{-Zetai-}

There were other things she probably should’ve been dealing with instead. But when she got the text, she figured everything else could wait a little while.

After all, she was much more concerned about whatever was going on with the twins than what her brother was going to ramble to her about.

Zetai came just around the same time as Reynneak, and they both went over to the inn’s front desk—where Tinath definitely did not seem to be having a pleasant conversation.

“Unfortunately, there’s not much more I can tell you,” Vamir was saying, calmly, as the other two walked up. “None of us can exactly change what’s already happened, now can we?”

“What’s going on?” Reynneak prompted. She recognized that look on his face, from years ago—someone had hurt his family, and he wanted to be there to defend them.

“I’ve already told your friend all there is to say, but I’ll say it again.” Vamir, all things considered, remained pretty neutral. It was hard to tell whether that made the situation better or worse, though. “Llewel, Myr, and Casrane have done what they could to please both worlds—to remove the unstable elements of their beings, as well as allow the rest of us to flourish in our free will. Given the fact I’m discussing this with you now, I believe it’s safe to assume that it worked.”

“And?” Zetai knew the three of them weren’t here; Tinath had said as much. This wasn’t as nice as a sweet, heartwarming ending. More was going on.

He was almost casual when he said it. “They were the connection between what was supposed to be and what grew on its own. Without them, one doesn’t disappear in order for the other to control to an extreme—no, they remain independent of one another. And without what ties them, they’re allowed to stay just close enough to influence one another, but far enough apart that one would never consume the other. That’s how Llewel, Myr, and Casrane went to the Heart of Anseshara and ended this in a way that pleased everyone.”

“That means exactly what we’re all probably afraid it does, doesn’t it?”

He nodded. “The Heart of Anseshara has a tendency to consume those who enter it. There’s a good chance that, after doing what they must, they could not leave.”

Well, that was one fancy and roundabout way to say that they were dead. It wasn’t like they weren’t smart enough to figure out that’s what he was saying—and she had a feeling he was smarter than to use that kind of ambiguousness if that wasn’t what he meant.

Still, all that realization did was make her think of last night. The twins had thanked them then, for everything they’d done together. Zetai couldn’t stop herself before muttering a curse and remarking, “We should’ve figured out that’s what they were going to do.”

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“This was something they chose to do,” Reynneak pointed out gently. He was doing a better job at internally processing it than either of the other two were, at least. “They would’ve felt the need to do this no matter what we tried to tell them…”

Tinath didn’t say anything, more or less just standing there in dead silence. It had to have been hard, losing the same friend twice…

Still, Vamir dragged them out of the self-pitying mindset. “I believe Duuzlo is going to want to know that it worked. Could I bother you three to make the trip back to Nafrius to tell him? It likely won’t take you very long. There’s… even a possibility that you’ll find something unexpected there with him. I can’t make any promises, but there’s no harm in hoping for a little bit.”

…

It was probably safe to say that none of them were hoping. It almost felt wrong to hope, in a terrible way; hoping, then being proven wrong, was just as painful as never hoping in the first place. They all had other things to think about, anyway—like everything that had happened the night before, and for some reason trying not to do more to stop it.

When they got to Emmyth’s temple in Nafrius, Reynneak once again reminded them, “It had been their decision. We should respect that, at least, even if we wish it could’ve played out a little differently.”

Neither of them really had time to mumble some half-agreement before the door opened. Duuzlo gave them a small smile as he gestured them inside and, for a minute, there was a hope that he knew something that they didn’t—or, less optimistically, they knew something he didn’t…

“You all seem troubled,” he observed thoughtfully. “Go on and tell me what happened. There’s a couple of things I’d like to discuss with you, too, though that part can wait until we properly reach my office.”

Zetai was about to start recounting it, but was surprised when Tinath did it instead. For all of the quietness and pensive looks she’d had coming here, she told Duuzlo what had happened calmly and clearly. She told him everything that the players had been told, briefly mentioning how it was something Casrane had also hinted at to her. Apparently Casrane had been slightly more upfront about whatever might’ve been going on than what the twins had been… though she was definitely less willing to listen to any comments about thinking it through.

The only way Zetai could tell that they were getting closer to Duuzlo’s office was the music that kept getting louder—it was like one of those bittersweet songs they’d play at the end of service. Something that was meant to be happy, but only brought her a deeper sense of dread…

“That’s all quite the story,” Duuzlo remarked as he stopped at a door. It must’ve been the one to his office. “I understand what you might all be feeling, to think that they simply left. I don’t believe it’ll really make you feel better, either, if I told you all three did it of their own will… and they did it so that you could be safe. But don’t be too hard on them, alright? They’ve been through a lot. After all, we’ve finally reached an ending we can all be satisfied with…”

Tinath got as far as saying “What—” before Duuzlo opened the door.

And there all three of them were—Casrane, Llewel, and Myr, practically exactly like they were before they left.

“Sorry for worrying you…” Myr mumbled with a sheepish chuckle.

“We won’t blame you if you’re mad,” Llewel added.

“But it’s over,” Casrane said. “And that’s something to celebrate, isn’t it?”

It was safe to say that none of them thought of doing anything but embracing their happy ending.