For the first time since its creation, the festival ended halfway. There were no tournament winners, there was no guild competition, nothing but a speech from the countess conveying a dire warning to all cultists and enemies of the empire. The public accepted it surprisingly well. Despite everything, the city had been saved, after all, the Star cult had been driven out of Nerosal, and all the enemies of the empire were put on notice.

I should have expected this, Dallion thought as he waited for the vice guildmaster’s room.

He had seen more than enough back in his village to know how limiting echoes worked. If he were to guess, he’d say that every non-awakened in Nerosal had an echo of the overseer ensuring that they remained calm and didn’t cause any disturbances while the arena was discreetly being rebuilt.

Well, Nil said after a while.

I know, Nil. Dallion sighed. This is why you don’t like the festival.

Oh, that’s a given, dear boy. What I was about to say is that at least you didn’t lose in the tournament, which means that you get to keep your whip blade.

The attempt at humor was clumsy, but Dallion smiled nonetheless. Indeed, that was one thing that he had gained, along with an unexpected level and empathy stat increase. However, a lot more had been lost. Despite all the efforts, there had been casualties. Some had died due to permanent effects inflicted by the chainlings in the realm of the city. Others had died as a result of the destruction in real life. That was one of the things when doing massive damage to a realm and if someone wasn’t careful, they could end up crushed by debris without any time to react. Unfortunately, that was precisely what had happened to the imperial visitor. As far as Dallion knew there were a few hundred casualties in total, and one of them was the person who mattered most. In a way another had been reached between Dallion and the Star. The city had survived, and the cult had been rooted out—as far as anyone could say—but the main target had been killed, and chaos was already starting to form as a result.

He’s approaching, the door told Dallion, giving him a ten second warning.

Thanks. Dallion stood up and straightened his clothes. After everything that had happened in the last few days, he didn’t want to antagonize the man any further.

“You’re lucky,” the man said upon entering the room. “Sit down.”

Dallion did as instructed. Once again, he felt as if he’d been called to the principal’s office.

“You should have been kicked out,” the vice guild master said. “At the very least. You went against guild interests, messed with a one-of-a-kind artifact, even went into a forbidden section of the city as one of our members…”

“I know. If I were you, I’d kick me out as well.”

The man smiled briefly before taking his seat behind the desk. Piles of scrolls were all around him, although for some reason not a single sheet of parchment. From what Dallion had learned, the man took the role of administrator for the most part, running things in the guildmaster’s stead. That didn’t mean he was weak, though. According to Nil, he was as strong as any of the captains, possibly a bit more.

“Adzorg came to your defense,” the vice guildmaster said. “March and a few others abstained. All in all, that as well as you saving the city, decided the outcome.”

“Saving the city,” Dallion repeated. “I thought that might have an impact.”

Of course, no one mentioned the obvious: that for a few brief hours, he had in fact become the new Lord Mayor… or that after that period, he had relinquished his power to the countess herself. With the city becoming the county’s second capital, it was normal that she would claim it for herself, leaving the Lord Mayor to remain as a sort of caretaker with no real power. As a sort of consolation prize, he was made owner of the palace, but everyone with power knew it was of no significance whatsoever.

“So, what happens now?” Dallion asked.

“You keep a low profile. You won’t be made an elite anytime soon. March will continue with her expeditions, but you won’t be part of them. In fact, you won’t go on any expeditions whatsoever for a while.”

“I see. I’m back to being a packrat?”

“We won’t go that far. Standard leveling up and repair will do for now. The city won’t let you meddle in area realms, either.”

That sounded reasonable. They were being a lot more lenient than Dallion thought they would be.

“And what happens to everything else?”

The vice guildmaster sighed. That was a considerably more difficult question.

“The empire has declared war on a few of the major kingdoms,” the man finally said. “In response to the death of the imperial guest at the hands of foreign agents working alongside Star cultists. For now, all the attention is to the north, but there’s always the possibility things could heat up here as well. After all, a member of the local Archduke’s family had been targeted, not to mention Countess Priscord herself. An alliance between them has formed. Let us not forget you helped her become the owner of two large cities.” The vice guildmaster looked through the window. “Anything else?”

