As the convoy moved back through the islands, they gathered more refugees to their numbers. Small villages were completely evacuated, and as many people as possible were settled into larger ones, once they were fortified.

The Council of Elders split: some journeyed to Lucis, and some stayed in Galahd. Kalpana led the first group to the continent. Suman and Hira's families joined the refugees as planned, too. Andromeda felt better about having all of them around again, but rarely had a moment alone with them.

The Glaives moved carefully, remaining on high alert after Ardyn's attack. Occasionally, they were forced to stop when daemons attacked their procession along the way. Despite the Glaives' best efforts, some refugees were lost.

They were further slowed by the more refugees they took on, even when they did have more vehicles along the way—they lost all of them whenever they had to be ferried across water.

Andromeda was almost always paired with Lib, Nyx, or Crowe. Sometimes they had another Glaive watch her. Thankfully, they were all so busy that there wasn't an awkward moment between her and Crowe. Even when they shared a tent on havens, Andromeda usually fell asleep as soon as she laid down on her bedroll. There wasn't much time for talking, and she appreciated it.

The Glaives tried to be fast, but it still took a month to reach the mainland. The escort from Insomnia had already gone ahead of them, but sent boats and more Glaives to the escort in Galahd. Once they reached the Lucian shore, there were more vehicles waiting, too. It helped them to move somewhat faster.

The Galahd escort went southwards through Leide and Duscae while the Insomnia escort stayed north. The first military base near the city was reserved for Glaives and Crownsguard. A bulk of the Insomnian refugees were placed in Formouth Garrison, although some opted to stay in Hammerhead.

Perpetuoss Keep would be another strictly-military base after some things had been found there; the Galahd escort had to go even further into Cleigne, to Tollhends Stronghold. The Tenebraen and Imperial refugees had already been placed in Aracheole Stronghold, as the first to arrive in Lucis. The Galahd escort was behind the other two.

They drove towards the Cauthess Rest Area, where they would stop before night fell. Though Andromeda was always in the same vehicle as Lib, Nyx, and Crowe, she didn't speak up among them so much anymore. She mostly listened or stayed out of their conversations. Lib still seemed to be the least upset with her, but he had since stopped pestering her after she had done the same to him.

Static came over the radio in the cab, jerking the back occupants out of their reveries. They were all exhausted from the traveling. Andromeda longed to stop somewhere and stay awhile.

Static turned into a voice, shouting. "We need help. We're being attacked by a daemon swarm and more keep coming. We're at Kettier Farm."

There was static again, then the radio went silent.

"That's Trevor's farm," Andromeda mentioned to Crowe, trying to think of a way she could get out of the vehicle and not get run over by the rest of the convoy. The two of them had stayed on the farm with Aulea during the Fulgarian's storms. Crowe knew the place.

She nodded and turned to Lib and Nyx. "We should help."

The latter looked at a nearby map, taking it into his hands. After a moment, he leaned toward the front seats. "Take the next left and take us back. Let me see that."

He was given the radio's microphone and gave orders to the rest of the convoy. Two other vehicles would follow them, while the rest would continue to their destination.

"Thanks," Andromeda said quietly. After everything, they didn't owe her any favors.

"Of course we're gonna answer," Lib told her, then leaned a little closer while Nyx was still busy on the radio. "Nyx wouldn't pass up a chance to play hero."

The slight teasing fell flat as the vehicle made a left turn. They sat in silent anticipation as they were sped along. Andromeda had expected that the farm would have already been cleared out in the month they had been gone. She hoped Trevor wasn't there, but already in Lestallum. Hunters had always been welcome to use the land for their operations before.

It wasn't very long before the driver pulled off to the side and slammed on the brakes, coming to an abrupt stop. Everyone was jerked in their seats again.

"This must be it," He said.

Andromeda pulled her blade out as she rushed outside. The Glaive vehicles were parked on the side of the road, as a couple of trucks already took up space in the driveway. She took a moment to take in the area beyond. The two-story farmhouse next to the driveway looked the same as she remembered. Further off, one side wall of the barn had been pushed inward; the other three walls and roof remained in tact.

