It did not take long for the returning Ternorians to realize that their battle wasn’t over yet. The light dragons were ultimately a distraction for what they were supposed to be doing.

And returning two years later, even if it was only an instant for them, had an overarching consequence that could threaten to overwhelm them if they weren’t already overwhelmed by their latest battle that was borderline absurd.

It started when Hans, after breaking the hug with Ulster, noticed a peculiar-looking horned were ‘wolf’ who looked closer to a dog. He looked rather young, maybe around 17 or so. It did not take long for Hans to realize that the weredog had a demonic visage to him, making him remember that he was one of the ‘demon dogs’ written in the news.

If he was still the Hans before the Light dragon invasion, he would be agitated and quickly became violent. But after facing more than one light dragons, demon dogs were the least of his worries. In fact, not acting impulsive had its merits, with Hans noticing that the demon dog seemed curious instead of having motives.

Also aware that two years had passed and things might have changed dramatically, Hans looked at Caralas and said, “Hi, uh…I don’t believe we have met. I’m Hans Rezmirn.”

Hans held out his hand, to which Caralas accepted it. “I’m Caralas Oblari. Nice to meet you.”

“Ah, I forgot about Caralas. Sorry, mate.”

“Not a problem.”

“To be honest, I did not expect you to act leveled, considering that Sidve—”

“Anything about that? What happened in Ternor while we were gone?” interrupted Adeline. “How is…how is my family?”

Ulster’s expression was grim, causing Adeline’s eyes to widen in shock.

“Your family is fine, Addy,” he said, causing her to sigh in relief. “They disguised themselves as wolves and evacuated to one of their estates near Excourt, before…circumstances forced them to go even further to Dusdolf. You’ll need to send a wire to find out. I lost contact ever since…ever since...”

His tone was grim, so Adeline braced for a worse development.

“Tragoria is gone, Addy. The region…the whole region…is now a fiery wasteland. Those demons turned Tragoria into hell on Earth and I can’t do anything about it.”

Both were surprised by the revelations. Even when Main continent was still recovering from their ordeals, the Ternor continent was still in danger. And now, things had gone from bad to worse.

“Don’t blame Caralas for this,” Ulster, apparently sensing that the young hellhound could be blamed by his friends, just because he looked like the ones that caused it.

“We aren’t. Why do you assume that?” asked Hans.

“Caralas lost everything before he ran to Main. Pol Hain and some established settlements are populated by hellhounds that were similarly displaced by the hellhounds. Their invasion on the surface world is the end result of their own war in the Underworld. Caralas is the only survivor of his family.”

“Again, why did you assume we are going to blame him?”

“Because that’s the reaction of the Lycans and the humans upon seeing his unusual fur pattern and very visible satyr-like horns. They bloody pelted him with rocks, for goodness’s sake!”

“Ulster, Ulster…stop,” said Caralas, trying to comfort the distraught gray-furred werewolf. “They’re scared. I can understand that. I mean, you don’t call my kind demon dogs for nothing.”

Ulster could only shake his head before taking his pincer glasses off and walk away, apparently distraught. Hans and Adeline could only assume that something worse that Caralas’ mistreatment happened, with the hellhound confirming it.

“There was an incident a year ago in Pol Hain,” said Caralas. “Several distraught and panicked humans got crazy and formed a lynch group after blaming one of the hellhounds. He was almost hanged to death if it wasn’t for a rather foul-mouthed ship captain enlisting the help of a bull man and an elf to stop. Even they almost got fucked up if it wasn’t for a black dragon scaring them off. Last I heard, they decided to go back to Ternor after complaining that Main was as unwelcome as their home.”

“Do they realize how dangerous it is back home?”

“I think they did.” Caralas sighed. “I think they just give up after seeing they're not welcome, possibly to cause as much guilty conscience as possible. Can’t blame them, though. Humans aren’t exactly the hardiest people and to be fair, even hellhounds aren’t, either. We may look like demons to you surface dwellers, but that’s just one extra layer of psychological defense to hide how vulnerable we really are underneath. So, since I’m the only hellhound here, I think it’s best if I ask for forgiveness.”

