Smile decorated Alma's face as she watched Surdi help Glavas tie the little demon's cloth bundle over his shoulders as a simple harness to make it easier to carry him. But as she watched them prepare the small guy for transportation, she recalled something very important.

Her eyes darted across the room. With all that happened since everyone suddenly appeared with a god in tow, she forgot about Ruun's book. Fortunately, it didn't take long for her to find it. She left it lying on the floor open side down, resulting in some of the pages getting scrunched up and folded. Quietly, she went to pick it up and proceeded to straighten the pages back as best as she could.

[What is that?]

"Something we're going to need."

"I think I need you to be a bit more specific," Glavas asked.

"It's a book where Ruun wrote some information about everyone he killed."

[Are there–]

"Yeah. Our families are there too."

Surdi backed away from the book and shook his head. As much as he was curious to see what the demon had written about them, the memories alone seemed to carry far too much pain.

"Why do you want to keep something like that? I'd say there are better ways we could honour the dead."

"It's not for me. It's for him!" Alma pointed at the wrapped-up demon hanging on Glavas' chest.

"You want to remind him of that?!"

"No no no, of course not. But... well, how do you plan to raise him? He has a great purpose, you know? He's the first. One day, he will grow into an adult and maybe that will change the whole world. When other demons come, he will have to show them around. And this, kinda, is their origin. One thing Ruun was right about, as much as I hate to admit it, is that the memories of those he killed should be kept."

"So... we tell him of what happened here? Everything?"

"Not everything. I'd skip the part about him once being the murderer. But he deserves to know the burden he carries. One day, when he's old enough, we should try to teach him about this. Maybe he will learn to appreciate life more if he knows how much of it was lost just to get to this point."

Glavas gave that a moment of thought. "Well... sure, I guess I know what your point is. That's still far in the future though. But keep that book. It might be handy." The hunter turned his attention to the baby and gently pat it on the head. "Guess we have a lot to teach little Ruun, huh?"

[Are we still going to call him Ruun?]

"Huh? Why not?" Alma raised her eyebrow.

[Well, it's not really him, is it? We should give him a new name. Besides, Ruun-da-ne-dai has far too many syllables. Names should be shorter. Like Gla-vas. Al-ma. Sur-di.]

"Why not just Ruun?" Glavas jumped in.

[Just Ruun?]

"Yeah. We'll drop the whole Danedai nonsense and just call him Ruun. It is just a single syllable."

The trio looked at each other and shrugged. Even though nobody was particularly happy about the name, they didn't exactly have any better ideas. Besides, it was a name that the demon had chosen for himself back in the day, so perhaps keeping at least part of it was not such a bad idea.

Eigam's voice once again filled their heads.

"Yes, darling?"

"No, I didn't!"

"Are you angry because he's alive, or because this was the first time you've lost?"

What followed was a loud growl. The sound was so powerful it felt like something metal was grinding right inside everyone's skull. Glavas saw how Surdi clenched his teeth, so he quickly pulled him closer. His arm over the dragon's shoulders was at least a faint affirmation that nothing bad was happening and that the noise was not malicious.

With nothing more to do and say, the group headed to the surface again. Eigam placed her unsettling slender fingers over Swen's shoulders and disappeared once again. The trip back was mostly quiet, filled with only an occasional chat between Glavas and Swen about the different foods they tasted and how delicious or gross some have been. Their small talk continued until they eventually reached the blocked-off exit from the mountain. With one quick spell, the human god transported them outside. They all squinted as the bright afternoon sun was not something they were used to after so much time spent underground.

Upon seeing the tiny larva, now hanging comfortably in a bundle tied over Glavas's shoulder, Clive took a few steps back and stared at the clouds. The mist had long cleared and it seemed like quite a nice and sunny afternoon. Even after they explained everything to him, it still felt all too unreal.

"Wow... A human god, a goddess of creation, and a fucking demon baby." He took a sip from his canteen. Once the bitter liquid flew through his throat, he looked inside the container as if he had expected the coffee to suddenly turn a few shades darker. "Damn, it's too weak. I don't suppose you could magic me something stronger?"

Swen shook his head. "Absolutely not. I am not some wishing well!"

"True, but I think you owe it to me as a form of compensation. I'm out here having a real religious shock. Besides, it's not like it would hurt you, no?"

The god didn't seem too fond of the idea but ended up complying anyway. After all, one refilled canteen of pure dark coffee would probably not end the world.

"Ooooh, yeah, you have good tastes, Swen. That's some great coffee."

Glavas coughed to grab everyone's attention. "So... I guess here we part ways?"

"Indeed. I will resume my travels," Swen answered.

