The carriage rolled to a stop at the edge of the anti-teleportation field, exactly three hours after leaving the Fallen Spires. Satou had slept for most of the journey, his body still recovering from the battle with The Reaper, and woke to Cassius gently shaking his shoulder.

"My lord, we've arrived at the boundary," the vampire said quietly.

Satou stretched, feeling significantly better than he had that morning. His mana reserves were nearly full now, and his wounds had completely healed. Only a few faint scars remained from where Void Fang had been pushed beyond its limits during the fight.

They exited the carriage, and Satou turned to the demon driver. "Thank you for the transport. Please give Lady Seraphine our regards when you return."

"Of course, Lord Satou," the driver replied with a respectful bow. "Lady Seraphine also asked me to give you this." He produced a small crystal pendant from his pocket—clear with swirls of purple corruption magic visible inside. "She said it's a communication crystal. If you channel a bit of mana into it, you can speak with her directly, regardless of distance."

Satou took the pendant, a warm feeling spreading through his chest. Even separated, Seraphine wanted to maintain their connection. "Thank you. Tell her I'll use it soon."

The driver nodded and began turning the carriage around for the journey back. Satou and Cassius watched until the vehicle disappeared around a bend in the road, then Cassius took a teleportation rune from his pocket and activated it..

The familiar sensation of space folding around him occurred, and when the world reformed, they were standing at the edge of his settlement.

Home.

The settlement had grown significantly even in the short time Satou had been gone. New buildings dotted the landscape—proper structures with stone foundations and wooden frames, not the temporary shelters they'd started with. Fields had been expanded and were showing early signs of crops. The walls had been reinforced and extended.

"Impressive progress," Cassius observed. "Lady Lyra's organizational skills are quite remarkable."

"She's the best administrator I could have asked for," Satou agreed proudly. Then his expression turned slightly nervous. "She's also going to kill me for making her worry. And Jessica is going to cry and then also kill me. I'm not sure which one I'm more afraid of."

"Both, probably," Cassius said with a slight smile. "Shall we?"

They began walking toward the main settlement area. It didn't take long for someone to notice them.

"LORD SATOU!" a goblin guard shouted from the watchtower. "LORD SATOU HAS RETURNED!"

The effect was immediate. People began pouring out of buildings—goblins, orcs, the rescued women, everyone who called this settlement home. They gathered in the main square, creating a path as Satou and Cassius approached.

Urgak, the High Orc chieftain, pushed through the crowd first. His massive form was imposing as always, but his expression showed genuine relief. "Lord Satou! Thank the gods you're alive.

When Cassius's last report came through saying you were facing The Reaper—" He shook his head. "We feared the worst."

"I think it takes more to kill me," Satou tried cracking a joke to lighten the mood with a tired smile. "Though I'll admit, it was close."

"Did you really fight him?" Grimnir asked, the military commander stepping forward. "The Reaper himself?"

"I did," Satou confirmed. "And somehow survived to tell the tale."

"Did you win?" Kelvin called out from the crowd, looking eager for details.

Satou replied. "I wounded him. Made him bleed. Pushed him hard enough that he released his power limiters. But he walked away alive, so..." He shrugged. "Draw, maybe? Moral victory?"

The crowd erupted in excited chatter. The fact that Satou had survived an encounter with The Reaper—let alone fought him to any kind of standstill—was incredible news.

But Satou wasn't paying attention to the crowd. His eyes were scanning for two specific faces.

Then he saw them.

Lyra and Jessica, pushing through the gathered people, their faces showing a mixture of relief, anger, and barely contained emotion.

Lyra reached him first. For a moment, she just stared at him, her golden eyes examining him for injuries. Then, without warning, she punched him in the shoulder.

"OW!" Satou yelped. "What was that for?"

"That's for making me worry for three days straight!" Lyra snapped, but her voice was breaking.

"You were supposed to help evaluate a potential alliance! Not fight the strongest hero in the world! Do you have any idea what it was like, getting Cassius's reports? 'The Reaper has arrived.' 'Battle has begun.' 'Lord Satou is engaging directly.' I thought—I thought—"

She couldn't finish. Instead, she pulled Satou into a crushing embrace, her face buried in his shoulder. Satou could feel her trembling.

"I'm sorry," Satou said softly, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm sorry for making you worry. But I couldn't let Seraphine and her people die when I had the power to help."

"I know," Lyra whispered. "I know you couldn't. That's one of the things I love about you. But it doesn't make it any less terrifying when you throw yourself at impossible odds."

Jessica reached them next, tears already streaming down her face. "Satou, you idiot!" She crashed into both of them, creating a three-way embrace. "You nearly died! Cassius's last report said you'd collapsed from mana exhaustion! That your regeneration had stopped working! We thought—"

"I'm okay," Satou assured her, pulling back enough to look at both women. "I'm here. I'm alive. I'm sorry for scaring you both."

"You better be sorry," Jessica said, but she was smiling through her tears. "And you better never do that again. My heart can't take it."

"I can't promise that," Satou admitted honestly. "But I can promise I'll always do everything possible to come back to you both."

Lyra pulled back, wiping at her eyes—which were suspiciously wet. "You're impossible. Absolutely impossible. I should have known when I fell in love with you that you'd constantly give me heart attacks."

"It's part of my charm," Satou joked weakly.

"It's part of your death wish," Lyra corrected, but there was warmth in her voice now. The initial shock and anger were fading, replaced by relief that he was actually home and safe.

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