“What do you mean? We can’t arrest them?” Rory stomped her foot against the mirror and screamed. “Tell me. Did I hit my head so hard that it scrambled my memories, or wasn’t that supposed to be the deal? We help them evacuate the city, and they allow us to hunt that walking father-complex without interference.”

“Calm down, sis.” Gerard tried to reach for her with his arm but then retreated. “Ragna Griffin’s team dealt with the Judas Group and the abomination. So, they allowed her safe entry into Avalon. Plus, we already had our chance, and we blew it.”

Gerard sighed.

Almost twenty-four hours had passed since Rory had tried to capture Ragna Griffin. By now, she probably had left Heorot. Even if she hadn’t, their group needed to rest and recover from the fights against her team.

Currently, they were resting in Lacie’s mirror dimension, and Rory should count himself lucky that Lacie hadn’t thrown her out when she had stomped her foot against the mirror.

Lacie was lounging on the couch with her feet on the seams. She didn’t bother looking at Rory’s outburst and stared at her phone’s screen, putting all her concentration on her game.

Either she had gotten used to Rory, or she had stopped caring. Cyrus was out for a cigarette, and Nephthys had to deal with his fellow Samurai, but both would return later so that they could discuss their next steps.

Rory’s body relaxed, and she turned to face Gerard. Red spots on her throat remained the only reminders of her fight against Ragna.

“What do we do now?” she asked calmly. Apparently, she was able to vent out her frustration with that kick. “Ain’t exactly easy to get in Avalon, even for Valkyries.”

“Actually, that’s what I wanted to discuss.” Gerard’s face became grim. “Avalon’s opening its borders.”

“What?” Rory raised her eyes open and stared at Gerard for a good second, dumbfounded. Even she would have never expected that day to come. “How? When? Why?”

Gerard shrugged. “I’ve no idea, but it’s gotta do something with this so-called “Once and future”-ceremony. Twice knows what that’s about. But in about a month, everyone can enter Avalon.”

Rory crossed her arms. “I mean, that’s really interesting, like seriously interesting. But how’ll that help us? A month’s way too long. Ragna Griffin could be in Kemet-Raa by that point.”

“The Princess is going to attend the ceremony. I’ll be her bodyguard with Marcus and Fran. We can enter the city as soon as we’ve recovered.”

“I can enter, too?” Rory furrowed her brow.

“You all can.” He nodded toward Lacie. “Since you’re all part of my team.”

At least that was the official story. Someone probably wanted Rory under watch. But better when he kept an eye on her and reduced the damage or prevented others from harming her.

“Fine. I’ve to come up with new strategies, anyway.” Her stomach started to growl, and Rory blushed. “Well, I’m gonna get us some food. Anything you want?”

“Fried tentacles and a double equine burger would be nice.”

Without looking from her phone, Lacie raised two fingers, indicating that she and Cyrus wanted the same.

“Got it.” Rory raised her thumb. “I’ll message Nephthys and ask what he wants. See ya later.”

֎

“Barkeep, another.” Sitting at the counter, Altera raised her glass, rocking it in the air to show him that she had emptied it. Her head rested on her arm, and her speech had reverted to her Austern accent as she slurred the words. After smelling the alcohol, Moon Moon had jumped back into his shadow dimension.

“Always fascinating how man keeps pouring poison in him to stop hurting.” The barkeeper took her glass away. “And foolish.” A chuckle escaped him as he poured porcelain-colored liquor into her drink. “But I am not one to deny my patrons a request.”

“Then why did you open a bar of all things?” Altera grabbed the drink and peered through the glass with her eye as if she could discover the universe’s secrets if she focused hard enough.

“He who cannot put his hands into the dirt will never cultivate a rose in full bloom.”

“Perhaps that’s true for others, but I could never accept that.” Altera muffled her words into her arm.

