Night was rushing in fully across the streets of Goldshore. The hours were shuffling by at a snail's pace, never quite fast enough for Therion's tastes. He understood now more than ever why Ophilia had wanted to rush off after Lianna and the Savior immediately. The waiting was just as agonizing as a battle would have been, and Therion didn't know how he was supposed to sit there with his dread for an entire night. Even if he slept his way through most of it, the pit in his stomach refused to be satisfied by anything but the complete destruction of the Savior. 

Therion had lingered out in the streets for long enough though. He had finished his other errand ages ago, and he no longer had that reason to stay out as he had been for hours already. Sooner or later, he would need to make his way back to the inn. Therion only hoped that he would be ready for it when the moment came. He was on his way toward the inn again, but his emotions didn't seem to want to catch up with his feet. 

Therion pushed the door to the inn open slowly, balancing his findings from the day in a bag. He didn't need anyone to ask why he had such a strange ensemble of goods, especially with the day the travelers had already endured. All that mattered now was finding Ophilia and talking to her. Therion couldn't say he was confident in what he was going to say to her, but he also knew she wasn't going to care. At this point, she would take any comfort regardless of how poorly executed it was. 

Therion stopped just outside of Ophilia and Tressa's inn room, rapping his knuckles on the door. "It's me," Therion said bluntly. He immediately wished he had at least tried to seem composed instead of letting his fears run wild and rip him to shreds. Ophilia needed him to be strong, and Therion couldn't fail her now. 

"Come in."

As soon as he heard Ophilia's voice from within the room, Therion pushed the door open and walked inside. Ophilia was sitting on her bed and staring down at the floor in front of her feet. Therion didn't know how long she had been alone, but he was certain that he probably wasn't going to like the answer. Therion sat down beside her, and Ophilia moved over enough to make room for him on the mattress. "Do you need something?" Ophilia asked softly. Even when her life had been ruined a few short hours ago, she found the power to help others. It was as admirable as it was terrifying, and Therion almost wished she wasn't trying to help him of all people right now. She should have been looking out for herself, but Ophilia could never only think of herself. She always needed to help others no matter how trying the situation became. 

"I got you a few things," Therion replied. He dug his hand into his bag before producing the dagger he had stolen from Vanessa's belongings. "I thought you would need this." He didn't explain the origin of the knife, but he didn't have to. Ophilia just needed to know that it was a nice dagger, the perfect weapon with which to cut her sister free of the chains that had come to bind her. 

"Therion, this looks so expensive!" Ophilia gasped, staring down at the dagger's hilt. She refused to pull it out of its sheath, and Therion knew it was because she was trying to shove down the disgust with herself at what she would have to do. She would need to kill the Savior to save Lianna, and she didn't regret it at all. "Where did you find this?"

Therion shrugged. "She deserved to lose it," he said simply, and recognition dawned on Ophilia's face. Vanessa's dagger had been bought with the money she had gained from exploiting people, and the travelers probably wouldn't have been able to afford it even if they pooled their finds... But Vanessa had no use for the knife anymore. She had given up the knife when she gave up her integrity, and in that way, Therion would argue that it was never hers in the first place. Ophilia was a much better dagger wielder in his opinion anyway. 

Ophilia examined the knife for a few seconds longer before she set it on the table beside her bed. "Thank you, Therion." Her gaze settled on the bag on Therion's lap. "Wait... You said you had multiple things to give me, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did." Somehow, Therion felt even worse about this next gift than he had with the first. Vanessa was a bad enough memory, but at least the wound she had left behind had already scarred over. His other present was a bit too fresh for that. "Here."

Therion pulled a lantern from his bag and pressed it into Ophilia's hands. Her eyes widened as she stared through the center where the flame was supposed to go. The lanthorn had acted as the party's light in the dark throughout their entire journey... But now that it had been stolen, they would need something new. Ophilia had left her other lantern at home once she had the lanthorn, but the travelers couldn't go back to get it now. Instead, they had far more important matters to settle, and the best way to see everything through was to get moving as soon as possible with an all new light source. 

"Therion..." Ophilia continued to watch the lanthorn for a long while, almost expecting a silver flame to burst in its center. When the Ember did not appear at the center of the lantern, she pressed her eyes shut in a vain attempt to stem her tears. It didn't work at all. "Thank you so much."

Therion shrugged jerkily. "It was the least I could do." No one else wanted to think about practicality right now when their plans were unraveling at the seams. The least Therion could do was try to plan out their heist to take the Ember back from Lianna in Wispermill. He knew what supplies would be needed to set this right, and a lantern was just the beginning. 

