In the decade that followed Yunkef's discovery, the world scarcely changed. The darkness was still absolute down inside the crater, with its Settlements scattered across the wastes still struggling to find each other through trade routes and exploration expeditions. The three friends, after that fateful climb up the sheer cliff of the crater, had no choice but to return to the darkness. However, with the help of the kind farming family they had found living in the field close to the crater, they vowed to return somehow, no matter what difficulties lay before them.

Yunkef sighed as he exited his home and looked out over the city he had made. A complex of small caves lining the face of a cliff was organized in neat rows, with more than a dozen caves per ascending level. A set of wide stairs were carved into the rock, but Yunkef had insisted that a set of pulleys be installed to form a lift that would allow the elderly, infirm, and workers carrying heavy equipment and materials to access the upper levels with ease. Overlooking the city was a massive tower with a fiercely burning fire, which spread its flickering light all over the complex of merchant tents, training yards, supply huts, armories, and of course, the Cathedral of Eternal Flame.

Yunkef's wife stepped out of their house to meet her husband.

"What are you staring at now, Yunkef?" Red said with a smile. "Admiring your handiwork?"

"Red! I didn't realize you were up already." Yunkef gave her a peck on the cheek. She was dressed in the robes of the Citadel, while he wore the same robe but with a breastplate of polished metal over his broad chest. An amulet of the Eternal Flame hung from his neck. "Are you sure you should be up?"

Red gave him an admonishing look. "I've more than recovered from my illness, thank you very much. And should you be doting on me so much? Honestly Yunkef, it's suffocating."

The leader of the revived Citadel, builder of a better sanctuary to some and scion of the future for others, balked and seemed to shrink before his wife. "I'm sorry! I didn't realize, I'm so sorry Red, is there anything I can—"

Red burst out laughing. She smiled and laid a hand on Yunkef's cheek, stroking the rough beard that was in need of a trim. "I'm just joking, Yunkef. You know I like the attention."

The look in Yunkef's eyes softened, and he took his wife's hand in his, pausing for a moment to kiss it. "You get me with that every time."

The two shared a brief, tender kiss before they were interrupted by the third occupant of their home. A young girl bounded out of the cave, letting the wooden door slam behind her and startle her parents out of their moment. Red's hand flew to the blade she wore at her belt, while Yunkef balled his hands into fists. The two saw their daughter, dressed in a smaller version of the Citadel robes, and carrying around a stuffed toy made in the vague shape of a beast. They burst out laughing, equal parts embarrassed and relieved from their actions.

"Hey!" The little girl pouted. "Why are you laughing?"

Yunkef smiled and crouched, holding his arms out to his daughter. "We're just very happy to see you, Hope."

"Actually, now that you're here, would you like to come with us?" Red asked, glancing at Yunkef.

"Where are you going?" Hope's eyes were wide and curious, and she clutched the beast toy close to her chest. It had a smooth snout with no teeth, and its limbs were strangely jointed. The toy was in desperate need of new stuffing, though Red was never able to get the toy away from her daughter long enough to give it the mending it needed. "I want to go! But where?"

"Well, we're going to go outside the walls today. We're going to see Uncle Anre." Yunkef said carefully. There was always a feeling of trepidation when he brought up leaving the safety of the walls and the light of the Beacon. Past the walls, the darkness had not changed. Feral beasts with too many teeth and claws still roamed the land, harrying and attacking anyone caught outside of the safe glow of the light. Darkness-touched as the two of them were, Yunkef and Red were not safe from beasts.

Hope, thankfully, had not inherited anything of the darkness from her parents. While her parents squinted or were forced to turn away from the light of their own Beacon, their child never had a problem with the light.

"Outside the walls?" Hope repeated in her small voice, eyes wide with curiosity. "But you always said never to go past the walls!"

Yunkef nodded. "That's right, I did. And you're such a good girl for remembering! But sometimes your mother and I need to make a trip outside, to check the merchant routes for safety or to fight off beasts when someone needs help. It’s not a place for little girls to go alone."

"It's not, but we will be with you." Red smiled. "Only go out with either of us, okay? And we won't be going far, your Uncle Anre lives just past the Beacon's light."

"Uncle Anre!" Hope squealed, squeezing her beast plush. "I miss him! Will he let me pet a beast?"

Yunkef laughed and stood. He held out a hand for his daughter who took it excitedly. His other hand, he offered to his wife. "We'll see, but it’s best not to pet them anyway. Alright, let's be off."

The walk through the Citadel was long and winding as Yunkef took the long way to get to the gates. It was part of his daily patrol of the small city, a diligent check of every sector to make sure that all was in order.

When the three of them returned from the land above the darkness, they refused to go their separate ways. After all, how could they part ways, after everything they had been through, everything they had seen? Yunkef suggested that they travel back through the darkness, and back to the ruins of the burned Citadel. No one was left alive after the fire and Zealous's sabotage, because the Beacon had gone out, leaving everyone panicked and vulnerable in the struggle. It took everything the three of them had, Night's limited assistance, and a stroke of luck in the form of an expedition to clear away enough rubble to light the Beacon.

The people from the expedition volunteered to stay and clear the rest of the Citadel of debris and remains of the dead. The Citadel itself was historically a landmark of sanctuary and hope, so to bring it back to a livable state, restore the ruined city and bring back the light, became a cause that rallied together with the expedition and the three friends with renewed hope.

