“Hey, Leo, over here!” shouted Marem.

Leo shuffled through the crowd until he reached her. There was Marem, her raven hair was in disarray from the ground. Her robes were scuffed and covered in dirt. Philips stood nearby, his wiry brown hair seemed to still be filled with his own dried blood. His exhausted eyes seemed to scream and demand for a rest.

“Marem! I’m so happy you’re okay,” exclaimed Leo.

She moved forward and gave Leo a hug. He was happy to see that she was awake, but he broke the hug quickly. While she didn’t know about the kiss, he did. He gave Philips a smile, as the injured mage shot one back at him. Leo looked down at the new member of the group who seemed to be staring at him.

The man had a short stature that forced Leo to crane his neck to maintain eye contact. His deep blue suit was tattered with tears and stains. His long flowing beard had gone from white to a tapestry of red and brown. The twigs and bloodstains threw off his likely once distinguished appearance. His stern expression was betrayed by how soft his orange eyes seemed.

“Hey?” asked Leo.

“Greetings, it’s an honor to meet you. I’ve gotten a rough idea as to what has been transpiring these past few weeks, but I am certain that you’ll be able to fill me in on the finer details,” responded the man.

Leo was taken aback by the stranger's confidence, “Well, yeah, I guess? I’m sorry, but who are you?”

Philips had started to speak, but was interrupted by the man, “Oh, my apologies. I am certain that my current condition isn’t one befitting someone of my status. I am Zanwin Vanceroy, the mayor of Faelde city.”

Leo was shocked to be meeting the mayor, “Oh, well it’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Mayor. Have you been waiting for me?”

“Yes, Philips and Marem have explained to me their side of events. From what I’ve heard and can assume, you are the one most likely to know about what happened,” responded mayor Vanceroy.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’d love to explain everything, but it would take way too much time. I finished clearing out the path, so we should start getting people to Faelde city,” answered Leo.

“Hm, very well then,” the mayor accepted.

Leo saw mayor Vanceroy and Philips split off from the group, as the two of them headed towards the small hill that marked the entrance of the path. Philips pulled out his staff and began to cast a spell. His shining blue eyes glimmered with a brilliant vibrancy, as he summoned a podium made of solid ice for the mayor to stand on.

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“ATTENTION! Dearest citizens of Faelde city, tis I, mayor Vanceroy. I am certain a growing number of you are confused as to the reason why you’re here. I assure you that everything will be explained in due time, but for now, we must return back to the city. All who are members of the city guard, please report to me,” commanded the mayor.

Leo watched in awe as the mayor took control of the situation with ease. Most of the people had seemed relaxed, but a growing number started to question their mental excuses. Leo saw the unease settle down, as members of the city guard started to crowd around the podium.

The mayor gave commands to the guardsmen. Those who still had their armor and weaponry on were sent ahead to scout and guard. Others corralled the populous and helped them form an orderly line out of Faelde city. Many of the guards were sent to gather those who were in the forest and those still asleep.

The crowd started the slow march to Faelde city. Friendly banter and chatter popped up across all the residents of Faelde city. They were happy to be going home, as most of them felt exhausted. Those who were hurt were healed for free by the clerics of the city.

“Seems as if we managed to bring back the people of Faelde city,” commented Marem.

“Yeah, we actually did help these people out in the end,” Leo let out a relieved sigh.

“Sadly, they have more difficulties ahead. They’ve lost weeks of their life, and their city is in near ruins. That’s not even mentioning how many people are likely missing or dead,” lamented Marem.

Leo took a moment to find a reply, “That’s true, but they’re still alive. If they have their lives, then they have something.”

He was certain that the people of Faelde city would take a while to recover from the attack by the second calamity. Despite this, he felt confident that they would recover. He saw the mayor and his soldiers doing their best, as the people worked on helping each other make their way out of here. As long as the people have each other to rely on, then they will be able to come back from this.

Leo and Marem joined the line to walk out of the forest. The crowd was energetic, as the people shared their stories. He overheard tales of chasing comets and treasure hunting. While these weren’t true memories, they were certainly entertaining for Leo and Marem to hear.

Some people had realized that something was wrong with their memories. Friends who spent the night together had memories that veered too far off from each other. Most people didn’t have any doubt in their stories, but once they interacted with someone critical, then their story would fall apart.

Soon, a new air had started to spread over the line. There was fear and uncertainty, as no one knew what had really happened to them. A small group tried to explain the grand leaving and the spike devil. Panic formed as they heard their tales, but arguments broke out claiming that their memories were also fake.

The guards tried their best to calm the people. If too many people panic, then this crowd could turn into a mob. Leo saw the end of the trail approaching and began to worry. He didn’t know how they would react.

When his group finally reached the end, there was no more arguing or panic. The crowd simply stood in the open and stared. Faelde city appeared worse in the daylight. It had gone from a stunning city to bloodstained ruins.