As she sat on the back of Lombardia, with the wind racing through her hair, Virginia remembered how much she loved flying. The mighty dragon soared in the direction of Humphrey's Peak as Virginia began to bombard her with questions.
"Why did you come looking for us?" Virginia asked.
"My nest was destroyed by the terraforming. I knew only Demons with the power to reverse this madness and their will would not be turned to mine. So I sought out the only humans who have ever proven themselves mightier than the demons."
"But that wasn't really our power. It was the power of the Guardians," Virginia replied.
"You do yourself injustice by being so modest, little one," the dragon said. "Where are the Guardians anyway? I do not sense their presence here."
The group had returned all of the Guardians to the Fallen Sanctuary. The outer shrines were vulnerable with the planet in its current state and the Baskar wished to look after all of the Mediums: the physical representation of the guardians.
"We returned them to the Baskar Colony," Gallows answered for her.
"Then we must recollect them," Lombardia said. "If I must come out of retirement, then so must the Guardians."
---
The dragon landed just outside the city gates and assured Virginia and Gallows that she would wait there as long as they needed, even if "1000 days and nights should pass."
Virginia and Gallows strolled into town looking for any familiar faces. They were relieved to see that the terraforming had apparently not reached this area yet. However, people were whispering about the areas that had been affected. From what the two of them heard, it appeared that Humphrey's Peak, Little Rock, Baskar Colony, and Jolly Roger were the only areas that had not been touched yet.
One person said that Little Twister had actually been engulfed in a massive shift and now sat a the bottom of a blocked off canyon. The only way out of town now was to use the backdoor of the Black Market and hike for about a mile until you reached the surface. Apparently the area was still a wasteland, though.
The plains village of Claiborne, one of the few areas where there was grass in the former wasteland world, was now abundant in not only fresh grass, but massive forests had sprung up around the town that stretched all the way to the Caging Tower.
Laxisland had been hit quite hard. The town had risen about a quarter mile and a massive swamp surrounded it. Even further away from the town, in the area where once dwelt the lair of Lombaria was now a thick bog and only the faintest remains of a mountain.
Boot Hill was still green, but it had shifted to be much closer to Jolly Roger. And the Ark of Destiny; home of the Order, had mysteriously vanished.
Virginia and Gallows arrived at Clive's home in Humphrey's Peak. Somehow, before she even bothered to knock, Virginia knew that nobody would be there. A little girl, the Virginia recognized to be Clive's daughter, answered the door.
A wide smile crossed her face and she ran into the back shouting: "Mommy! Mommy! Daddy's home!"
A twinge of sorrow hit Virginia, and her heart ached. Clive's wife, Catherine, came to the door and looked at the group with a smile matching that of her daughter.
"Come on in!" She said. A puzzled look crossed her face. "Where's my husband? And Jet?"
"We have a lot to explain, ma'am," Gallows said, hanging his head low.
Gallows and Virginia took turns recounting their stories. About how they had stopped Beatrice from destroying the world, how they had been turned outlaw, and about their battle with the massive monster on the dunes. They continued to talk about the terraforming and how Lombardia had saved them.
"So…" Catherine sighed. "You don't know where my husband is?"
"I'm afraid not, ma'am," Gallows said. "But we have our dragon back, and she'll help us find him."
"Can you think of anywhere your husband might go, besides coming back here?" Virginia asked.
Catherine thought for a moment. "I imagine he would want to go… to where my father is buried."
"What?" Asked Gallows.
"If he knows about the world terraforming, then certainly the first place he would go would not be to see me or Kaitlyn, but…" she sighed. "To tell my father that he was right."
"The Ruin of Dreams," Virginia nodded. "We'll have Lombardia take us there straight away. We have no time to lose!"
Virginia and Gallows bowed and they rushed out the door. Behind them, they heard Kaitlyn ask her mother "When is daddy coming back?"