It seemed like the entire city had come to see the former king be beheaded. A guillotine had been set up in front of the castle. Royal guards had surrounded it, to make sure people didn't push past to disturb the process. The Queen needed to be there as a witness, though she did so in all black and mourning attire. She stood some distance away, up the stairs and near the entrance to the castle. Yarro and Kael stood just off the side. From where he stood, some citizens were visibly upset at Wen’s impending death, and some were outright cheering with the banners from the riots earlier. Which didn’t make sense to Yarro, as Wen had nothing to do with the reasons they were rioting in the first place.

At long last, the moment had come. The executioner stepped up to the stage and was met with a roaring in mixed with excitement and horror. Wen, dressed in simple white clothes, was prepared for the guillotine. He looked up, dejected, at his wife. Whatever he was searching for he never found, and looked back at his feet still dejected. They forced him on his knees and fastened his head in the lunette. Without a countdown, or a speech, or any last words, the blade came down and decapitated Wen immediately. The crowd continued with its mixed reactions, except even louder. With Wen dead, so were his plans. Yarro’s work in Rylin was finally done.

The second the metal blade connected with the neck, he felt himself exhale a breath he didn't know he was holding and relief washed over him. Seila was safe, and now he could focus on rebuilding Dawic like he wanted to. Yarro glanced at Queen Illa. He need to ask her for permission for his plan but her face was unreadable and she was turning away from the scene on her way out. Perhaps it was a bit too much for her. He quickly went after, not wanting to miss his chance. He needed to ease into it though. “What will you do now? Find your children?”

Queen Illa continued inside. “I will search the entire ocean to find them, even if it’s the last thing I do. I’ll bring them back.” At the bottom of the stairs she turned to Yarro. “Thank you for telling me. Without the knowledge they were still alive… I never would have agreed to the contributions that settled down the riots. Because the choice not to would have saved my husband. And he was the only one I thought I had left.”

"Do you think Wen was telling the truth? When he said it was revenge for your children?" Kael asked. Even through closed doors they could hear the cheers and shouts of the crowd outside.

She shook her head. “My children didn't hold any elements either. They would have been right in the middle of those riots if they were here. It makes me wonder… If they took that ship to escape the snide comments they heard growing up in the castle that even I could not stop. Trying to prove their worth to their own father. Whatever his plans were, he merely used my children as an excuse he thought would move hearts.”

She was willing to throw away her husband to protect her children that she didn’t even know if she could get back to. “I’m sure they would have liked what you started, then,” Yarro said.

“Yes. Without them… I… didn’t…” Queen Illa shook her head to stop herself from speaking more on the subject, and took a deep breath to calm herself. “Good luck with whatever your endeavors lead you to.”

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"Wait!" Yarro called out. "I want a reward. For doing what you asked, and more."

Queen Illa rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, of course you do. What is it?"

He gulped. This was it. "Dawic has been wiped off the map, but it doesn't need to be. There's another town on the other side of that mountain. If I can rebuild the village, and tunnel a direct path to it, Dawic can become a huge trading town. I would like to become its Mayor."

"You still care for it? Rebuilding what was lost won't bring everyone back."

"I know. But I can't let their memories be buried under the rubble."

"If you want your reward to be more work, then go ahead, I won't stop you." She waved her hand away. "Ask Quince for the paperwork and fill it out whenever you're ready."

It was then that he felt a presence watching them. When he turned around he nearly jumped out of his skin. There stood the Fire and Earth Deity, watching him. “The human corruption of this land is finally clear,” the Earth Deity said. "We will retract our orders for the Master Elementals, and they will go back into dormancy."

“It cleared? Because one man is now dead?” Kael asked.

Illa glared at the the Deities, her hands firmly clasped in front of her. She looked like she was tired of the interruptions. Yarro knew just how she felt.

“That one man would have scorched the entire earth if it meant more profits,” the Fire Deity said. “Do not be deceived by his crocodile tears about his children.”

“There is a fine line to walk when you make new technological progress. But it cannot hinder the very planet you live on," the Earth Deity said. “Now that he is gone, you can continue your path as a Demideity and our champion, and continue to protect the environment in accordance with these laws.”

The Fire Deity nodded along. "You will need to keep a sharp eye to protect your planet from corrupting influences. Technology that may seem benign at first will quickly grow to an unprecedented drain on resources if put in the wrong hands."

Oh, hell no. There was one quest, and one quest only. No part in the job description did it say to clear corruption from everywhere. Yarro furiously shook his head. “Absolutely not. No way. Not now, not ever. My plan is to retire in Dawic, not travel all over the world killing the people destroying the environment.” A glance toward Queen Illa showed that she was thinking over their words, and taking them to heart. But Yarro had no such intention of spending his own free time on policing the world.

The Earth Deity raised an eyebrow, confused. “That was not the plan,” they said.

Yarro crossed his arms. He survived all this, no way was he budging on this issue now. “Find someone else to do your plan then. I recognize that it’s important, but I can’t be out there knowing that I can fix Dawic. Queen Illa agreed with my proposition to become Mayor of Dawic.”

“Why do you care about Dawic so much? They were all fated to die," the Fire Deity spoke up.

He crossed his arms. “They were fated to die for me. That's not right, and I want to make it up to them."

The Fire Deity sighed, but deep in their eyes was the love and protection he felt when they first awoke his fire element. “Very well. It is evident you have the passion of a fire elementalist and your mother’s stubbornness. We will not be able to get through to you so you are relieved of duty. Pray to me if you need anything.”

The Fire Deity erupted into flames. The Earth Deity sighed , and then collapsed into a pile of dirt before sinking into the ground. In the blink of an eye, they were gone. Just like that. Yarro was finally free to do what he wanted. He hoped that his next prayer to them wouldn't just end up with them trying to convince him again. Since what felt like forever, Yarro finally felt some semblance of hope. There was so much to do now. He would need to get with Kael right away and go over with him which plans seemed most likely to pass.