Adventure Beyond

        Then, a year passed by.

        Zardes and Itresil resumed their work to whoever hiring their services, though they still mostly work with Malkar and his archaeology team. Asdal had been a great help for them in their exploration into the intact ruins of the Ashen Kingdom. There was a lot of information that Malkar had gathered, and he claimed he could write at least five volumes about the Ashen Kingdom.

        Still, even with all that development, Zardes still wondered about Atmell and Arcturus. By this point, he had accepted the fact that they were no longer in that world and having an adventure of a lifetime on their own. The Order had declared them missing, though Zardes persuaded them not to declare their deaths. It was getting harder to persuade them, given that they should've found a wyvern-human duo already, especially if the wyvern in question looked similar, but not exactly, a wyvern.

        When Zardes was not particularly busy, he watched the stars. He even spotted a shooting star, thinking that it was Atmell, though he quickly became disappointed that nothing came from that. Zardes had made sure he did not become obsessed in waiting for his protégé. He did not want to see his friends, especially Itresil, to be worried.

        By this point, everyone had known Zardes's loss and tried their best to comfort him. His former group, in particular, also wished to know who Atmell and Arcturus were, given that Zardes seemed to held them in high regard. Even if Atmell was a recent graduate of the Order's Academy, it felt like the greatest achievement Zardes could have. He regarded Atmell like his younger brother, or even a son, even if they were only 15 years apart.

        Then one day, all that waiting, and all that watching the night sky, paid off…

        It was the day when everyone in the group gathered around the archaeological site for a little talk and for everyone to share on their experiences. Belial and Ammon were traveling around the Ashen Lands to find more former Vessels and help them understand that they were no longer simply Vessels, but demons under Ammon. Surprisingly, they regarded the furless demon bat as a savior, and vowed to follow him and support him against his enemies. Belial gave a needed support from the Infernals.

        As for Belial, his decision to secede his throne to Azazel had been done. Of course, as per an Infernal's 'tradition', they fought. They fought to a draw five days straight, when both were close to death with no clear victor. By this point, it would be a bigger problem when they ended up killing each other, because then a lesser Infernal would take the vacant throne. It was decided that the fighting was stopped. Azazel earned the respect of the Infernals, and Belial peacefully gave him the throne, while he became an advisor of sorts along with being a diplomat to Ammon's newly created domain. As for Ammon, he felt he needed his own down time from traveling around the world, so he gave his former Vessels a job to deal with things while Ammon and Belial enjoyed themselves responsibly.

        Asdal's presence had also attracted historians, specifically those trying to understand Infernals due to the involvement of Azgal and Ifrit a century ago. He became quite a celebrity of sorts, which annoyed him a bit. As a result, he usually confined himself to the archaeological site, since it was remote. He did give himself time to travel around the world, but he would always had time to return to the site.

        Gehen and Damos, along with Alhen, resided in the small village that directly connected to the archaeological site's Crossing Gate, so that they could get close with the others in case of gatherings such as this. The only member in their party, who disappeared once more, was Asmodel. He was still a mystery to the group, with Belial simply shrugging and said, “Well, Asmodel is Asmodel, after all. He does what he likes, and that does not include us."

        The gathering was an informal gathering to talk about the development of each of them, and Zardes was glad that the group did not split after everything was done. It felt like he was among influential friends, and he was happy about it.

        And then the loud noise came.

        At first, they thought it was a dragon's roar. Worried that the dragon might be hurt, Itresil prepared to find the source of the noise, only for the noise to become louder and louder. It quickly became apparent that the noise was artificial, as it was followed by a loud humming noise that increased in intensity. Then, the night desert was lit, as if someone threw a light magic. It was then Ammon looked up, and he gasped.

        “What the fuck is that?" he shouted, pointing towards the source of the light.

        “Whatever it is, it won't be pretty if it turns out to be hostile," said Belial.

        Everyone pointed and commented on it before they prepared for a possible incursion. This time, however, Zardes remembered the rusted ruins a couple of miles from the archaeological site. It was where the wyvern that became Atmell's friend was found, suspended in something that kept him in hibernation. The wyvern, Arcturus, claimed that he was not a wyvern, but an 'alien' from another world and another time. Of everyone in that group, only Zardes, Itresil, and Malkar had ever seen the rusted metal ruins, and they were also the ones who knew what it was called.

        It was called a spaceship, and one was descending upon them right now.

        “Guys, I think it's best if we don't show them hostile intentions," said Zardes, lowering his hands. “We won't stand a chance."

        “We can still fight to the end," said Belial, baring his claws.

        “No, Belial," said Zardes while shaking his head. “This time…we will lose before we know it. So, stand down…and hope they're friendly."

        Belial hesitated, but he knew this was no longer something he could solve, so he relaxed. The rest reluctantly followed Belial as the spaceship landed near the site, blowing sand towards them.

        Zardes walked towards it as something that looked like a ramp started to lower from the saucer-shaped ship. Then, as if his wish had come true, the ones that came out were the partners that had gone missing.

        “George?" said Zardes as he looked at the silhouette of a human. He turned to see the wyvern that accompanied him. “Arcturus?"

        As the lights slowly dimmed, everyone could finally see the two individuals, along with a dozen others, standing in front of the group, led by a black-scaled wyvern along with his mate, a silver-scaled wyvern. They looked like opposites when standing with each other.

        “Zardes!" said the human. “Oh, it's so good to see you!"

        “George!" said Zardes as the human ran and hugged him. “I thought you're dead!"

        “Yeah, that's actually my fault. I came close to dying a couple of times, but I managed to survive. We even got this swanky ship."

        “Swanky?" said Malkar.

        “Yup. New and reliable. It's good to see you too, Mal," said the human.

        The human then noticed an entourage of surprised and intriguing individuals behind Zardes and Malkar. He spotted itresil and said, “Hey, Tresi. You're doing good."

        “As do you, Atmell. Is your partner bothering you?"

        “More like bothering each other. Right, Arc?"

        Arcturus exchanged snuggles with his mate as both let out a weird-sounding chirp. This was interrupted by Zardes, who asked, “George, maybe you need to explain what's going on."

        “I think you need to explain what's going on. You have your own little adventure without me, didn't you? Bet there's a good story for Bickhern back there. He wants to know more about the Earth and its Hollow interior."

        “And you need to explain why you need one year to come back home."

        “I guess so." George then said, “Come on in. The Ursa is comfortable, and you'll like it. After you've relaxed, we'll exchange stories. I've got a lot to tell you."

        “As do we."

        Zardes and the group followed George into the giant ship, which he seemed to call the Ursa. It was clearly not a Common name, but it did not matter. The group had just fought the greatest battle they had ever fought against a demon prince, and they were glad about it.

        Now, however, it somehow paled in comparison to what Atmell and Arcturus had to offer.