Ophilia only lasted a few seconds longer before she let out a choke of a sob. She pulled the lanthorn in close, her hands shaking. "I... I didn't think we would need this until the Kindling was over," she admitted. "I didn't think I would be here for everyone to need another lantern at all. I was sure I would be at home with my father before we needed it, but now..." Ophilia sniffled and shook her head. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to see me like this."

"Don't apologize," Therion told her. He wanted to wrap an arm around her shoulders and draw her in for a tight embrace, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He wasn't a touchy person, and he hoped Ophilia could understand how much he cared for her even without the need for physical contact. "I just... Thought it would be easier if someone else got it for you. Still, if anyone is going to use the lantern around here, it should be you. We would all be aimless without you around to guide us."

Ophilia wanted to smile at Therion for the compliment on her leadership, but she couldn't bring her lips to turn upwards as she needed them to. She rubbed at her eyes with her free hand, cradling the lantern as tightly as she could against her chest. "I appreciate it." Ophilia finally opened her eyes enough to look at the lantern again, and her stomach flipped with a refusal to settle. "I didn't think... I didn't think we would need something like this. I wouldn't have ever thought about it if you hadn't found one for us."

Therion resisted the urge to squirm on the spot. He had known this conversation would be tense and awkward even though it was something that needed to be discussed. "If you would rather someone else use the lantern until we can get to Wispermill..."

"No," Ophilia cut in with a shake of her head. "No matter what it takes, I'm going to do what I have to in order to bring Lianna back. I'm going to save her. I don't know what happened for her to betray me, but there must have been a reason for it... And I'm going to set things right."

Therion nodded distantly, unsurprised with Ophilia's resolve but wishing he could understand it better all the same. She believed in people so eternally that it seemed to change the world around her, and Therion could never do that. Any desire he may have had to trust others without a question had been thrown aside when he first realized the truth of his mother's life. She was constantly on the run, always waiting for someone to drag her back to the horrors she had escaped from. Therion couldn't trust anyone if he thought they would hurt her... And once he was alone, Darius had taken advantage of it to ruin him again. Trust had not existed in Therion's life until he met the travelers. Darius could call what they had love all he wanted, but deep down, some miserable part of Therion's heart had always known the truth. 

"Are you sure about all of this?" Therion found himself asking before he could hold the words back. "I know you want to trust your sister, but I don't want... I don't want you to get hurt."

Ophilia stared at Therion for a long moment, and for the first time in ages, Therion saw her for who and what she really was. Ophilia was far stronger than she let on, and the fact that she had maintained her composure after everything that had happened that afternoon was proof of it. "I'm sure of it," Ophilia assured him even though she didn't need to say it. He already knew. "I know something must have happened for Lianna to betray me, and I'm going to find out what it is. I'm going to save her. I know she's still in there... And no matter what it takes, I'm going to bring her back."

Therion shook his head softly. "I don't know how you do it," he admitted. "After what happened with Darius, I didn't want to trust anyone. Hell, I was being blackmailed into sticking around with all of you, and I still didn't want to do it." He remembered that he had taken off the fool's bangle before he went into town to help Kit by stealing the lapis lazuli, fully exposing his wrist to the silent air. Therion already knew that Ophilia had noticed it, but she was kind enough to not call him on the act. They both knew he was not the selfish loner he had initially painted himself to be, and saying it would have been redundant when the truth was clear enough without words. 

"You wouldn't be the first person to tell me that today," Ophilia told Therion with something that could have been a smile under any other circumstances. "But no matter how many times I end up being hurt or betrayed... I'm going to keep fighting for a better future. I'm going to keep believing in people. That is what my faith means to me."

