Chapter 70

The time came to travel back home, Lyndon could hardly believe it. Well, as much as Westmarch could be considered "home" for him. The scoundrel realized he didn't know what place on Sanctuary could he truly call as such, as he and Quiet made the rounds around the team, helping everyone to prepare. Rathma had disappeared entirely, and Lyndon was convinced the nephalem had not listened to them in the slightest – but that was a problem they had to tackle later, preferably after Lilith had been dealt with somehow. If they survived, that is. Luther was the second to leave, after he hugged everyone. He even tried that with Kormac, but the man pushed the little demon away.

- We are going to miss you, Luther – Lyndon smiled.

- Ffriendd! – Luther pointed at him.

- I still have the dime, do not worry!

- Haee!

- Be careful! – Quiet hugged the demon back, now the same size as him.

- Small ffrieenddd – Luther returned the gesture, careful not to hurt the broken arm or the busted wing.

He gave everyone a fat sack of gold coins for the road. Then he opened his signature golden portal, and jumped through it into who knows which corner of Creation to loot his way to victory.

Lyndon and Tyrael spent a lot of time worrying over Quiet's wing while preparing for the road. The child was having problems with his balance, both while walking and while sitting. It wasn't uncommon to see him sway to one side suddenly and fall over. Lyndon had made sure, and he made everyone agree as well, not to make a big deal out of it.

- Are you certain it is wise to ignore this problem? – Tyrael asked uncertainly upon hearing the plan.

- We are not ignoring it, Tyrael – the scoundrel shook his head. – I am making sure that Quiet doesn't feel different because of it. If we make a big deal out of it, he will make a big deal out of it, and it will turn into a constant problem. But if we show him that it is not the end of the world, he will treat it the same way. He will learn to live with it. At least until we can heal him.

Tyrael nodded after a short pause. He could see the merit in Lyndon's reasoning, and it seemed there was truth in his words. Whenever Quiet fell over, he looked annoyed, but since nobody started fussing over him, merely helped him up on his feet, he too didn't start crying or throwing a tantrum. Instead he just dusted himself off and went along his way.

- Do you think we can heal his wing somehow? – Lyndon asked the mortal angel as he finished cleaning his shirt finally off the potion smear. – His arm will probably be okay once we get to a larger town, but I am not sure about his wing.

- Difficult – Tyrael mumbled, scratching his head. –Angels have methods to heal wings, a slow but quite effective process, if not always perfect. We would be fools not to have remedy for a relatively common injury in the Eternal Conflict. But for one, I would recommend against bringing Quiet up to the Silver City.

- Yeah, no kidding…

- And also, I am… not sure where to place that strange empty magic Joh—Lilith possesses.

-… I thought that was her natural magic! – Lyndon balked.

- No, that cannot be it – Tyrael shook his head. – As Mephisto's daughter she had inherited his powers over lightning. But I have seen Lilith downright erase the Worldstone's magic, and frankly that should be impossible. I have never seen anything like it during the Eternal Conflict, I have no idea what it could be, but it is not natural. I do not know if it can be even removed from Quiet's wing.

- … Just fucking great – Lyndon choked.

- I am sorry, Lyndon – Tyrael grimaced.

Okay, so the hellwitch was even worse than he originally thought. Lyndon could feel a cold run down on his spine at the notion of having to deal with her sooner or later. Not even the gods knew how much time they had (yes, Lyndon did try to ask them), and Lilith might have been able to use her magic to struggle out of Ashava's hold much earlier than any of them could have guessed.

He did his best to focus on other matters for the time being.

Adenah and Izba quickly readied themselves for the road ahead, while Kormac had precisely nothing personal on him. He had left his belongings in a camp somewhere in the Torajan jungles, and he wasn't too keen to go look for it. He looked very uneasy to travel with the rest of the gang, but there were few options to choose from. He still stayed mostly silent, and kept his distance from everyone, except for maybe Zei, for which Lyndon couldn't truly blame him.

Tuon on the other hand had gone absolutely overboard. He somehow yanked an entire wagon out from somewhere and packed it to the brink of collapsing. There were weird-looking potted plants, rakes, shovels, an entire plow, dozens of other tools, bags of ground (for what even…) and jars of "precious seeds" as he put it. The group eyed the massive hoard a bit warily.

- Tuon… are you certain you need all this? – Lyndon asked.

- Amaniel's garden was very small – Quiet chimed in as well.

- And we shall make it bigger together! Miracles do not happen on their own, Boss – Tuon stated full of pride and unshakeable surety.

