When Caius opened his eyes again, he found himself standing exactly where we was before the mist began surrounding him. However, there was no sign of the Deciple and her Wraiths, nor any of the unfortunate citicens of Troika. The group too, was gone. Fearing for Yeul's life, he entered the Warhammer. "Yeul?!" He called out, his usual stoic face and neutral tone of voice clearly showing concern. Hearing Caius, Yeul stood up from a chair she was sitting in and turned to him. "The others. They are gone. Spirited away by the one attacking." she explained, walking closer to Caius.
Seeing Yeul was safe, Caius blew a sigh of replied and placed his sword on his back. "I see... Why did the same not happen to us?"
"We were outsiders, ones who showed no hostility. The assailant saw no need to kill us also." Yeul answered, walking to the exit of the Warhammer. "I shall miss our former companions. I enjoyed their company."
"Since they are now gone, shall we go home? I see little reason to remain here now." Caius remarked, following Yeul and looking up at the sky once he left the Warhammer, noting the purple glare that had hung in the atmosphere was gone.
"Yes. I agree with that. There is nothing left to see now."
Caius gave Yeul the faintest of smiles and grabbed hold of her right hand. Soon after, the duo slowly but surely started to vanish until they could be seen no more. They returned to Gran Pulse, appearing on a small nomad village in the middle of a vast plain. After Caius let go of her hand, Yeul walked over to a small house, made of clay and with three windmills on the roof that provided electricity.
"Mother, father. We have returned. Yeul called out, entering the house and wiping her feet on a rug made of rugged hair. Caius followed after Yeul, but stopped near the door opening and leaned against it. This feels... odd. Something is off here, yet I am uncertain what...
Hearing the voice of their daughter, a couple emerged from the living room. Both the man and the woman were dressed in tribal-esque clothes, with contemporary elements present. Curiously, neither shared Yeul's hair colour, with the mother having blonde hair, and the father brown.
"It's so good to see you again, dear!" The mother said, walking over to Yeul and giving her a warm hug. "How was your trip?"
"It was enjoyable, but I am glad to be home regardless."
"Glad to hear you had a good time. Now, I hope you've brought something back with you for your old man!" the father jokingly remarked.
Yeul chuckled and shook her head. "No, sorry. The gift shops were... closed, so to speak."
"We do have plentiful stories to tell, however. The place we been to, it was an odd one."
"Stories! There couldn't be a better gift! I'm looking forward to hearing all about these past few days." The father exclaimed.
"Yes. We'd love to hear about your travels. From both of you." the mother chimed in. "Perhaps dinner would be a good time for stories.
"I can agree to that. It would be the first time we had some propper food since we left." Caius remarked, his tone of voice now carrying a hint of joy. He still believed something was off, still couldn't out his finger on what. Eventually, he put the thought out of his mind.
Later, in the evening, Caius, Yeul and her parrents sat ousside onder the starlit sky, infront of a campfire. Caius and Yeul took turns telling them all about their time in the Expance while both enjoying their favority Pulsian dishes. Yeul had a bowl of suggered Flan, while Caius had a Behemoth steak. This continued for quite some time until Yeul became too tired and went to bed. Her parrents went back inside not long after, but Caius remained seated, staring into the fire. He feared what would happen the next day. Knowing that there would be nothing he could do about it, he too went to inside and fell alsleep.
At dawn, when the first rays of sunlight shined through the window in Yeul's room, Caius was awakened by Yeul gently shaking him.
"Y-yeul? What is the matter?" Caius asked groggily, not being used to waking up after Yeul did.
"I couldn't sleep. I'm too excited. Do you not know what day it is?" Yeul asked, crouching down infront of Caius, smiling.
"What day it..." Caius trailed off when it dawned on him. "Happy birthday, Yeul." he staed, although there was a hint of sadness in his voice, that even though he tried his best to hide it, still showed.
Yeul's smile became brighter. "There is no reason to be sad. I am free."
Caius' eyes widened, shocked by the news. "That is wonderful news... But... How?" he asked incredulously.
"I do not know. Perhaps there was something that that mist when we were on that other world?" Yeul mused, tilting hear head slightly. "It does not matter why. I am just glad that it happened."
"As am I..." Caius replied, not sounding paticularly happy, despite his words. Now I see what felt off. This is but a ilusion... A familiar trick, even. I should have noticed it earlier... Looking at Yeul who was still smiling brightly, Caius couldn't help but smile also. Seeing Yeul happy, it was his greatest wish. A ilusion this may be... It is a pleasant one. Perhaps tere is no harm in enjoying it for a little while longer...