Therion nodded, and he watched as Ophilia came to cradle the lantern gently in her arms. She was not entirely at peace, but she would get there soon, and that was all Therion could truly ask for. "Good," he murmured. "Faith looks better on you than anyone I've ever met."

~~~~~

Primrose was exhausted. 

Given the circumstances, that was to be expected. The travelers had been pulled in so many directions over the course of the last few weeks, and in the middle of it all, she had been stabbed. Primrose had made a strong recovery since then, but her exhaustion lingered anyway, refusing to release her. Talking to Ophilia had only tired her out more. Primrose hadn't realized how much she needed to talk to Ophilia about her issues with her father until the words were out of her mouth, and grappling with that truth had been far easier said than done. 

Primrose practically collapsed onto her bed in the room she was sharing with H'aanit. The travelers had felt safe enough to split up their rooms into four sets of two again after they arrived in Wellspring. Before then, they had been trying their best to stay together in two groups of four to avoid any tragic happenings like the night that Lucia had stabbed Cyrus. Primrose was glad to have the room solely to herself and H'aanit. There was no one she would rather spend her time with, especially now that they had admitted their feelings to one another. 

Primrose still found herself shocked when she thought about it. Despite spending ages struggling to come to terms with her emotions, she had finally told H'aanit how she felt. She had confessed everything that had been keeping her going for the last few months, and H'aanit had returned her feelings. They had kissed. Primrose felt safer with the travelers than anyone else, but with H'aanit, there was something different about it. As long as H'aanit was in her life, she would be safe, and Primrose wouldn't have had it any other way. 

With H'aanit, Primrose finally had a future to think about beyond just killing Simeon. Even though she was no longer pursuing him for revenge, Primrose had yet to truly consider what she would do once he was gone. Primrose had dedicated the last decade of her life to killing the men who murdered her father, and once Simeon had died... That purpose would die along with him. Primrose had fallen harder into her bad habits after meeting the travelers because she was afraid of letting them tell her that she deserved better than to just act as a weapon. Now that she had faced the truth though, Primrose had a future to work out, and she had no idea where to start. 

But as long as H'aanit was in her life, Primrose had a general idea of what she wanted. No matter where H'aanit wound up at journey's end, Primrose wanted to be with her. They would remain together in the face of all trials as lovers and friends, the greatest family Primrose could have ever asked for. Her father may have been gone, but Primrose could still form her own family, and she knew she wanted H'aanit to be part of it. The huntress had said as much back in Wellspring, and Primrose couldn't have ever yearned for anything more. 

H'aanit walked in moments later, almost as if she could hear Primrose thinking about her. The dancer sat up all at once, smiling brightly at her lover. Gods above, they were in love. "Good evening, H'aanit." All of a sudden, Primrose wanted to stay up as long as H'aanit was interested in staying awake. She had been halfway considering turning in early for the night just so she didn't have to count the seconds, minutes, and hours until the group's departure to Wispermill, but now, Primrose had a reason to stay awake. H'aanit was the perfect reason for her to want something better for herself, and Primrose would lean into it as much as she was allowed. 

"Evening, Primrose," H'aanit replied, pulling the door closed once Linde had prowled inside enough for her tail to be out of the line of danger left by the crack in between the wall and door. H'aanit thought of walking over to her own bed, but she stopped halfway there and instead moved to sit beside her partner. "How art thou feeling?"

"As fine as I can," Primrose hummed. She gladly reached out and took H'aanit's hand in her own, and the huntress squeezed it in return. Primrose let out a slow, deliberate sigh. "I've been thinking a lot about my father today... You know, because of everything that happened with Ophilia's father."

H'aanit nodded. "I cannot blamen thee. It is an unpleasant experience for anyone, but thou knoweth what the sting of loss can do to a daughter." Her fingers drifted up to the rings at her neck. "As do I."

Primrose sighed and shook her head. "I feel like I've been making up a better image of him in my head," she confessed. "I love my father more than anything, but at the same time... I know he wouldn't really want me to pursue vengeance for his death to the point of not taking care of myself. I told myself that was what he would want, but now... I know that's not true. It never was."

"I am glad thou can seen it now," H'aanit told her. "I did not wanten to intervenen with thy mission, but... It was hurting thee. I could tellen. And yet..."

"I was so sure it was the best course of action," Primrose finished for her, and H'aanit nodded. Primrose leaned over until her head was resting on H'aanit's shoulder, and the huntress held her hand a little bit tighter. "It's easier to make an idol of a person when they're not around to remind you that it's a mistake. When they're still alive, then... Then you can tell when you've made a few errors of judgement, but now..."

H'aanit pulled Primrose in a bit closer. "It is easier to realizen what we needen and wanten once we no longer have the things that made us happiest," H'aanit told her. "Thou treasured thy father deeply, and once he was gone... Thou began to realizen just how desperately thou missed him. It happeneth that way when we have no one around to helpen us out of the darkness."

"And I definitely had no one around to remind me that I was putting him on a pedestal," Primrose snorted. "But... I think everything is going to be alright now. Regardless of what I've been telling myself about my father... I'm happy now that I have all of you here to help me. I'm in a much better place because you're here to pull me out of the darkness, and I couldn't ask for anything or anyone better."

"I'm glad." H'aanit's fingers tightened around Primrose's shoulder, and the dancer practically melted against her touch. "I knowen this will not be the same, but... Once Master has been returned to his human form... I wouldst liken thee to meeten him. He may not been thy father by blood, but I still believen he would loven thou."

Primrose felt electricity sear up her back like she had been struck with thunder magic... But H'aanit had not cast any spell on her, or at the very least, she had cast no physical magic. Somehow, H'aanit's words were a spell all on their own anyway. "Meeting your father? I... I would love to." As selfish as it was, Primrose wanted to find someone she could rely on like a father. She was far from the little girl she once had been, but that didn't mean she had ever stopped missing having someone on her side no matter what in the way only a parent could. Primrose still yearned for some sense of normalcy, and somehow, searching for that in H'aanit and Z'aanta brought her far more peace than chasing revenge ever had. Primrose was fine with that too; she wouldn't have had it any other way. 

H'aanit smiled and nodded. "All the more reason for us to pursuen Redeye once we knowen where it has disappeared to then."

Primrose looked up at H'aanit for a long moment, unable to hold back her frown. H'aanit had been talking less and less about Z'aanta over the course of the last few weeks, no doubt because of all the unexpected, horrifying events that had marked the travelers' journeys. They had been trying to keep themselves held together in the face of overwhelming terror, and H'aanit didn't want to distract anyone with her concerns over her father. H'aanit had never been the type to talk about her feelings, and Primrose wished there was somethings he could do to change that. She wanted to be able to help no matter what that meant for her. 

"Are you alright?" Primrose asked softly, unable to keep herself silent as long as there was a way for her to help console her girlfriend. "I know that finding him in the woods like that was... It was a lot to take in. Are you going to be okay when we have to fight Redeye?"

"I will be," H'aanit assured her. "If defeating Redeye is the only way to returnen Master to flesh and blood, then I will doen what I must. I wanten to defenden Orsterra however I must, and if that meaneth laying Redeye low, then I will do it... And as long as I haven all of thou at my side, I knowen I will survive."

Primrose smiled and tilted her face until it was pressed against H'aanit's arm. "I'm glad there's still a way to bring him back," she murmured. "Seeing Ophilia lose her father... Well, seeing her hear about it... It's hard for me. I don't want anyone to have to go through a loss like that, and... I don't know what I would do if I had to help you through it too. If there's a way for Z'aanta to be alright, then..."

"We will freen him," H'aanit promised her. "No matter what must be done... I will ensuren that he is brought home again safely. I will introducen him to thee, and from there... We can deciden on what the future will holden for us."

Primrose nodded, and she wrapped her hands around H'aanit's arm. The huntress was warm, and yet, she was everything Primrose could have ever needed in the night air. Goldshore was hotter at night than Wellspring, but Primrose didn't mind. She would endure any heat as long as it would let her stay as close to H'aanit as possible. 

"How about we tryen to get some rest?" H'aanit suggested. "It is getting late, and we must be ready to setten off for Wispermill come morning. I doubten anyone will want to lingeren in town for longer than we absolutely must."

Primrose nodded. "Yes... I suppose we should try to sleep." And yet, Primrose couldn't bring herself to release H'aanit's arm. "Do you want to stay with me tonight? Now that we're officially together..." Primrose couldn't tell if she was more grateful or terrified by the words as soon as she spoke them, but she refused to take them back either way. This was what she wanted, and she hoped H'aanit understood it too. 

H'aanit smiled, her lips falling in a gentle crescent, before she nodded. She and Primrose practically melted against one another on the mattress, and the dancer smiled gently into the darkness around them. This was everything she could have asked for... Though she wished she hadn't needed the comfort as desperately as she did that night. 

At least Primrose wasn't facing this pain alone. She would never be alone again as long as the other travelers had something to say about it. 