- Hey! I only volunteer to teleport you guys around. I am not pulling that damn thing like an ox! – Zei angrily stomped his feet.

- You do not have to, my friend, you do not have to! – Tuon laughed. – Just get me close to the place and I shall handle the rest!

- How? – Quiet asked.

- You will see, Boss! I shall reintroduce you to an old trick of mine – Tuon winked at him.

- Should we be worried? – Lyndon raised an eyebrow.

- Oh, I am offended by the very suggestion! – Tuon gasped with all the drama in the world.

The scoundrel just chuckled and waved it away.

Once everyone was truly ready, they gathered around Tuon's cart, ready for teleportation. The sun was approaching its zenith above their heads, not a cloud could be seen.

- So to Khanduras first then? – Zei asked, the tip of his fingers softly glowing as he started gathering power.

- That's our home turf, we are fine with that – Adenah and Izba nodded as one.

- Kormac, do you want to come with us to Westmarch? – Lyndon turned to the ex-Templar.

- I will stick with New Tristram – Kormac quickly waved the suggestion away.

Lyndon nodded to Zei. The god closed his eyes, muttering "To a journey we go". The world quickly melted away into a swirl around them, although the usual surge on their bodies felt less violent than usual. Either they were getting used to it, or Zei had the time and opportunity to make it smoother now that they weren't in lethal danger finally. Seconds later, the group plopped down on a green hill, with a deciduous forest framing the meadow not far from their spot.

- Man… it is so nice to see normal sized trees again – Lyndon couldn't help but comment, earning a snicker from most of the group.

- Those were really nice trees – Quiet said. – But these look friendlier. Except the ones that walk and roar. Those are bad.

- You saw a wood wraith? – Lyndon glanced down at his son.

- We were attacked by one – Tyrael sighed. – They don't listen to Quiet, so they are probably demonic.

- Which way is Tristram? – Kormac glanced up at the sky, trying to guess the compass at least.

- Should be an hour walking from here. Just follow that road through the forest – Zei absentmindedly gestured at a random direction.

On a second take, there was indeed a badly kept road there, with weeds and grass sticking out from between the large stones. It ran into the forest and quickly disappeared into the shade, but it was definitely a better option than stumbling through the untamed meadow or the thick forest blindly. Izba quickly lowered herself so that her front door was reachable.

- Izba will make it less than half that time – Adenah laughed. – Hop on, warrior!

- I'd… rather walk – Kormac quickly declined, eyeing the bigger demoness warily.

- You are not staying alone, Kormac. You could be set upon by bandits or wood wraiths or whatever else even in this short distance – Lyndon shook his head.

- I am very capable of defending myself even without a weapon, I assure you! – the ex-Templar glared daggers at him, but it did little to impress Lyndon.

- Sure you are. Now stop being a bitch and let Izba give you a lift!

While the adults argued, Quiet shuffled aside and half-hugged Adenah.

- I'll miss you – he mumbled into the belly of the woman who returned the hug.

- We will meet again, Boss, don't you worry! – Adenah tried to sound cheerful but her voice quivered a bit. – I promise I won't just teleport away with you out of nowhere.

- Please stay safe.

- Will do, Boss. We promise you.

Quiet moved on to Izba, hugging her corner.

- I will miss you too, Izba. Thank you for all your help. Don't step on good people, please.

Izba creaked, leaning ever so slightly towards Quiet to return the gesture. In the background, Tuon hopped off his wagon with four pots and began poking and clawing the ground, mumbling to himself.

- What are you doing? – Zei looked over him.

- Just checking the soil. Good quality – Tuon explained as he began gathering large scoops of the dark damp earth and stuffing them into the pots.

- We will move on soon, gardener. This is not the right time for planting.

- I disagree, it is the perfect time, young god! – Tuon grinned up at him as he finished his task.

He pulled out four unassuming but rather large seeds and planted them deep into the pots. Tuon then very casually stuck his dirtied hands into his mouth and sucked them clean with a wet slurp. He clapped, to which one potted vine that hung from the side of the wagon reached out and pulled the pots back aboard. It appeared they were already sprouting little green buds.

Finally, Lyndon could get Kormac to climb aboard Izba.

- I'm so going to regret this – the ex-Templar whispered to himself, but Lyndon very generously let the comment slide.

Kormac went through a lot, he got that, but he couldn't allow the man to just whine and mess things up for himself for literally no reason. The group said their goodbyes to Adenah who hugged the life out of most of them in return.

