No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful.
The group returned to the Sapphire City to a chorus of cheers. They had walked back (except for the Riders, who shattered the Dragon Capture Jars and rescued their mounts) and were worn out. As soon as they stepped foot within the City's broken wall, a few guardsmen summoned some mechanical carriages to take them back to the palace. Serenity had never been more grateful than in that moment to get into a car.
Though the heroic group was quiet, each pondering what had happened and what it meant for Serendom, Tristan and the others who had stayed behind immediately burst into questions and exclamations when they greeted them in the foyer.
"What happened?" cried one.
"Is it over?" shouted another.
"Does anyone need healing?" asked Tristan.
The travelers talked over each other to answer:
"There was a great beast, and –" Marik began.
"We stopped the mage who –" Bakura started.
"The Lich captured us, but it's just a –" Yami said.
They were cut off by the Dragon Tamer's arrival. He and the other Riders (and Serenity beamed remembering that that now included Joey) had returned their dragons to their shelter. "The Shadow Lich is dead," he said to all the folks gathered in the foyer. "Tonight, we celebrate his downfall!"
At that, the crowd cheered and scattered to continue their earlier revelry with new fervor. Mokuba ran off with the palace staff to help with the arrangements, while Seto and Joey joined their friends in the center of the room.
"It really is over," Lady Ishizu said once the group was whole. "With the Shadow Lich died the curse that trapped us in our domains."
Serenity blinked. She had almost forgotten about that. Now that the person who had cast the curse was gone, it must have lifted. "Do you feel any different?"
The Sorcerers all looked down at themselves, inspecting arms or touching chests or examining artifacts. Finally, the Black Magician King declared, "I feel...lighter." And the others mumbled their agreement.
"I suppose we won't really know for sure until we travel back," Ryou said. "Speaking of which, where will you all go now that your quest is completed?"
It was the companions' turn to contemplate their fate. For Serenity, the choice was obvious. "I want to go home," she stated.
Her friends' expressions ranged from rueful understanding to disappointment. "But after all we've been through, you don't wanna stay?" Joey pleaded.
Serenity shook her head with a watery smile. "As amazing as this world is, I don't belong here. Besides, there are people who will miss me back home."
Joey sighed and scooped her into a hug. "Well, there are people here who'll miss you, too."
She hugged him back, and when they let each other go, she cleared her throat and looked at the other three. "I'll miss all of you, too. Yami, I'm glad you stood up to the Sentries. I think you were always better than them, and now that you know it, too, what'll you do?"
Yami embraced the girl quickly, then turned to Yugi. "I-if you'll have me," he began, "I would like to pledge my loyalty and service to the Kingdom. I don't have much, but I will stand strong for you."
Yugi beamed. "Then I would be glad to have you." He blushed furiously, seeming to realize what he said and rushed to fix it. "We! I mean we would be glad! The whole Kingdom, royal we."
Yami laughed gently. "Good." And he stood beside his new King.
Serenity nodded to her friend and moved on to Bakura. "And you," she said, "you taught me a lot. Clever things like haggling down prices, but also sweet things like standing up for people who need help." At this, Bakura spluttered for a defense of his reputation while the others just snickered. "What are you going to do?"
The woodsman sighed and glanced over to Ryou. "I suppose I'll go home, now that I have a reason to," he said. The Mage smiled softly and idly traced the pattern of his Ring.
Serenity hugged him, much to his surprise, and then turned to Marik. "And you," she said with a grin. "I was so happy to have you join our journey. I hope you got all of the adventure you were looking for. But what now?"
"I'll keep visiting new places," he said with determination, "this time with a new partner." And to the side, Serenity saw Malik nod his agreement.
"Then good luck," she said, and she hugged the former Golem tightest of all.
Finally, she looked back over at Joey. "Well, now that you're one of the Dragon Tamer's Riders, you can't just go back to the Kingdom of Black, can you?"
Joey shook his head. "No. I'm gonna stay here and train. It'll be weird, but I think I'll manage."
"You'll be just fine. And anyway, I think being a Rider suits a hero like you." She bumped his shoulder playfully before walking over to the Sorcerers.
"Thank you, Serenity, for all that you've done," the Black Magician King said. "When you're ready, we'll be able to send you back to your world."
Serenity took a deep breath and looked around for one last person. "Thanks, Tristan," she called with a wave, "for bringing me to the Kingdom and sticking up for me. I couldn't have done any of this without you." And before the stammering boy could figure out how to respond, Serenity said to the King, "I'm ready."
The Sorcerers surrounded her and held up their artifacts. They began chanting that same mystical language, and Serenity began to glow. The magic tingled, and she felt lighter and lighter until she was sure she was nothing more than a specter. Her vision went hazy, and the last thing she heard before it went completely dark was each of the Sorcerers thanking her:
"Thank you, Serenity," Lady Ishizu said.
"You were very brave," Seto added.
"You're a hero to Serendom," Ryou stated.
And then from Yugi: "I owe you my life."
