Adam groggily opened his eyes. A small groan escaped his voice as he tried and failed to sit up. Weak. Adam felt incredibly weak. Evelyn quickly appeared by his side: “You're awake!”

Gently, she helped Adam get some pillows under him to prop himself up. The whole while, Evelyn chided him: “You spent a whole week without food, rest, or water while playing your flute! It couldn't kill you to be a little less reckless could it?”

Memories of what happened flashed through Adam's mind. He wheezed out: “Sorry.”

Evelyn held his hand in hers: “You did it, though! It has been a few days since you collapsed, but your music is still faintly echoing across the world! No wars are being fought right now and I don't think many will continue even after your music fades. You did it!”

Adam felt pride at his accomplishment, then he remembered. He wheezed out: “But at what cost?”

Evelyn was stunned at this statement from Adam. Adam didn't know any of the guardian beasts he had killed, true, but his greatest friend Silber had once been a guardian beast. To think others like Silber were killed by his own hand, Adam couldn't help a few tears coming to his eyes.

Evelyn was startled by this transition and quickly said: “Let's get you fed first. Then... then we can talk further.”

Evelyn helped Adam eat some porridge, but before they could talk Adam fell asleep. He was still weak and with a belly full of warming food, he couldn't find the energy to stay awake.

Adam awoke once again, this time feeling much better. Evelyn was half lying on his bed, also asleep. Adam gave a loving smile as he saw this. He didn't want to wake her, but surely there was a more comfortable place to sleep than there. Adam brushed her hair to the side and gently called: “Evelyn.”

Slowly, she stirred and blinked her eyes open: “Adam?”

“You should sleep somewhere better than there.”

Blinking faster, Evelyn's mind finally caught up. She simply beamed Adam a smile and gave him a peck on the cheek: “You're looking much better. Are you still hungry?”

Adam nodded: “And thirsty.”

Evelyn got Adam some more food and drink. As he was eating, she tentatively asked: “What did you mean earlier, about a cost?”

Adam's eating immediately crawled to a stop. It took him a moment before answering: “I was stupid and belligerent. I watched as my song killed demonic beasts in much the same way as ghouls, all the while not thinking what it might be doing to guardian beasts until it was too late! I have always abhorred how kingdoms would forget about the innocent lives caught in between their wars and yet... here I am doing the same...”

Evelyn didn't have a good response and could only stay silent. Another might ration out something about sacrificing the few to save the many, but such a line would not work on Adam. Adam's line of thought was more: If you're trying to safe the many, why not save the few too? This wouldn't always work in the real world, of course, but you should always put forth the effort to do so. Don't just take the shortcut to the end and dress it up later by saying you saved more lives that way.

During his recovery over the next few days, Adam told Evelyn about what he had discovered

about the true relationship between the world and the spirit planes. Evelyn was awed by the discovery and went with Adam when he was healthy enough to make a visit to the chieftain.

The chieftain had been hoping to get a full account of what Adam had done. Instead of getting his answers, he was treated to an exposition by Adam. Adam told him and all that listened about how the world was the source of spirit essence and created the spirit planes, not the other way around.

He also added: “Spirits are no different from you or I. They are creatures made by the world, which is the source of all life. They are intelligent, like us and also share a similar characteristic in fighting among themselves. Each type of spirit is like a kingdom and they do not get along with each other very well and are prone to fighting. It is intelligence without proper discipline and leads to destruction being wrought upon our world. For now, there are no spirits! I have destroyed them all, but I doubtlessly believe they will reform given time. Until then, dragons have now become the greatest threat to the world. We must learn from the mistakes of the spirits and our own past as humans and ensure that the dragons do not enter into a large scale war like this again.”

Adam's little speech was fantastical. If he had not been right about spirits before, there would likely be many sitting here debating over his words that don't have any hard physical evidence backing it. However, he was Adam. His words had been proven true in the past and he had single handedly stopped the world that was on the brink of all out war that would lead to ruin. Once you knew all of that, Adam became a person who you naturally listened to and believed in with little question.

Time flew by and Adam came to enjoy a normal life with Evelyn, very similar to the one he had with Helen so long ago. This time, it seemed as though the troubles of the world would not find and disturb him. At least, they hadn't yet. There were still wars happening on occasion, but there was no interference from dragons and ghouls could no longer be used. They could only be normal wars between kingdoms. All the while, the cults and the Church of Spirits slowly started loosing power as they no longer had a backing. It would take a long time, but eventually everyone will come to realize that there are no longer any spirits backing them.

Adam was pacing back in forth in anticipation and anxiety, like many a man before him had done. Heinrich was sitting nearby, enjoying Adam's sate. Tartly, Adam asked: “What are you so smug about? You'll be in this spot before too long yourself, then I'll have the last laugh!”

Heinrich shook his head and laughed: “You're probably right, but it's still funny to see! The 'great destroyer of spirits' is pacing around anxious and unsettled as his wife gives birth to his first child. After one hears that you are responsible for killing all the spirits, they would imagine you as a stout character with a heart that would not waver in any adversity! Yet here you are, so nervous! Surely you see the humor in it?”

Adam only scowled at Heinrich as he continued his pacing. His mind wandered to Evelyn who was just inside the next room. Thanks to a mid-wife in the village that had acute knowledge in numbing the pain of child birth, Evelyn was not screaming in pain. You could, though, hear her grunts of effort on occasion with murmurs of encouragement.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Adam, he heard the cry of a baby float into the air! Adam quickly stormed into Evelyn's room. As Adam barged in, the mid-wife was stepping back from Evelyn's bed after handing her a wrapped bundle. A pregnant woman dressed in yellow was sitting to the side of Evelyn and was trying to get a good look at the bundle in Evelyn's arms. The pregnant woman was actually Heinrich's wife, Nessa! They had met in the spirit plane of earth at the end of the war. After Heinrich had brought her back, Nessa and Evelyn had quickly become close friends.

Adam ignored the other two women and swiftly, but quietly, approached Evelyn's side. Evelyn's face was all smiles and joy as she looked down at the bundle. Only a scrunched ruddy and crying face lined with tufts of silver hair on the top of its head could be seen inside the bundle. Evelyn looked up at Adam with that enchanting face full of smiles and joy: “Look Adam, it's your son!”

Adam returned Evelyn's smile with one of his own as he bent down for a closer look at his new son. Long ago, he had promised Evelyn not to peek at her belly with his elemental sight and see what gender their child was going to be. It was a joyous surprise to them both to see what their child was going to be.

Looking at his son, a whisper tickled at the back of Adam's mind. At first he gaped, and then Adam smiled. He reached out a hand and gently caressed his son's head while saying: “You little rascal! You were just waiting for this, weren't you!”

Evelyn and Nessa looked at Adam with some confusion. These were odd first words to tell your new child. Adam then told Evelyn: “I'm afraid his name is already decided. Our son's name is Silber!”