- I'm so glad I have met you, Lyndon – she patted the scoundrel's back as she let go.

- Even though I dragged you two through Hell and back? – Lyndon asked awkwardly, not feeling all that proud himself.

- You forget, the Hells are our original turf – the demoness grinned, before turning more serious. – But I do mean it, Lyndon. You gave us a chance to actually do something and help protect Boss from getting gutted by that hellbitch. We do not regret that, no matter the dangers involved. And you were a good leader, even if you don't think so. I hope we can help out more in the future.

Lyndon couldn't really place the feelings those words invoked in him, but he smiled and bowed his head. He most certainly had not expected this feedback, but it wasn't unpleasant. Adenah climbed aboard Izba as well, nudging the very unwilling Kormac through the door. After a final wave from her, Izba stood up to full height, casting her shadow over the group. With an almost rooster-like shriek and a massive bellow of smoke from her chimney she said farewell and then thundered down the hillside towards the stone road and the forest.

- Goodbye! Goodbye! – Quiet shouted after them, waving and jumping as high as he could.

oooOOOooo

The next teleportation wasn't as gentle on them, their bodies still were not used to it clearly. Zei took them close to Bramwell. Right by the large solitary oak tree atop the small hill, to be exact, where Tyrael and Quiet had made their first truce and finally started down the path of reconciliation.

- What are the odds – Tyrael said, looking up at the tree.

- I have gotten inspiration from your experiences if you do not mind – Zei shrugged.

- Please stay out of my head.

- I did not read your thoughts, do not get me wrong—

- He only does that with me – Lyndon chimed in from the side.

- Well, someone has to stop you from throwing hissy fits, scoundrel – Zei glared daggers at him before turning back to Tyrael. – As a God of Travelers, I have a natural sense that picks up experiences from mortals that were gathered on the road. Think of it as seeing auras or hearing high-pitched sounds other people can't. I assure you I did not get into your head, angel.

- So what now? – Quiet looked around. – I don't know where we came from last time.

- Now, we travel in style, Boss! – Tuon laughed as he once again hopped off his wagon.

He beckoned the vine to place the four pots in front of the vehicle in two evenly spaced rows. Well-grown saplings stuck out from the earth, their stem green but already textured.

-… Iiin a bit, that is – the demon added after a moment of silence from everyone.

He took four ropes already attached to the cart and bound their other end around the saplings into a loose loop.

- The heck are you doing? – Lyndon leaned closer.

- Oh I'm just making sure they are tamed early! – Tuon answered as if it was a normal thing to put plants on a leash. – Otherwise they can grow wild and that would be useless to us.

-… Alright…?

- While we wait, please tell me of these lands! – Tuon turned to the group after finishing his work.

After sharing a glance, Lyndon and Tyrael thought it best to entertain the strange little demon, so they launched into a joined description of the kingdom in general. Tuon listened very attentively, although it was clear he was mostly interested in the geographical aspects. Behind him the potted plants were growing at quite an alarming rate. At first they looked like young trees, but their trunks and branches were quickly turning into an incredibly weird form that did not look like any tree they knew. Quiet uncertainly tucked on the scoundrel's coat, but he patted the child on the head to calm him.

- Fascinating… this shall be a fine new stage for our shared work with my love! – Tuon exclaimed at the end, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

- Keep in mind, the people need the land for fields and livestock – Tyrael warned him. – A new jungle here would be most detrimental to their lives.

- Of course, my friend, of course! We have learnt that well during Sanctuary's creation that bigger isn't always better.

By that time, the potted plants weren't really "potted" or even "plants" anymore. Four proud deer stood on slender legs next to the now empty pots, the ropes tied around their necks in just the right size. Their massive antlers sprouted blossoms and flowers, their muscles were bunched-up vines, covered in most places by moss or bark. Their eyes were dark little pits with small green fires inside.

- Berry Bushes! – Quiet exclaimed happily.

- Bush deer, more like – Zei added from the side.

- Forest kings, to be precise – Tuon grinned at them, gesturing at his creations. – Lovely creatures, I tell you. Not quite animals, true, but incredible help in the right situations.

True to his word, the kings stood straight, proud and perfectly still, not moving or fidgeting like real deer would. They kept their unblinking gaze on the group, awaiting orders. Tuon quickly climbed back up on the wagon and pushed and rearranged his stuff to make room for the others.

- Care for a ride? – he grinned at Zei.