"Then let me thank you again for what you've done for us." The hunter pulled out his little black notebook.

"Oh no, I can't take that! It's precious!"

"Of course! I'm not giving it to you." Glavas proceeded to flip through a few pages until he would find what he was looking for. Then, he copied the names of the locations of certain dishes onto a new blank page with a small charcoal pencil that was attached to the notebook. Once he was done, he tore the page off and handed it to Swen.

"What is this?"

"Places with the best food I've ever eaten. Maybe you've had some of them, but I bet even someone like you can't keep up with the culinary world. Who knows. Maybe you'll find something mindblowing there."

"Thank you. Guess now I have a new goal." He folded the page and hid it in the pocket of his shorts. "Either way, I shall bid you farewell. I would ask you not to tell anyone about my identity, but I think nobody would believe you anyway." He smiled. "Well, I shall be off. Best of luck, Glavas. Hope your family will have a bright future." He gave them a quick wave and simply walked away, right through the middle of the main street. The people who were rushing around, busy with repairs of the city, didn't even realize that a god was walking among them.

"So, what about you?" Alma asked the still-starstruck Clive.

"Good question. Honestly, I think I will hang up the detective poncho for a while."

"Really? You're quitting?" Glavas asked.

"Temporarily, at least. I've spent quite a long time chasing after that crazy case of yours. Started off as just some random murder in a small town, and ended with us meeting Eigam herself. I think I need a break from adventures after this one."

"I can understand that. What will you do then?"

"Hmm..." he looked at the canteen from which he kept on sipping. "I might open a coffee shop. I've tasted plenty of blends over the years. Guess I could find out which ones might be the best. Or I'll travel a bit and just taste some coffee worldwide for inspiration." He smiled. "What about you?"

"Honestly? Off to Elkif. I have a hunch about how to handle these two little devils, but a baby demon? Not a clue. So I'll ask my family to help out a bit. Also wanna check on Sizzy after the whole skeletal dragon incident."

"Well, give her my regards then when you see her. Elkif's quite far away though. What will you do along the way?"

"Hehe, isn't that clear?" He pulled his stetson down, so the rim concealed his eyes. "Hunt, get paid, and taste some awesome food. And now, I am no longer alone, so I'll see if I can find something all of us will enjoy."

"Just stay away from any roots that might induce vomiting, okay? Last time, it caused a spontaneous adoption in your case. A second one like that would most likely cause something I can't even imagine."

They both bid each other farewell. Just as Swen headed east, towards the centre of the continent, Clive and Glavas both took different roads. The ex-detective decided to seek adventures to the south, in lands where coffee, herbs, and spices were flowing with more speed than the stream of any river. The hunter and his family then departed towards their home in the north.

A few minutes later, while wandering through the dense forest near the dwarven mountain, they stumbled upon a golden meadow. It was as if all the trees had parted ways for the sun to shine down and spread its beautiful fair touch all over the field, which was covered by tiny yellow flowers.

Glavas took a deep breath, appreciating the fresh air that the nature around them offered. He looked down at the small demon wiggling in the little cloth bundle. It smiled at him and let out a happy little coo. The hunter smiled back.

"So, how about a tune to pass the time?" he offered.

"You sure? We might be fine, but the little one?"

"He will be okay. I won't play anything harmful." Dark hands emerged from his back and reached for the instrument. "This song helps calm one's mind. It brings happiness."

With a single sharp movement of the crank, the music flew out of the instrument. Surdi took a deep breath and exhaled a cloud of faint, green smoke. As the music played, the vibrations carried themselves through the mana-infused gas. The sound was there. Nowhere to be heard, but in the silence around him, it felt like there was something. Its presence was familiar. He heard it before, in the funeral parlour, back when they first met Sizzy.

It was like the warmth of a fireplace reaching out to them, slowly taking each of them by the arm, and then wrapping around their whole body, like a light and breezy duvet. They all smiled as the stress of the day's encounter dropped from their shoulders. The hunter's feet moved to the tempo of the song, adding a beat with his steps. Alma began swaying from side to side to the rhythm of the music, accompanying her simple dance with a loud humming and occasional snapping of her fingers. She danced close enough to her brother so that even he could feel the vibrations of her hum. It didn't take long for him to join in with the same tune, albeit a bit louder. Hearing that she was now outmatched in the field of humming, she turned to a simple song. Her "la"s, "dee"s and "daa"s fit perfectly with the upbeat and energetic tempo of the song. The little demon joined in as well, waving his tiny little arms around, but avoiding making any sound to not interrupt the beautiful music. That afternoon, despite everything that had transpired, their hearts were filled with peace.