What drew everyone's attention was the large pair of Iron Giants near the barn. Several people were already in battle with them—at this distance, it was difficult to tell who they were.

There was a flash of blue and a thunderous pop. Nyx disappeared from the gathering Glaives. A second later, he was on the shoulder of one of the giants. The Glaives rushed forward, some also warping ahead.

Andromeda ran after them to join the fight. She made it halfway before something crashed into her from the right and knocked her down. A hobgoblin was on top of her. It punched her hard in the chest once, and was poised to do it a second time. But then several bolts became lodged into the side of its head. The daemon stumbled. Andromeda looked in time to see a Glaive with a crossbow approaching.

She shoved the hobgoblin away and stabbed it in the neck, ensuring that it was dead. She took the Glaive's hand and was helped back to her feet. They exchanged a nod, then turned to face the other daemons.

There were a few more hobgoblins around. Hunters were mostly engaged with them. With the arrival of several Glaives, there were enough people to fight off the hobgoblins and attack the Iron Giants. Most of the Glaives were focused on the bigger daemons, but retaliated against the smaller ones if they were badgered. Their use of magic was effective, and clearly made a difference in the battle.

Andromeda joined the hunters in fighting off the hobgoblins. After the first one, she was more alert to their movements, dodging out of the way when one charged at her. Some of the hunters had guns, shooting several rounds into the daemons. Andromeda assisted by slitting throats and stomachs.

It wasn't very long before all of the hobgoblins were gone, and only one Iron Giant remained. Seeing the Glaives all gathered against the last daemon, she disengaged from the fight. She helped a Galahdian man assist a hunter with a broken leg towards their vehicles.

The presence of a refugee confused Andromeda for a moment; she looked around and realized that there were several of them on the field as well. The two other armored vehicles that had come along had been occupied by refugees as well as Glaives. In the entire convoy, there might have been two vehicles that hadn't had refugees in them.

As they set the hunter down in the back of one vehicle, the Iron Giant roared. Several whoops followed. The daemon had finally fallen.

Andromeda looked between the two men. "Stay here."

She returned to the field to see the fight finished. Many people were now going into the barn, and coming out a moment later with crates. The harvesting hadn't been finished.

She approached to help, yet she looked back as she heard the back door of the house open. A man went inside—Trevor. Andromeda veered to follow after him, relieved. He was still here, but he was unharmed.

Yet suddenly, a large dark pool formed before the house. Something bright and burning rose from its center: a massive sword, wielded by a large red hand.

She stumbled back as the even larger giant pulled itself out of the pool. Shouts came from behind her. As the daemon raised its glowing sword over its head, she ran away, but was still knocked over when the sword hit the ground.

Once again, the Glaives rushed forward to fight this daemon. Several cast ice spells at it, some targeting the flaming sword. With the Red Giant so distracted, Andromeda joined the fight again. She and a couple of the Glaives slashed at the daemon's frozen feet.

The sword continued to burn despite the ice magic thrown at it. With the daemon stuck in place, it made for a very easy target. They all jumped back a couple of times as the Red Giant swung its free hand at them. It snatched one Glaive and crushed them in its hand.

The hunters continued to empty the barn while the Glaives took care of the daemon. Over the noise of battle, gunshots were heard; at least one hunter must have joined the fight. Andromeda couldn't find them anywhere, though.

Finally, on its last legs, the Red Giant swung its sword in a wide arch, twisting so far that it cut through the house behind it. The wood caught fire. The flames began to quickly spread.

Andromeda stopped. She hadn't seen Trevor come out of the house.

She made for the back door, even though the fire was right behind it. She moved around the continuing battle, unbothered by the daemon. A couple of Glaives disengaged from the fight to cast ice at the house, but it didn't seem to be doing anything.

Someone shouted her name from behind. Something exploded inside—in the kitchen. A second later, the gas tanks sitting nearby the door burst in a deafening boom.

Andromeda was grabbed, then knocked down to the ground. The fire roared with new life.

A moment later, realizing that she hadn't been hurt, whoever had knocked her down pulled her up. She was surprised to see Hira.

The ground shook as the Red Giant fell forward, finally defeated. It faded into the ground in another dark puddle. Without losing a moment, the Glaives turned their attention to the house. The hunters joined them again.