- Sure, I never turn down free lifts! – the god laughed, stretching his arms.

Tuon rummaged for four entire tack sets among his stuff and he finished harnessing the forest kings to the wagon while the others made themselves comfortable as much as possible among the many plants, sacks and tools.

- I have travelled on a Berry Bush before – Quiet explained to Lyndon. – I tried to find Teeriel because he got angry with Inarius and he left me and I called for help and Berry Bush and four Brownies answered and they allowed me to ride on them like we do on a horse. And I called him Berry Bush because he had large branches on his head like these four do and the Brownies were called Brownies because they had brown fur, but Berry Bush had brown fur too but Brownies did not have branches.

- Those animals are called "deer", Quiet. And the male—the boy deer have "antlers", not branches – Tyrael told him.

- That must have been one heck of a sight – Lyndon pictured the scene with a smile, before turning to Tyrael. – His pronunciation and grammar are much better than before we split up. I take it is your merit?

- What can I say… Bad grammar irritates me – Tyrael shrugged with a slight smile.

- Teeriel uses very long and complicated words, and he was very hard to understand – Quiet shot back.

- Hey, I have dumped down my manner of speech for you!

- But you still used big words!

Lyndon just snickered at the scene. Tuon finished harnessing the kings to the wagon, and he quickly followed the group on board. He grabbed the reins, visibly trembling with excitement.

- Let us set out to find my love! – he exclaimed happily and bid the deer to start forward.

The forest kings moved surprisingly fast despite the massive weight attached to them. They gained momentum down the hill and kept that pace well without a single sound. The passengers had to hold on the edge of the benches or of the wagon, but once the travelling speed was established, the ride was relatively smooth. The massive wheels of the wagon glided over most hollows and the suspension eased out the bumps more or less. Zei decided to basically do a headstand over the cart's edge as he checked the belly of the vehicle. Not that anyone was fazed by that all that much.

- This is a high-end cart, Tuon! – Zei said after hauling himself back up again. – Where did you catch this beauty?

- Ah, one of the few human interactions I had in the last three decades – the demon grinned back at them. – Fine man, good craftsman, I think he was from somewhere close to Gea Kul. They had trouble with the harvest for five years in a row now, and the fields yielded less each time. They tried burning it to refresh it, they tried getting rid of the vermin but there weren't any more than usual. So they were stumped. I offered I would heal the fields in exchange for the finest wagon the village could put together with the lead of the craftsman. Turned out it was some weak curse that somehow drizzled down all the way from Kurast itself, can you believe that!

- Oh yes, we can – Tyrael nodded, quickly clamping down on his memories.

- It took me a while to clean the entire thing right back up to the borders of that cursed city. But it was a good deal for both sides, especially now! I have been using this wagon to transport things back and forth between my gardens, but I never would have believed I would be using it to be reunited with my love!

- I see you haven't completely taken that isolation lying down all these years then! – Lyndon grinned at the demon.

- Ey, what can I say? I really love this little patch of land called Sanctuary, even if my kind is no longer truly welcomed here for understandable reasons – Tuon ducked his head shyly. – And I know the people and the land are intertwined. Can't keep one blooming without the other, yes?

- You are very helpful, thank you! – Quiet exclaimed. – I hope I can become as good as you one day!

- Awww shucks, you are making me blush, Boss!

The wagon passed by Bramwell by a good distance, but the town was still well visible. Tyrael could see the cemetery in its almost fully rebuilt glory. The mounds reburied, most of the gravestones repaired or replaced, the decorations more or less restored. Only parts of the surrounding wall needed some rebuilding, but from the looks of the crates of dried mud bricks and buckets of mortar, the city was hard at work with that too. The workers were nowhere to be seen, it might have been a lunchbreak or an event in town that drove them away.

- I'm so happy they could fix it. I'm sorry – Quiet mumbled, looking over the scenery as well.

- You fought out of self-defense that day – Tyrael told him. – There is no guilt in that.

- Rathma should really pitch in the repair work – Lyndon grumbled.

- Oh, that's right! Tuon, stop! – Quiet turned quickly to the demon.

Before any of the adults could do anything, the little angel already vaulted off the vehicle. Stumbling and rolling over his back, hissing from pain as he bumped his broken arm into the ground, Quiet still quickly regained his footing and raced off towards the cemetery. Lyndon teleported after him a second later, with the rest of the gang finally stopping the wagon and rushing to follow.

- Quiet, what are you doing? – Lyndon asked, jogging by his side.