“No, don’t,” said Adeline as she held Caralas’s shoulder. “You are not to blame for your kind’s mistake. I learned that with Zen.”

Caralas let out a smile. “Now, I see why Ulster holds you in high regards. He needs a while to move on from that. I can't imagine a scholar like him has ever come across something like that.”

“Aren’t you at least a bit shaken?”

“Lynch mobs aren't exactly the best way to show your hatred, especially when the bystanders can and will kill you. In the Underworld, especially beyond the kingdoms' walls, you either kill or be killed. If someone is being hanged, there is a good chance their friends will help and kill the mob. So, yeah. That's far from the things I did just to survive. I must admit that I almost wanted to do the 'Underworld Treatment' on them, but I'm not that stupid, even though the hellhound they lynched was my friend. I am not proud of myself but wallowing in self-pity won’t change things. All I can do now is to be grateful for Ulster’s help, and the help of those who let me onto that steamship...sometimes in exchange of their lives."

Caralas walked to Ulster to comfort the turned werewolf, with Hans and Adeline watching as Caralas comforted him. They both looked at each other, apparently knowing what each other were thinking, before Adeline said, “You think what I think?”

“That it’s our duty to liberate Tragoria?”

Adeline smiled. “And this time, we won’t be alone.”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit overkill? You do realize our allies are not exactly simple, right?”

“Exactly.”

Hans let out a smirk, knowing that Adeline was well-aware of the possibility of using the experiences they had and the unusual allies they made to Ternor and made sure that the demons would not be a problem anymore. Even so, as a diplomat, Adeline might have some other ideas to make things easier.

But before that, they needed to rest well before they set off. They were not in a position to fight after barely surviving their greatest ordeal yet.

***

Their rest took two weeks, but it was good enough for them to finally be free from the bandages that covered their bodies. Once everyone was finally discharged from the hospital, they reconvened in Bracken Woods, knowing that it was where Ulster had settled ever since he moved out of Pol Hain. It was made easy to travel there with a portal, but for Azureath, she decided to fly to Bracken Woods due to her size. Good thing before she could even do that, Zenithia showcased her returned powers.

With a snap of her rather long, almost human-like digits, she instantly teleported Azureath alongside Hans and Adeline, both of whom wanted to accompany their dragon friends. She further surprised Adeline by returning to her more familiar form: the small, cat-sized form where she could climb on the werewolf’s shoulder, as she usually did. Adeline thought her adult form was permanent, with Zenithia proviing her wrong with a smirk.

Seraphor, who woke up after a long recuperation, wished Zenithia luck when his sister decided to accompany her allies for yet another fight. He knew he was in no condition to help her, owing to losing one of his legs and his wing membranes, and also because he knew he might be out of sorts after being lost for 25 years.

Besides, having Avila beside him was enough. Also, he needed to take care of Ashaire, who had not woken up yet.

And so, the group that was once the scout for Qeveriyt went on for their next battle, which started with a little lunch and tea in Bracken Woods. Elyse returned to her parents while also telling them that she would set off once against to Ternor, intending to continue helping the best she could. Her father, already accepted that Elyse did not want to be a queen, gave his blessing, along with Lisle and the rest of her siblings. She promised she would return home.

Fenrir’s spirit also showed himself to a surprised Ulster, who did not expect to meet the spirit of the first werewolf. He only knew that Fenrir’s body was kept in the Cursed Forest to stop the corruption caused by his haphazard experiment. He never knew his soul now rested in Hans’ body, considering that Hans did not tell anyone about it before going to Qeveriyt. He started to ask about details when Hans stopped Ulster.

“Whoa, mate, calm down. Fenrir’s not going anywhere,” said Hans. “Well, except for me, that is.”

“But, Hans, he might be able to explain things from his perspective!”

“Maybe so, but right now is not the right time. Well, unless Fenrir doesn’t think our little talk is going to merit anything.”

“You made me sound like a rude person,” said Fenrir.

