BD flew me to the other side of the forest where Shade was fighting. I couldn't hear the sound of battle in his direction, so I assumed he was also done with his fights. Sure enough, Shade was sitting cross-legged, surrounded by the unconscious bodies of monsters and mages. He looked up at me as I descended in front of him.

"You look terrible," he said with a smile. "If I didn't know better, I would have thought you fought against someone who could kill you."

"A sword is as hot as magma, and a big cat made of the same stuff will apparently do that to me."

"Who were you fighting?" Shade had a hint of concern in his voice, but his face gave little away to show that he was.

I explained who Chase was and how he had been getting stronger since I left my home. I added that Shadow Fang was able to get his hands on something called the Silver Challenger Project, and his eyes lit up with recognition.

"I know about that, but I thought it was deemed a failure?"

"We can worry about that later. Chase was able to slip past me, but I needed to find him."

"That wouldn't be wise," Claymore's voice came from behind me, startling me a little.

He was carrying Mindplay's unconscious body in one of his arms while holding his staff in the other to support himself. Claymore assured me Mindplay would live, but he overexerted himself in their fight with the wizard.

"I was shocked at how well he managed himself," Claymore said. "Unfortunately, because I had to care for your friend, the wizard got away."

"So why can't we follow him?" I asked.

"Don't worry. I cast a tracking spell on the wizard so I don't lose him entirely. Going after him now would be foolish since he has the field advantage and the benefit of ambiguity. I will have someone else go after him."

"So, what now?" asked Shade.

Without warning, Claymore teleported us to Stonehenge and found the area littered with monsters' bodies. They had been torn to ribbons, with claw marks on their bloody remains, and nowhere did we see a human amongst them.

While still sitting, Shade leaned to the side, looking sick.

Most notable was the headless body of Shadow Fang.

Once his neck was cauterized, the stub led me to believe Raya was behind Shadow Fang's defeat. With Shadow Fang's death, the long journey I was on to stop him from hurting other people was over. I was relieved, but I didn't feel satisfied.

"Are you disappointed?" Claymore asked suddenly. He must have seen what I was thinking on my face.

"Disappointed?" I asked, hoping Claymore would elaborate.

"That you weren't the one that killed him."

"...I think it would be strange to say I'm disappointed. That said, I went through so much just so I could be a part of Shadow Fang's takedown, but I wasn't even near the fight. I'm glad someone stopped him, but I'm curious if I was needed in the first place.

"Who's to say what the consequences were in place of your involvement? What matters is that you were there to do something, and Shadow Fang is defeated."

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"And what about his plan to release the Red Dragon?"

"Halted for the time being. I predict it will take years before anything starts up again."

"Years?"

"We know what their ultimate plan is, and we know that they will always have to come back here. They will need time to devise a plan to bypass our gaze if they ever want to try this again."

Knowing that the major threat was no longer a high priority was reassuring, but I was still uneasy. Talking with Claymore helped me narrow down what was still bothering me. Throughout my adventure, I had seen many other schemers in the world. Bethânia was off doing who-knows-what with a power-increasing drug. The jinn's appearance in Skyland had yet to be solved as to how it had been left unchecked for so long. Worst of all, Chase escaped and had no reservations about killing.

"I feel like there's still more to resolve," I admitted.

"Agreed, but we cannot solve every issue we encounter. That's not a bad thing. All it means is that we are given a reason to call on others for help."

I smiled at that. I met many helpful people on my journey, and in some ways, I helped them. It might not all have been for the better of the world, but getting to know new people was fun. When my brother died, I sealed myself off from getting close to anyone, but I still wanted to help others. It was a means to lighten my guilt for not being able to save my brother, but now, I looked forward to saving someone I knew rather than a stranger.

But not today.

I turned to Shade, who had recovered from the sudden teleport.

"Claymore," I sighed, "I'm ready to go home."

Claymore let Mindplay rest in Amesbury before he made a more significant leap across the world. I decided to stay with Mindplay so I could talk to him one more time. We only met again the next day when we found a restaurant with outdoor seating. He ordered a cup of freshly brewed tea with honey while I had a cup of water and what looked like French toast. BD was on my lap, fast asleep.

"I need to take a break once I get back," Mindplay declared. "But it looks like you are going to retire. What happened to your hoodie?"

"Gave it and Eversharp back to Claymore. I want to go back to being Joe Backsburge."

"So, is that a no for working with me?"

"Don't worry, I still plan on working for you, especially after all you've done for me. I just don't want to do it as Silver."

"Do you think you will ever get the 'Silver stuff' back?"

"I'm not worried about that now. When I do need them, I'll know where to find them."

Mindplay took a long sip of his tea, almost draining the cup. "This was a good investment, but I wish I could get more people like Raya."

"I don't think you had a chance."

With a disappointed laugh, Mindplay replied, "I suppose not."

I missed my home. I had seen castles on mountains, flying stables, and worlds built on the foundation of imagination, but my simple home was the best.

I was at the driveway's entrance, with BD, in bird form, sitting on my shoulder. To my left was Shade, with his hands in his pocket, looking nervous, as opposed to my large grin.

"I know I agreed to this," Shade mumbled, "but I still think this is a bad idea."

"Our parents have seen monsters and magic already," I began. "They were almost kidnapped and had to let their remaining son go off on a dangerous adventure. What are you nervous about?"

"Your parents," Shade corrected and quickly answered my question. "Just because they've seen some weird stuff doesn't mean they will accept everything."

"I agree."

"So, why are you so calm?"

"I'm not, but that hasn't stopped me from doing the right thing."

"And you think this is the right thing?"

"I have no intention of lying to our parents, and they deserve to know. You may not be Wallace, but you are my brother and, by extension, their son."

"This could end badly."

"Very easily, but you were never afraid to fall before."

"That's still true." Shade blinked. He must have realized I was referring to Wallace, who wasn't afraid of heights as a kid. If Wallace always could become Shade, could that have influenced his mannerisms?

"It's you and me again. Just like old times," I said with a smile.

Shade finally smiled when we got to the house. "Like old times."

With that, we walked up to the front door and knocked.