- I wanna help! – the little angel stated with the outmost certainty, almost falling over a couple of times, his wing madly compensating for his balance. – I can help fix the wall so the people have more time and less work.

- Alright… let's make sure no guards see us at least, okay?

Lyndon blinked forward, checking the perimeter, while Quiet arrived to the hole in the wall. The rest of the group caught up with them while the child was busy looking really closely at the already built wall.

- I hate to be the cynical one, Allfather, but the fastest way to get scammed or just straight up murdered is to be a constantly helpful person – Zei offered half-heartedly, but a smoldering glance from the child quickly shut him up.

- I am going to help here – Quiet said in a no-nonsense tone. – And my name is Quiet, Zei.

- I'm sorry – the god shrunk back a bit.

Tyrael did not find reason to argue. The area seemed vacant and there was no harm in at least offering a bit of aid for the mess they admittedly left here. He knew the dangers of being naively helpful incredibly well, but this was not such a case to apply that warning. He was not going to discourage Quiet from doing the right thing.

Lyndon returned to them just as Quiet finished poking the built portion of the wall.

- The scene is clear. Quiet, do your thing – the scoundrel nodded.

- Okay, so… the bricks are stacked so their halves cover each other. And the sticky stuff is there to make them stick together and to help the, uhm… weight go to the ground. Right? – Quiet looked at them.

- Yes, both the laying of the bricks and the mortar helps the building stay more stable and durable – Tyrael affirmed.

- It is a technique old as time itself is on Sanctuary – Tuon added.

- Why change what works, eh? – Lyndon finished.

- Alright – Quiet mumbled and turned to the hole in the wall.

Heeding his bidding, the bricks quickly flew off the crates and began laying themselves in neat rows. The mortar followed suit fast and filled the gaps between and under the bricks.

- A bit less mortar, Quiet – Tyrael spoke up.

- I thought I supposed to stick the bricks together – Quiet looked at him, pausing the construction.

- Do you see how thin the layer is in the wall that was built? – Lyndon pointed it out to him. – Too big gaps between the bricks will probably make the wall weak.

The child nodded and rearranged the work method. Even with that slight hiccup, the entire process took up maybe ten minutes. The bricks laid in perfect bonds and the mortar quickly dried out to truly pull it all together. Finally the cover stone landed neatly and elegantly on the very top, positioned in a way that it could direct the rain water away. Quiet shook his head, almost toppling over again but regaining his footing in the last second.

- Is it good? – he asked, looking over his work. – It is not the right color!

- It is, do not worry. You did well – Lyndon smiled down at him.

- No, look! It's lighter than the rest!

- That is because the other bricks were there for a few days now and they got a bit dirty from the dust in the wind, Boss – Tuon offered. – Your patch is going to be the same color in a week or so, don't worry.

- Oh. Okay – Quiet fell silent at the explanation.

- I'm proud of you, Quiet – Lyndon lifted him up. – Now, let's beat it before we get caught.

- I agree. I reckon most of the guards could recognize me easily – Tyrael pointed out.

The group performed a hasty retreat to their wagon and quickly rode away, before the Bramwell people could discover them.

oooOOOooo

Tyrael had to really rack his brain to guide Tuon. The grotto was less than a day's walk from Bramwell, certainly, but the direction they had travelled in got buried under the memory mountain of insanity they went through since that point. Westmarch was northwest of Bramwell, but they had a detour after Eirena had turned him into a chicken. Ignoring the various shades of pain the whole memory had caused, Tyrael reckoned if they could find that little stream that originates from the grotto, following that backwards was the easiest solution. He asked Quiet to keep a lookout and see if he could sense water in their vicinity, while he himself moved to sit next to Tuon at the front of the wagon.

- It's been a while since you last trekked here, I take it? – Tuon asked him in a friendly manner.

- It feels like years, even though it was weeks ago – Tyrael sighed in defeat.

- Oh, I can't even imagine! But thank all of Creation it is finally over, is it not? I mean certainly, things could have gone much better, and now Lilith is back, which is a shame, that traitor. But things could have been a whole lot worse too! And you guys survived, that is a great fortune indeed! I am so glad I actually got to know all of you a bit, it's been so long since I could talk this freely with anyone, you see…

- You are… chatty this day – Tyrael blinked at the little demon on his left.

Dahlgur Tuon immediately shut up before clearing his throat with an awkward smile.

- Sorry, sorry – he stammered, keeping his eyes on the forest kings before him. – I'm very excited, you see. Also nervous. And-and-and yeah, fearful a bit.