The Citadel was bustling with life again, a beacon of safety and prosperity within the endless darkness. As Yunkef and his family wove through the streets, they were met with grateful, smiling faces from among the merchants, healers, worshippers, and travelers. A pair of merchants bickered among themselves about the price of a beast-tooth weapon but quickly quieted down once Yunkef passed. The leader of the Citadel was known to be mild-mannered and patient, but there were rumors that he had seen horrors and wonders, unlike nothing that had ever been seen before or since. It was well known among the populace that it was in their best interest to behave, lest they have to bring more problems to him.

"Yunkef! Sir! Madame Red!" A young guard wearing the robes of the Citadel and carrying a spear approached them, bowing his head.

"What is it, Virtuous?" Yunkef asked. After they had rebuilt the Citadel and people had begun to travel to it and set up residence, Yunkef had been reluctant at first to bring back the naming tradition of the previous city. It was Red who convinced him otherwise, saying that letting people choose the virtue that spoke most to them may help them embody the meaning of that name. The young man agreed, on the condition that 'Zealous' never be used as a name again.

"There are reports of beasts stalking the main road." The young guard continued. "The construction crews that were working on adding torches to the road have fallen unresponsive, and sentries can't find them in the darkness. They're too far past the light of the Beacon and we fear the worst."

Yunkef glanced at his wife, who nodded. "Leave this to the two of us, Virtuous."

"But sir, your daughter?"

Yunkef looked to his daughter who was still holding his hand and clutching her plush toy. He smiled. "We will take her to an outpost not far from the light of the Beacon. She will be safe there while we investigate the road."

"But sir, there is nothing past the light! We've never seen any torches save for the road lights."

"Trust me, she will be safe." Yunkef nodded to him and continued the walk towards the gates. "Back to your post now. And good work, Virtuous."

The high wall of the Citadel encircled the entire city, and both ends of the wall were built into the side of the cliff, ensuring the Citadel was protected on all sides. Yunkef was proudest of the wall and how a force of a hundred volunteers worked tirelessly to rebuild it. It took a massive effort, but now the walls stood as proud and as strong as they were before the great fire. The great gates were just as well reinforced with stone and salvaged wood, with a smaller gate at its base made of the mushroom panels that Yunkef recalled Grass had invented. He had not been to the old Settlement since the fateful time he had left it, but there was always the nagging feeling that he should return, at least once. As the three approached, the smaller gate was opened for them. Torches were handed to Yunkef and Red, while Hope moved behind her father as she had been told many times. When leaving the safety of the walls, always hold onto father's belt and stay behind him.

Twin rows of reinforced torches ran from the Citadel's gates and stretched some distance into the darkness, serving as a trail that would lead travelers lost in the darkness straight towards the gates. The construction site at the end of the rows was silent and suspiciously devoid of life, just as Virtuous had said. Instead of following the torches, Yunkef and his family veered off the path and headed towards a hut that had been constructed against the cliff wall, and was standing quietly in the darkness just out of notice.

As they approached, the low growl of a beast could be heard. Yunkef called for a halt.

"Anre!" Yunkef said clearly, the hut just before him. "Are you there?"

The growling stopped as a man with scraggly long hair picked his way out of the hut. "Who is that? Is that you, Yunkef?" Anre said. The wild man had grown even wilder, with a long beard that had been haphazardly braided in parts.

"Uncle Anre!" Hope squealed, detaching herself from her father and running towards the wild man with open arms.

Laughing, Anre caught the little bundle of energy. "Little Hope! Hah, it's wonderful to see you again!"

"But Uncle Anre, you can't see!" Hope giggled in reply.

Anre barked a laugh. "Right you are!" Beside him, a lean beast emerged and sniffed at Hope with sideways nostrils. It was roughly the same shape as the plush toy she carried. "Ah, Sand missed you too! You both play nice now."

Hope giggled and patted the smooth hide of the beast, and even climbed onto its back. It lopped carefully and slowly around, giving the little girl a ride.

"It's good to see you again, Anre." Red said with a smile. "Are you still sure you'd rather be out here, and not in the Citadel?"

"Red, you know why I can't." Anre gestured in the general direction of his beast. "Besides, if I'm here then I can keep a better watch for beasts and travelers coming down the path."

"About that..." Yunkef started. "Do you know what happened to the construction crew?"

Anre nodded grimly. "I do, and you're not going to like it."

"They were taken by our Lady, of course." A soft, cool voice said from behind them. Unsurprised, Yunkef turned and found the hooded guide and their glowing green lantern standing some distance from them, just out of range of their torchlight. "She has learned of the lift you're having constructed at the edge of the darkness."

"Has she, now?" Red sighed, pausing to scratch at her neck. "Well, we can't let her zealots destroy all our hard work."

"No, we can't," Yunkef said. In the flickering light of his torch, she saw his daughter smiling and laughing, holding onto the beast as it began to pick up speed. There was a light in the young girl's face, an innocence that Yunkef vowed to protect. Hope for a better life, and a better future. "We went through a lot of trouble for that route back up the crater. We'll be damned if we let the zealots destroy Hope's Lift."