Everything was set up in one neat bumble, far too neatly for Dallion’s taste. The city had almost fallen, several balances of power had shifted, and yet everything returned to normal. The general was still alive and well, doing his shady deals. He had openly admitted to Dallion that he had helped the Star on several occasions, at least, even if unwittingly, but clearly wouldn’t get punished for it. The mirror pool had returned to their usual activities, taking advantage of the fact that a large number of awakened in the city guard were dead or injured. A lot of Dallion’s friends from the guild were likely to change their views about him. He might have saved the city, but he had also betrayed them in the process, especially after they had accepted him as family.

“I don’t belong here,” Dallion stood up. “Not anymore.” He could feel the surprise emanating from the man. Quitting was a rare occurrence for an awakened, especially after they had proven their skills. “I know you give second chances, but what if someone messes up their second chance?”

“You won’t be the first one to have done something crazy.”

“I know.” Dallion forced a smile, then took off his guild pendant and placed it on the desk.

For ten whole seconds the vice guildmaster stared at it, uncertain how to respond. Finally, he picked it up.

“As far as I know, only half a dozen people have quit since the guild was established.” The man opened a drawer in his desk and placed the emblem inside. “Half of them were otherworlders. Different excuses were used, but it always boiled down to the same thing. They wanted to move on. The question is, where will you move on to?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“Well, whatever you decide, remember that the guild is always here. Just because you’re no longer a member doesn’t mean that you couldn’t stop by.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Dallion nodded politely, then left the room. In theory, he could have gone through the armory or the guild auction to check for a few more items with hidden realms in them, but he chose not to. It was tempting to split into instances just to make sure that Dallion didn’t bump into anyone while leaving. If he did, though, Vend would get a whiff of it.

Are you going to leave just like that, dear boy? Nil asked as Dallion made his way down the stairs. Not even a word to Grunt, Espezol, Spike…

Not at the moment, Nil, Dallion said.

And your old party mates? At least leave an echo or something for them.

Leaving an echo wasn’t a bad idea, but Dallion wasn’t in the mood even for that. Quietly, he rushed his way out of the guildhall. Outside, however, there was someone waiting for him.

“Hey.” Jiroh waved at him, sitting on a large wooden chest on the other side of the street.

Dallion shook his head. Of course, she’d be here. The fury always had a way of finding things out. At times Dallion thought she knew everything that was going on, just chose not to get involved. Making his way through the thinning crowd, Dallion went next to her. Now that the festival was over, most of the visitors had started to leave. That went triple for anyone outside the province. Some things even limiting echoes didn’t have the power to calm.

“Welcome to the club,” the fury said. “I thought it fitting I pick you up, since I was the one who took you here in the first place.”

“And a fine mess I made of that.” Dallion sighed, sitting on the chest next to Jiroh. “You didn’t need to pack my things, though. I’d have done it myself.”

The fury tilted her head.

“How did you know?” she asked.

“Magic,” Dallion laughed. In truth, the trunk had told him precisely what had happened. “How did you know I’d leave?”

“All of us felt that way. That’s what happens to all of us who come from other worlds. Hannah is always talking about how she can’t forgive Eury, but I was the one who left first. We’re always searching for something, and always cause trouble for all those around.”

“Good thing there’s someone like Hannah.” Dallion nodded. “How’s she taking it?”

“She seems fine… which means she isn’t. That’s the thing about Hannah—always puts on a brave front. I tell you one thing, she’s happy to have Aspan back. The inn could start serving food again.” Jiroh stood from the chest, lifting it with her innate air magic. “So, shall we go?”

“You know where I plan to go?” Dallion remained on the chest for a while longer. It felt like sitting on an amphibious vehicle. After a few more seconds, though, he got up.

“It doesn’t take a mind reader to know.” With a slight thump, the chest fell to the ground. “And I think you’d prefer to go alone.”

Leveling up, everyone had kept telling Dallion that he shouldn’t do things alone. In retrospect, they were right. If Dallion had been less reckless, and told someone what he was doing, a lot of things could have been avoided. His friendships wouldn’t have suffered, for one thing. However, every case had its exceptions, and what he was going to do now was just that.

“Tell her I said hi,” Jiroh winked. “And come around every now and again. There’s always a spot open for you at the inn.”

“I’ll think about it.” Dallion grabbed the check with one arm and put it on his shoulder. “Thanks, Jiroh. I owe you one.”

“In that case, try not to mess things up too much. Both of you deserve a chance.”

I heard you, Dallion thought. All the distractions behind him now, he intended to focus on the things that were really important. For a while, at least, the world could wait.