~~~~~

Before he began his travels, Cyrus had always been certain that sleeping as early as possible was the best idea. The sooner he could rest for the night, the sooner he would be able to wake up the next morning. Waking up bright and early had always helped to clear his head for everything he needed to do during the day, and Cyrus loved his perfect routine back in Atlasdam. 

Since getting on the road though, Cyrus had come to appreciate the power of a late night studying session. He had done his best to stay away from it at Atlasdam so as to not exhaust himself before a long day of teaching, but there were no such reasons for him to hold back now. He could stay up as late as he wanted to as long as he was willing to face the consequences for it the following day. Given how little the travelers needed to move on foot with the Warp Staff, Cyrus was rarely punished too severely, and he was glad for it. 

Tonight, Cyrus knew that he wouldn't have been able to sleep even if he wanted to. It was a nice thought, but Cyrus knew better than to let it fully control him. There was too much on his mind, and he needed to find a way to sift through it all... Even though he already knew better than to believe the answer would come to him without a fight. 

Ever since talking to Erhardt about Werner, Cyrus' curiosity had been running rampant. He had been distracted from his purpose for a short while by the Kindling, but that could only take him so far when he was still so worried about everything the man behind Hornburg's fall could have done. Werner must have been after the magical signal within the fallen nation, but what about it had caught his attention? Just what was the gate Erhardt had spoken of? Would Cyrus be able to find out the truth at all? He certainly hoped so, but he was starting to doubt it would be that simple. 