Andromeda stepped towards the blaze, but Hira continued to hold her back.

"Someone's in there," She told her as she still tried to pull away. The other woman had a stronger grip.

"You can't go in there," Hira said, a large mark of soot on her left cheek. "You're not fireproof."

As the whole house burned, Andromeda finally stayed still and just watched. Hira let go of her, then put an arm around her shoulders. Glaives circled around the place. Their ice magic did nothing to the fire. Some hunters stamped out the little flames that had caught in the grass. No one could get into the house, and no one came out.


The fire lasted for over an hour before it died down enough that a couple of people could enter the blackened remains of the house. The Glaives managed to recover the body and cover it up. Their efforts were rushed as more daemons began to appear.

The hunters had hurried to pack their trucks with as much of the crops as they could while waiting for the fire to subside. As a second swarm began to form, everyone was ordered into the vehicles and they sped off as night fell.

They continued to speed along the way to the Cauthess Rest Area, despite the opposing daemons along the way. Some Glaives took positions outside of the vehicles to ward them off. The daemons left them alone once they entered the lights of the outpost.

The Galahdian refugees that had been with them were ushered off to join the others in one of the outpost's hangars. Andromeda saw to injuries, then helped a couple of other hunters in better wrapping Trevor's body; the hunters promised to take it onward to Lestallum, to Sheila. She wished to go with them, but knew she wouldn't be allowed to. There wasn't enough time for it.

All she could do was take a little time to pay her respects. The covered body was set on a table in the basement of an apartment building. It was the coolest place in the outpost that wasn't storing food. It was also away for the general bustle.

If Sheila claimed to be Andromeda's foster mother, then that made Trevor her foster father, although they had never been too close. Yet he had let her stay with them, even with all the weirdness that he hardly knew about. He had taken her on as a seasonal farmhand, but ended up stuck with her for a couple years, housing and feeding her all the while. They had shared beers on lazy afternoons when the boys had been away at school, and Sheila wasn't around to see. They had been awkward moments, but it had been some kind of bonding experience.

It all felt like a different life, back when Andromeda hadn't had a clue of where she would end up. Trevor had given her a few years of a somewhat-normal life. He had died just like she had. But Etro would not revive him.

She finally left the basement and went outside. There was so much work to be done, and they couldn't afford for someone to be idle. As it was, Hira soon approached her—she had been looking for her.

"Let's get dinner," She said after looking Andromeda over for a moment. She looked like she had cleaned up a little. "The diner's gonna close soon."

The other woman had to admit that she was starving, even after taking care of injuries and a charred corpse. She followed Hira's lead further into the heart of the outpost.

"Who was he?" Hira asked.

"He owned that farm," Andromeda said quietly. "It was the first place that really felt like home since I left Tenebrae."

The other woman glanced at the ground. "Sorry."

Andromeda noticed some movement on the other side of the road. She looked over to see Crowe. She wasn't entirely sure, but she thought she saw her facing their direction, then turn away quickly. Crowe walked into the second, smaller hangar, being used as storage and sleeping quarters for most of the Glaives. Andromeda must have been seeing things. She was exhausted.

"Did he have family?" Hira asked quietly.

"His wife, a son, two grandkids," Andromeda listed. "You probably would have liked it there, too."

"You wanted us both to ride chocobos."

"There was so much I wanted to show you," Andromeda acknowledged.

Not that things were going great between her and Hira, either. They had resolved to not speak about the summit or Imperials, in order to avoid a fight. Still, there was a distance between them that hadn't been there when Andromeda had last been in Galahd with her.

Hira gestured to the right, to some hulking shadows far beyond the fence surrounding the outpost. "What's that?"

"It's where Meteor was. Now it's just a massive hole in the ground," Andromeda explained.

"Did a god really appear and just take it away?"

"Yeah, but I wasn't really paying attention when it happened," She said.

Almost everything she had wanted Hira to see in Lucis was impossible now. The Meteor was gone. The Chocobo Post must have been closed up. It was too dangerous to be outside of the outposts to do any sightseeing now.