She had made her stance on that issue clear, and she wouldn’t abandon these principles. But she couldn’t condemn others who saw the world in different eyes, and she couldn’t always force them to follow her path. Still. Would she be as lenient were it not Ragna? How easily could this lead to a slippery slope? How much right had she anyway if her ways didn’t work, and it wasn’t like she lacked such darker tendencies.

“Just what am I doing?” Raising her head, Altera drank from her glass and sighed.

She left Ragna and the others because she needed some time alone. And what was she doing? She drank herself stupid in some bar that had decided to ignore the evacuation notice and still operated for the night.

It wasn’t like she didn’t want to stay with Ragna. To spend the night with her, just being with her even if they talked about nothing, feeling her warmth – she wished it more than anything. But she couldn’t. She had to do this. Her life had reached a cross path, and if she didn’t make a decision, she would be stuck or walk into a dead end.

Just what kind of person did she want to be? No. She knew that very well. Her dreams hadn’t changed. But were they still possible? Could she still be a Valkyrie in this world? She always knew the world was complicated, but she had believed she could find a solution no matter what. But the world became more complex each day. Conspiracies, another Great War, atrocities right before her eye, her powerlessness. Was it any wonder Ragna had grown so tired of it? Sleeping through it seemed so … appealing.

“If nothing else, you seem to enjoy the drink.” The bartender laughed, and Altera couldn’t help to laugh too.

She chugged down the rest of her drink and let the liquid run down her throat. Her stomach heated up, driving the cold away as she savored its nectar-like flavor.

“Ah, it’s so sweet and warm. I feel like I’m drinking a rose.” Altera started to purr with a cat-like smile. Bliss mixed with the alcohol in her brain and reddened her face. “I guess it's the small moments that make you want to wake up at the end of the day. Whether it's a sweet drink or seeing her smile.”

Her dreams might be further away, but she gained a kind of happiness she would have never dreamt of otherwise. And she couldn't imagine living without it anymore. To lose that just for escapism, she couldn't imagine that it would be worth it.

"I think it's time for me to go. I wonder if her offer's still up." Altera chuckled. “How much do I have to pay?”

“You already gave me enough.” The bartender poured her one last drink.

֎

Ragna crossed her legs as she leaned against her seat and caressed Altera's hair as her head was resting on Ragna's shoulder, still asleep from her hangover.

A smile appeared across her face and she gave a kiss on Altera's forehead.

“Honestly, seeing you two, I feel like I'm getting sick from a sugar rush,” said Bedivere, who had been sitting next to her. "You're way too happy for someone who isn't much closer to her goal."

Ragna shrugged. “You know what they say. Wanting’s better than having, and sometimes what you didn't want is better once you got it.”

She would still have to find her father, get him to spill out the truth, and make use of whatever he would reveal. That any of the steps would come true wasn’t a guarantee, but would that deter her?

“That things went as expected on this journey would be an understatement.” Eric drank from his coffee. “But you get used to it, and then you start to appreciate everything that's good. Speaking of which. Did anything happen last night? Like you two are even touchier than usual.”

"It's a woman's secret." With a big grin on her face, Ragna winked.

"Ahh." Eric nudged Jareth, who had fallen asleep on the bench, unable to wake him up. “By the way, aren’t we missing someone? The train’s about to arrive.”

Ragna silently nodded towards her left, and Ray had arrived. “Sorry for being late. I had some stuff to deal with.”

“Why are you going?” Bedivere asked. “I thought you were happy in the Colosseum.”

“I lost, so there’s no point, and it would take weeks until it opens again.” Ray smiled. “Besides, it’s long due that I return.”

Seconds later, the train arrived at the Heorot Central Station, and Ragna stood up from her seat, glowing.

It was true. She didn't know what would happen next. She might reach her goals or endure another failure. But did that matter? She would continue her journey and progress, even if it were impossible. That had never stopped her, and it wouldn't now. And she knew, she wasn't alone.

"It’s time we move. To a new adventure.”