good queen and have lots of children."

The smile on Narikas's face withered a little. He looked into her eyes. "Once you find your brother or if you're ever in need of a home, you can always come back. My doors will always be open to you."

Meera looked to the ground uncertainly. "Narikas, you know the great prophecy…if the prophecy given to you is any evidence of these things coming true, then you know what fate awaits me…"

Narikas's expression grew grim, and his brow furrowed. "I wish I could change that. But still, that doesn't mean we give up."

"No, we do not. Goodbye, Narikas. Be a good king."

"I'll try. Good luck, Meera."

Meera touched the Gateway Mirror and selected Nelees. She gave Narikas one last look, and he smiled. She didn't show it, but something in her heart didn't want to leave, but she had to. Neel needed her, especially even more so now that those two assassins were after him. The thought steeled her nerves. She gave Narikas one last smile and stepped into the mirror.