- Why are you afraid? You are going to see your love again.

- I know! That's why I am so excited, you see… But also, also—Well… once I reformed in the Hells and managed to come back here through a lllot of trial and error, you wouldn't believe! Thank goodness I am such a small and insignificant demon, nobody cared about me in the slightest, I didn't draw attention to myself or to Sanctuary, that would have been terrible!

- Tuon?

- Right, right, sorry. Like I've said, nerves – Tuon chuckled, fidgeting with the reins. – Okay, so—so when I got back, I… didn't try to find Amaniel, you know? We were struck down together on the spot by Lilith. I had… I had assumed Amaniel returned to the Arch and was reborn. I… I didn't dare to dwell on it, it was very painful, you know. Your rebirth system is just terrible, no offense, really no offense. And-and also I didn't have the-the strength to return to the spot where we died. I reckon that is where she is now, but the land has changed so much, I do not recognize any of it. I—I had tried to get myself to find it somehow, raise a memorial to my love, you understand, but-but I just couldn't, I couldn't.

- How did you two end up here, so far from the Torajan jungles? I thought that had been your home.

- It had been, it had been! The most beautiful, greenest garden of Sanctuary teeming with life! I had never seen so much green in my entire existence before that, it had been wonderful to work on it together with Amaniel! But then… then Lilith went insane, and news of her rampage reached us soon enough. So we-we fled to the opposite end of the world. Hoping to avoid her rage – Tuon said, his voice slowly dying down. – But… we didn't escape in the end.

- I am… truly sorry, Tuon – Tyrael placed his hand on the small shoulder.

- It's… it's okay! Now that I know Amaniel is still alive and herself! – the little demon perked up and he finally smiled up at the man. – I know I made a mistake. I should have come back here, I should have looked for her. Hope dies last, as they say, and she is of Hope's ilk indeed! I just wasn't strong enough. But I am here now, and I hope she can forgive me for my weakness! I will do everything I can to be reunited with her!

That gave Tyrael pause, he failed to ignore the turmoil inside himself. He pulled his hand away.

- I am… glad you have so much faith in your relationship, Tuon – he finally said, his voice almost breaking midway through the sentence.

- Thank you! I mean, Amaniel has every right to be angry with me. I had failed to try, afterall. I would accept her decision then, even if it would be a terrible weight on me – Tuon went on. – But I know her! I know I love her, and I know she loves me as well. I have faith we can salvage this, and start anew. With her by my side, I am whole!

- A love story for the ages, Tuon! – Lyndon leaned into the picture from behind them.

He smiled at the demon before shooting a telling glance at Tyrael who only gulped. The mortal angel didn't feel ready for Westmarch, or for Sophie. Only he couldn't expel his suffocating anxiety with rambling.

- Stream! I feel a stream! – Quiet suddenly shouted, perking up on his seat.

- Which way?! – Tuon snapped his head from side to side, eyes open almost impossibly wide.

- On the left, not too far. But it's among the trees and it's small.

- EEEEYAH! – Tuon whipped on the reins hard.

The forest kings turned sharply and began galloping into the sparse woods. The wagon thundered through the landscape with its unfortunate passengers hanging on for dear life.

- Tuon, I'm sure the stream isn't going anywhere! – Lyndon shouted over the insane rattling while he kept Quiet steady as much as he could.

- Just hang on a bit longer! – the little demon answered.

Next to him, Tyrael did his best to keep himself on the plank he was sitting on. He really didn't need this massive race to his already tumultuous inner thoughts. He, however, almost actually flew off the vehicle once they reached the stream itself and Tuon yanked on the reins with all his might. The four kings dug small trenches into the earth as they came to a stop on the shore.

- Okay, that was just terrible cart driving, Tuon! – Zei angrily shouted as he managed to climb out from under a pile of sacks of soil.

Thankfully he was perfectly fine, other than annoyed to hell and back.

- Come on, man! We could have gotten hurt! – Lyndon added angrily, holding Quiet in his arms who seemed rather bewildered and blinked like an owl.

- I'm sorry, sorry – Tuon turned back to them and anxiously ran his fingers along one of his horns. – I got carried away.

- We told you to slow down! – Zei scrambled back up onto his seat.

- H-hey, it is alright. We are all in one piece still – Tyrael tried to reason once he managed to find his voice again.

- So… so it is upstream, right? – Tuon looked at the small path of water that was barely deep enough to cover a grown man's feet.