Although it was close to closing time, the diner was packed. The two women joined the line to get food at the counter. Once they both had plates of food, they noticed Suman with his family in one of the booths; they managed to squeeze in.

After dinner, they went to the hangar with all of the other refugees. Andromeda retrieved her pack and set it where Hira and Suman's families would sleep. She didn't seek approval from Crowe whether it was okay; the other woman was so busy with other Glaives that Andromeda managed it without sight of her. Crowe had said condolences to her when they had left the farm, but they hadn't spoken since. Andromeda was okay with it.

Klahan came to them as they all finished arranging their stuff for the night. For a moment, she thought it strange to see him in Lucis, when she had only ever known him in Galahd.

"A Glaive wants to speak with everyone in the delegation," He told Suman.

The older man beckoned Andromeda and Hira to follow them. Klahan led them out of the hangar, stepping through narrow aisles of bedrolls and sleeping mats. As late as it was, no one was quite ready for sleep yet.

They went to a camper just a little ways from the hangar. A few Glaives had already laid claim to it for the night. Nyx was waiting at the small plastic table outside, with Kalpana and another Elder. The latter was older than her, thin and with a shaved head.

"This is it," Kalpana told Nyx as the four adults came to a stop before them. She leaned to the right as she looked past them. "Plus one."

Everyone turned to see a wiry boy had followed them. Narayan looked surprised to be caught, then took on a defiant expression.

"Go back to your mother," Suman told him.

"But-"

"Go."

Andromeda watched Narayan sympathetically; technically he owned her, not Suman. He did not take a step towards the hangar.

"Let him stay. Why shouldn't he be included?" Kalpana shrugged. Thus the argument ended: Narayan was part of the delegation now.

With that settled, everyone turned to face Nyx. His own expression did not give anything away, and he did not voice any concerns.

In the back of her mind, Andromeda had expected to be part of the delegation—only because she wanted to see the moment Galahd was declared independent. At the same time, though, she didn't want to be a part of it, nor go to the summit. She'd rather stay with the refugees, or go to Lestallum to be with Sheila. She wanted to see Linda and Travis and Kai. No one had mentioned how long the summit was supposed to last, nor how long she would be stuck in Fort Vaullerey again.

"This mission is running behind the others," Nyx explained. It was known to the Glaives, and the refugees were starting to figure it out for themselves as well. "We can make a separate convoy to take you directly to the base of the summit, while everyone else continues on to the stronghold."

Kalpana looked between the other Elder and Suman—the three of them were the ones making all of the decisions for the group.

"Ensuring our people make it safely to the stronghold is more important than being on time to the summit," Suman said.

"We appreciate the offer," The other Elder added with a brief smile.

"What's the rush?" Kalpana asked.

There hadn't been a set time for the summit to begin, as far as Andromeda knew. She realized that such a gathering would be a big target for Ardyn. He had to be lurking around somewhere; the Glaives had been on high alert for sight of him since his attack in Galahd. To hold a summit of leaders was stupid and dangerous now.

"It's just so you don't have to go back once we've reached the stronghold. It would save you some traveling, and that's pretty dangerous now." Nyx explained.

"It's as Suman said," Kalpana said. "I would rather see everyone to safety than be on time to the summit. They've waited this long. Surely they can wait a little more. I wouldn't want you to trouble yourself by splitting your forces."

"I understand," He said, acceding with a nod. "We'll be leaving at first light."

"We'll be sure to have everyone ready then," Kalpana assured.

"Thank you," Nyx said. With another nod from him, she turned and walked towards the hangar. The rest of the party followed after her.

Suman walked alongside her. "You will be the one to ask his mother for permission to take him away from her."

Kalpana smirked. "I can manage it."

Andromeda observed them; she had no doubts the woman could. She wondered what the rush to get them to Fort Vaullerey really was, when their work wasn't finished. It made her uneasy. She had nearly stayed back to say something to Nyx, but she couldn't think of anything to say. Without Crowe there, they never really had any reason to interact.

As the party neared the hangar, Andromeda split from them as she pulled out her phone. No one seemed to notice, or mind. She hesitated a moment as she considered who to call first, then selected Sheila's number.