When Cyrus arrived back in the inn room he and Olberic were sharing, he noticed that his roommate had gone out for a walk to clear his head. Olberic had been somewhat stir crazy ever since the travelers learned of Lianna's betrayal, and Olberic wanted nothing but to help release his thoughts from his head. It was easier said than done, but Cyrus was glad he was putting in the effort regardless of the hardships. Olberic would need to make sure he was ready for the battle in Wispermill the next day, and that started with training his eyes on the horizon as soon as possible. 

Cyrus mumbled incoherently to himself in the silence as he stared at the map he had received from Barham. It was incredible just how much this one piece of paper had aided him over the course of his travels. Cyrus didn't think he would ever be able to thank Barham or Orlick for it enough even though Orlick's help had only come to Cyrus fairly recently. Cyrus could only hope the map would end up leading him to this one final truth behind the strange behavior of the champion of Hornburg's destruction. Cyrus didn't know how much he could count on that to be true, but he wasn't going to stop hoping for it with everything he had. 

The door opened as Cyrus continued to scribble away at the notebook he had set aside for his inferences regarding the fall of Hornburg. There must have been something else he was missing, but he had no idea what he was supposed to be searching for. The only way to find the truth behind the gate was to go to Hornburg directly, but who knew when the travelers would be able to spare time like that? Who knew if they would ever be able to go all the way out to the fallen kingdom with everything else they already needed to worry about? Cyrus would have to try and figure this out on his own, and--

"Cyrus?"

The scholar let out a small yelp at the sound of his name, and he glanced up to see Olberic standing just behind him. He should have known his roommate would be returning to their inn room sooner rather than later given the massive day they could look forward to come morning. Cyrus did his best to swallow down his nerves and seem as personable as possible, but he already feared it was a failing effort. "Ah... Olberic," he murmured. "I didn't realize you were back already."

"I couldn't stop thinking about everything we need to do tomorrow," Olberic confessed. "I do not know what to expect in Wispermill, but I know for certain that I fear it." He sat down on his bed and let out a heavy sigh. "Are you still trying to learn more about the fall of Hornburg?"

Cyrus nodded. "I feel as if I'm on the verge of a breakthrough, but I barely know what I should be searching for in the first place. Werner must have sought the downfall of your nation for a reason, but I cannot figure out what it is for the life of me. Tressa said that the only way for us to know for certain would be to travel there, but..."

Olberic's shoulders went tight. "We have no reason to plan for that yet," he finished for Cyrus, and once again, the scholar nodded. "I would suggest that you forget about Hornburg for now. I understand your curiosity, but right now, we have something far more important to focus on... The Savior of Wispermill."

"You're right," Cyrus agreed. He set down his quill hesitantly, already knowing that Olberic wouldn't let him stay up too much later than he already had. "We must be ready for the battle tomorrow. I doubt the Savior will make it easy for us to take the Ember back. They must have planned for us to pursue them if they were willing to tell Ophilia's sister to drug her."

"We'll find a way to reclaim it," Olberic assured him. "But for the moment, it's getting late, and we can't afford to lose in this battle. We will find the Ember again, and after that..."

"It's back to the rest of the future," Cyrus smiled. He wandered over to his own bed and laid down, all of the excitement to research rushing out of his body as soon as his head hit the pillow. "Rest well, Olberic. We have a big day ahead of ourselves tomorrow."

Olberic hummed vacantly. "And we will win it no matter what it takes."

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We're getting so close to the end of the chapter threes now. 

I really like how this chapter came out. I admittedly had a bit of trouble ironing out the scene with Primrose and H'aanit, but I'm very satisfied with the final product. I feel like it's a great way to cap off this arc, especially given how much their relationships with their fathers have chagned over the course of the last seventy or so chapters. It's not what I expected it to be, but I'm very proud with it in the end. 

We're also getting closer to unraveling the final plot of the story. Cyrus has been doing a lot of digging recently, and Olberic is one of the people he needs to fill in the last few pieces of the puzzle. Everything is so close... I can feel it in my bones. It's great. 

And last but not least, I want to address the scene with Ophilia and Therion. It's a scene I've had planned for ages, and I love it so much. I think it really shows how far they've come that it's the two of them having this scene. They've changed a lot, and it's great to see them finally relying on each other like this. 

Next time, we're going to see the final chapter of the chapter threes arc. Wow. It's almost done, everyone. Just one more chapter. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!

-Digital