Yet its bed was lined with the most perfectly round and straight up friendly-looking pebbles one could imagine, alluding to its supernatural origin.

- Yes, her grotto is the spring of it – Tyrael followed the stream with his eyes.

The wagon moved again, this time at a normal speed, trotting alongside the flow. On the front, Tuon was holding onto the reins like there was no tomorrow, he slightly curled up and pursed his lips in anticipation. Lyndon tried to strike up a conversation with him, to help him relax perhaps, but the little demon wasn't really receptive to the attempts. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as they rattled along. Tyrael found himself terribly worried for Tuon. What if Amaniel was not going to forgive him? What if her memory was damaged and she wouldn't recognize Tuon? What if her soul somehow departed since then, despite her best efforts to stay? What if all this journey was for nothing? A small part of him was fairly sure his worries were mostly blown out of proportion or completely foolish outright, but he could do little to rein them in, except for staying quiet about them. He knew voicing any of the concerns would only raise tension.

After what felt like an eternity, finally a strange circle of tall moss-covered stones appeared in the woods. From a narrow crevice the stream was flowing with soft bubbling. It looked just barely natural enough that perhaps travelers would miss it unless they were directly heading towards it.

- There it is – Tuon breathed, not daring to speak louder. – Right? Right?

- Yes, it is the place – Tyrael nodded, swallowing as well.

The wagon stopped and the group got off. Tuon stood on the front, wrangling his hands and shaking, whether from fear or anticipation, was hard to tell. Perhaps both.

- You want us to stay here? – Lyndon glanced down at him, holding Quiet's hand in his own.

- N-no! No no no no, it is fine! It is fine! – Tuon snapped his head back at them. – You helped me get here in the first place!

Lyndon nodded. To Quiet's silent command, the rocks shifted aside, allowing a path wide enough for all of them to pass through in a single line. Beyond the wall, the little grotto remained the same just as Tyrael had remembered – lush bushes and grass, small flowers, the pond with the little lily pads, and of course the tall rock that looked like a kneeling woman almost. From her "eyes" streamed the water, and on her back, half-covering it with its roots stood a large weeping willow. The ground disc that had once carried their provisions when they had fled from Eirena was nothing more than a small hill in one corner, overrun by grass.

Dahlgur Tuon was the first to step into the garden, holding his breath. The rest of the group followed him silently. Nothing moved, what small breeze had been there seemed to have died down.

- Amaniel? Is that you? – Tuon called out in a very fragile voice, looking at the big rock. – It's… it's me. Tuon. Do you remember? I… I am so sorry, I did not know you were still here. But-but my friends told me! I have come for you as fast as I could! I want to restart our lives together, just like old times! If you want to as well, of course…

The silence was growing deafening. Quiet drew closer to Lyndon, shooting worrying glances among Tuon, the rock, and his father. Tyrael, barely daring to draw breath himself, slowly turned his gaze down.

… That is how he had spotted the small flowers sprouting among the grass.

All at once, the grotto changed as it spawned a thousand different colors on the earth, on the lily pads, even on the rocks the moss grew flowers it should not have. The breeze returned in strength, carrying petals and leaves from seemingly nowhere. The group looked around in awe at the change of scenery, but Tuon only had eyes for the rock in the center. A wide smile crept up on his features, his eyes flooded with tears.

- I'm home, my love! – he shouted happily, choking up from the emotions.

He skipped forward. The wind converged on him, and the petals and leaves formed the faint silhouette of a tall hooded woman standing in front of the little demon. Tuon laughed and reached for the ghostly hands, dancing around the pond with Amaniel. Behind them, the branches of the willow mimicked the movement of angelic wings, and the rock stopped crying. After a moment of pause, the spring started again, only this time it was from a small hollow close to the base, that could have been the cupped hands resting on the knees.

- I'm never leaving you! I'm with you till the end, Amaniel! – Tuon shouted in full ecstasy, moving in perfect sync with the ghostly form of the angel.

No audible answer came, but the grotto's very state was more than enough.

Lyndon stared at their surroundings in sheer awe, while Zei was grinning from ear to ear. Quiet was slightly bouncing in place, his right wing perking up at the sight. Tyrael let out a large breath he didn't know he was holding. It felt… warm and so nice to see the two lovers reunited. A scene so purely happy and so so rare upon Sanctuary, Tyrael truly felt grateful to witness it. For a brief moment he felt the weight lift from his soul, and he could feel honest joy and perhaps… perhaps a reason to keep going forward and try. He only wished he could have witnessed a similar reunion between Kormac and Eirena… and that quickly colored his soul with some grey.

