The once-quiet infirmary had taken on a new energy now. The scent of herbs and potions still lingered but now it was accompanied by low laughter, casual chatter, and the shuffling footsteps of visiting soldiers.
Word had spread quickly through the palace that the adventurers who had returned were the ones responsible for the forest's salvation. And now, curious guards, knights, and even junior Mages made their way into the room with wide eyes and eager questions.
"I still can't believe it," one young soldier said, standing at the foot of Jan's cot. "You really went inside the god's temple?"
Jan raised an eyebrow, a faint grin curling his lips. "Something like that."
"Is it true?" another guard asked Kaela, who was lying back with her arm in a sling. "You guys really faced down an ancient god? Like the kind from the stone tablets in the archives?"
Kaela smirked. "Yup. Strong, angry, and full of vines."
The soldiers exchanged glances. Some chuckled nervously. Others looked skeptical.
"Doesn't make sense to me," one of the older guards muttered under his breath. "I thought that there will be be signs. Like huge explosions and craters, burned trees and mountaint. Or something like that. But the forest looks untouched for most of the part. Like nothing happened at all."
Hund snorted, sitting up from where he'd been resting. "We didn't say it was easy. Just that we did it."
Thorne grinned from his cot and raised a hand. "Yeah. Trust me, you wouldn't want to see my nightmares for proof."
More laughter followed. But a few still didn't quite buy it. The adventureres already agree that they will not say anything about Erend and Eccar's battle and power. At least not to these soldiers and Mages.
Then Jan spoke, voice calm and unshaken. "That's because the battle didn't happen in this world."
The words fell like stones into water.
"The other world?" a healer echoed from the corner.
"What do you mean?" asked one of the alchemists, blinking in confusion.
Jan leaned forward just slightly. His gaze distant as if he was recalling something. But actually he just imagining things.
"The god's consciousness, its real power, was hidden in another world. We were pulled in. That's where the fight happened," Jan explained. Glancing at Eccar who laying in the corner. Eccar nodded with a simple smile.
One of the visiting knights lowered his voice. "You're saying… you crossed dimensions?"
"Yes," Jan replied simply.
The room burst into whispers. Even the skeptical ones were stunned into silence, trying to comprehend the scale of it.
A younger soldier leaned toward Thorne. "What was it like?"
Thorne looked up at the ceiling, his grin fading into something quieter. "Dark, ancient, and full of ash and with red sky." He recall again what Erend and Eccar had told them on their way back.
The questions kept coming after that, but now the tone had shifted. Less doubt and more of amazement.
The adventurers answered what they could, or actually what they were allowed to. But some things, they kept to themselves.
After a warm dinner shared with the eight adventurers that full of quiet laughs, teasing jabs, and the occasional moment of thoughtful silence, Eccar excused himself early after being invited by a female Mage.
While the others lingered to share another drink or stretch sore limbs, he stepped out into the dim corridor of the palace.
The female Mage who walked beside him were young, her white robes trailing just above the floor and her hands clasped in front of her.
She looked no older than her early twenties, yet her badge bore the silver sigil that make her looks important. Eccar thought that she must some high ranking Mages in the palace.
Her eyes flicked toward Eccar every few seconds, curiosity practically glowing in them. She was trying to stay composed and professional.
Eccar didn't mind. He gave her a small disarming smile.
The poor Mage flushed instantly, color rushing into her cheeks. She looked away quickly and said nothing.
They continued down the corridor, passing arched windows and fire-lit sconces, until they reached a tall tower at the far edge of the palace complex.
Its spiral base was carved from dark gray stone, veined with shimmering Magic runes.
Eccar tilted his head, faint recognition touching his features. The tower reminded him of another—a familiar tower Adrius' have from a different kingdom. But he didn't speak the thought aloud.
The two of them stepped onto a floating stone platform nestled at the base. The Mage muttered a soft incantation and with a gentle hum, the platform began to rise.
Wind whispered around them as they ascended the height of the tower, the palace rooftops slowly falling away beneath.
When they reached the top, the Mage stepped off first and guided Eccar to a large arched door framed by enchanted silver vines.
A calm, melodic voice answered from inside. "Come in."
The Mage opened the door and stepped aside to let Eccar enter.
Inside, Archmage Sylmira stood near a wide table covered with crystal vials, parchment scrolls, and a single floating orb of soft blue light.
She looked up from her work and smiled faintly.
"Thank you, Marellia," Sylmira said.
The young Mage bowed quickly.
"Of course, Archmage." She turned and left, the door closing behind her.
Sylmira gestured to a nearby chair. "Please, Eccar. Have a seat."
Eccar nodded and settled into the chair with an easy, relaxed motion. He leaned back slightly, his posture casual but attentive as his eyes scanned the room.
"Nice place," he said, glancing at the runed shelves and floating orbs of light. "Adrius's tower looks... a lot messier. Then again, he is a man." He gave a small chuckle.
Sylmira smiled, a flicker of amusement in her eyes. "So you know Archmage Adrius of Astoria?"
"We're friends, yeah," Eccar replied with a shrug. "Of sorts."
She nodded thoughtfully at that, but her expression soon shifted. The gentle grace in her face gave way to a more serious tone as she leaned forward slightly, hands resting atop the table.
"Then I hope you won't mind sharing the truth with me," she said. "Tell me what really happened in that forest, Eccar. I want to know who was this ancient god, and how did you manage to defeat it?"