“Says the one who used my body as a host and gave me a dire wolf form.”

“What’s wrong with having a dire wolf form?”

“You’ll see.”

Shrugging, but still curious about the ‘dire wolf form’, Ulster and Hans joined the rest of the group, already opening their lunch under a cherry blossom tree. They enjoyed the day, laughing and making fun of the ordeal they just faced two weeks ago, while also acknowledging the fact that everyone survived, and they accomplished their mission in freeing Seraphor. The only bad thing they might have to face would be the lost two years of their lives, which wasn’t that bad for the people from Main and the dragonborn from another world, but for the Ternorians that were still at war with the Underworlders, two years meant a lot of things.

Slowly, but surely, the topic of their conversation went to Ternor, and the general atmosphere turned serious. There was no way to avoid talking about Ternor, especially since that was the hot topic of the year.

“In light of the recent events in Ternor,” started Ulster while adjusting his glasses. “The Tragorian countryside was devastated by what the eyewitnesses called flying demons similar to dragons. So…”

“For the sake of simplicity, I suggest you simply call them dragons, little one,” said Azureath.

“Ah, well…those dragons rained fire upon the Tragorian countryside, devastating the region and turning them into a hellish, fiery wasteland. Angla was still there, but it was overrun by enemies, as did many other port towns. Some evacuated to the Raptor Island, others chose to leave Ternor behind and reach Main, but many chose to stay and fight. There were recent reports about a ‘demon’ who fought against them, but I suggest not to trust the source.”

“So, I suppose the first thing we need to do is take over Ternor,” said Hans. “Doesn’t sound it will be easy.”

“You might want to ask Jamie about that,” said Ulster.

“Maybe we should. But then….” Adeline turned towards the others, especially those who weren’t Ternorian. “Tell me, everyone. I know we will be asking you a little too much on this one, considering that you are no longer defending your home. You’re going with us to help us instead. Will you—”

“I’m in,” said Richie.

“As do I,” said Ritik.

“Me too,” said Elyse. “Do you really need to ask us that?”

“I mean, you might have something else to do, especially you, Elle. Just because you are no longer an heiress apparent doesn’t mean your responsibilities are gone. I know the rigors of being a noble and a member of a big shipping company.”

“Hey, look. We are all drawn together by circumstances. I met you by accident, you met Keeshar and Azureath out of luck, Ritik got involved, Zen’s the center of attention, and Richie just happen to stick with us.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” said Richie, wondering why his reasoning was not as ‘cool’ as the others.

“And that’s that. We’re the most unconventional, multi-racial group of dragons, a kobold, a dragonborn, a satyr, werewolves, and a Raptor. It almost feels like a miracle that we stick together, so this time, let’s keep it together until everyone is at peace.”

“Even if I want to return to my old life, it won’t be as exciting as the adventure I was involved in,” said Ritik. “The Marked dragons are free, and now they are in the hands of the people of Dracokin. To be fair, I have all the free time I need to do research, but I might start it in Ternor. Your continent’s lack of magic intrigues me.”

“I can tell you that I don’t plan to settle down just yet,” said Richie. “I’m a former human from another world. I don’t even know this continent that well. Hell, I even want to see what the Eastern Region looks like. But I also value friendship, and if my friends need my help, I’ll make sure to help them the best way I can.”

“So, you have it,” said Azureath to Adeline. “Not everything has to be hard, little one. We survived our recent ordeals. We overcame our personal problems. This time, we will help you overcome yours.”

Everyone smiled and nodded, confirming what Azureath said. The Ternorians were glad, with Adeline almost shedding tears. In the course of their battle against the light dragons, the werewolves of Ternor decided to set aside their own problems to deal with the problems in Main, mostly to protect the land that they had a hard time discovering. They did not want to see Main, a place most would come when Ternor fell, to also fall, while also saving that reality, and their own world, from becoming food for the light dragons.

Compared to the light dragons, there might be a chance that the demons from the Underworld would not be as bad. There was also a chance that it could be worse. But Adeline knew that would not be a problem.

For she got more friends to rely on.