After minutes of carefree dancing, Tuon finally settled next to Amaniel's rock, still crying from relief. His wife's silhouette dissipated from the wind, but she remained there with him. He placed one hand on the knee and sighed.

- I can hear her. I can hear her as clearly as old times – he sniffled then looked at the group. – Thank you so much, from the both of us. Amaniel says she cannot express the depth of her—our gratitude. You are all heroes to us, and we will never forget this kindness.

- It was the least we could do after you two gave aid to us on the road – Tyrael nodded.

- We thank you for your help as well! I hope you two will be very happy from now on – Quiet happily waved at the pair.

- Indeed, we will be – Tuon looked back up at Amaniel with the warmest smile in all of Creation. – And should any of you ever need our aid again… we will be there. That is a promise.

oooOOOooo

It was rather difficult to say goodbye to the happy couple and the blessed grotto. As the remaining group left the stone circle, they quickly realized that the air had actually been warmer inside there. Not by much, but it was so much more comfortable than outside. Quiet kept looking over his shoulder, Lyndon had to guide the child so he wouldn't fall over or run into obstacles.

- I'm so happy they are so happy – the child commented, deep in thought. – So… so if we make people happy, we feel happy too, right?

- Depends on the type of person, A—Quiet – Zei scratched the back of his neck. – You can make a truly terrible piece of trash happy as well, but I guarantee that will not make you happy in the slightest…

- But most of the time, yes – Lyndon took over. – If you help everyday normal people and make them happy, you will feel happy as well.

- That is the motivation for many who do good in the world and live as heroes – Tyrael finished.

- We are heroes! – Quiet shouted as loud as he could, throwing his right arm up in the air.

The sparse woods around them rustled, the trees and bushes seemed to almost nod in agreement. Lyndon laughed and planted a quick kiss on top of the child's head. Zei smirked to himself, standing just a bit taller. Tyrael let go of a half-smile at the child's enthusiasm, although he himself couldn't bring himself to call himself a hero. He thought it best not to tell the obvious – that the hero's journey is often filled with loss, misery and impossible decisions. Anu knew, all of them had experienced that clearly these last days, but at least it appeared Quiet was not scarred by the events too deeply. That had to be a good sign for the future.

- We will help many more people. And we will make sure Lilit cannot hurt more people! We will make Ashaaava and Meeeryam and Eyrena proud and-and that they were heroes and did good too! – Quiet went on with all the conviction of the world, eyes kept defiantly at the sky.

Tyrael took in a sharp breath. He couldn't tell what he felt upon hearing those words – pride, surprise, faith, worry, bitter skepticism, fear… jealousy at the seemingly unbreakable spirit of the child? Perhaps all of those at the same time. Human emotions were messy like that.

- We will, firefly. We will make them proud. But now it is time to go home – Lyndon gently shushed him before glancing up to Zei. – One more lift, Zei?

- Hey, sure, why not – the god shrugged nonchalantly.

The world lurched around them one last time. And a moment later, the massive walls of Westmarch loomed over them.


Yes, you are right, Quiet! You are heroes! Lilith had better get ready for a titanic ass-whooping!

Hotdamn, 70 chapters, huh? What an incredible ride so far! From the looks of it, Ch71 will be the ending of Act III, although it might grow so big I will have to split it up. Whatever the case may be, this is the end stretch, cupcakes! Act IV will be an absolute monster to put together.

Challenge most definitely accepted!

Thank you for reading, and even moreso for commenting! See you all in March, hopefully!

Lore & Trivia Corner

- Not fussing over Quiet's busted sense of balance came from the general parenting technique I had seen from a relative. This family member pays attention to the kid, helping her whenever necessary, but otherwise makes absolutely sure to treat everything as a normal part of life. I find that kind of upbringing exceptional and wise, so I took inspiration from it. We do not need more entitlement in the world than what we already have.

- Forest kings: I have an addiction to fantasy magical deer, mostly due to the Hungarian origin myth, "The Wonder Deer". Sue me. Bucks with massive antlers are often called the "kings of the forest" for a damn good reason, hence the name of the mounts.

- Lilith's natural magic has never been established officially. The Sin War trilogy had an absolute clusterfuck of a soft magic system where she could do literally anything basically, so it will be curious to see what she will be capable of doing in D4. However, her father Mephisto had clearly been established to have lightning elemental powers (among other things), so I based her on that as well.