That night, the warship carrying Theo, Gwen, and Lulu, along with the vessels from House Levent, began to pull up to the pier. Theo, Gwen, and Lulu stepped onto the dock followed by four hundred soldiers. They stood by, watching as the barbarian and demon warriors marched down the gangplank in formation. While the troops were working, a voice called out.
"Theo!"
Theo turned to see Valen running toward him. He broke into a wide grin and ran to meet her. They shared a tight embrace. After letting go, Valen grabbed Theo's face with both hands and looked him over.
"You're okay! Thank god. This means both my younger siblings are safe," Valen said, her voice bright with relief.
"Yeah, I'm glad to see you're doing alright too, Sis," Theo replied.
Valen then noticed Gwen and Lulu standing behind Theo. Meanwhile, Theo looked past his sister toward Hugo, who stood with his arms crossed and a spear strapped to his back.
"Are you Hugo?" Theo asked.
"That's right. And you must be Valen's brother. What's your name?" Hugo asked.
"Theobald, but just call me Theo," he answered.
"Good to meet you, Theo. And who is the beautiful lady behind you? I actually saw her on the palace terrace in my visions," Hugo noted, looking at Gwen, whose hair partially covered her burn scars.
"Oh, this is Gwendoline. She's... um..."
"I'm Gwendoline, Theo's fiancée. Nice to meet you. Oh, and just call me Gwen. And yes... I saw the two of you in my visions as well," Gwen said, introducing herself and cutting Theo off before he could fumble.
"Hoo... fiancée? An elf?" Valen asked, observing Gwen closely.
"That's right, I'm an elf. Probably the only one in Estoria," Gwen replied, protecting Theo's secret.
"Hey Hugo, Valen. How's it going?" Lulu chimed in, greeting them both.
"Wait, you already know them?" Theo asked, completely caught off guard.
"Of course. I was the first one to meet them, hehe," Lulu answered.
"Then why didn't you say anything during the meeting yesterday?" Theo asked.
"Sorry... I was sleepy yesterday," Lulu replied.
"Yep, that's Lulu for you," Hugo said with a laugh. "Come on, let's head to the bar. It's the only building still standing, even if the inside is a mess. We can talk there."
"Good idea. And you can tell us exactly what happened in Hargar while we were away," Valen added.
They began walking through the harbor toward the town. Theo, Gwen, and Lulu took in their surroundings. Demon soldiers, Mirriad troops lent by Malcolm, bandits, and the newly arrived barbarians were all busy assisting the displaced residents of Farport. They were helping those who had lost their homes, settling them into large emergency tents in the town square.
The city was a total wreck; the scars of war were everywhere. They glanced at a corner of the city where piles of bodies lay covered in cloth, being moved one by one out through a breach in the city walls.
"It looks like the captain was telling the truth," Theo muttered under his breath.
"Yeah, the state of this city is horrifying... the battle yesterday must have been brutal," Lulu added.
"At least the locals aren't hostile. They're accepting our help without any resistance," Gwen noted, watching the activity in the town square.
When they finally reached the bar and sat down, Hugo didn't waste any time briefing Theo, Gwen, and Lulu on the current situation. In turn, the three of them recounted the events at Hargar—how Lucia had single-handedly neutralized the enemy forces, the alliance with the remnants of House Levent, and the night raid that resulted in the capture of a high-value prisoner.
Not to be outdone, Hugo and Valen shared the full, detailed account of how Livia had seized Toreno Castle. Once the stories were finished, the five of them fell silent. The bar, which served as their base of operations and held only them, became deathly still.
"They really are figures out of a legend," Lulu murmured, breaking the silence.
"That's for sure... and after seeing them in action with my own eyes, I now believe the visions from the gods—and I see exactly how we'll have to fight their...no...our true enemy later," Hugo said.
"It's true. Compared to those visions, these lords acting like they own the place are nothing compared to what's waiting for us beyond the walls," Gwen added.
Hugo, Gwen, and Lulu—having all seen the future in their visions—looked incredibly serious, gripped by a mix of fear and resolve. Theo and Valen, who had not received any visions, could only listen in silence. Yet they understood; they had witnessed firsthand the miracles performed by the triplets from the Dark Continent, the ones they called their King and two Queens.
"Lulu... Gwen, did either of you see what happened to me? At the end of my vision, there was an axe coming straight for my face during the war beyond the walls... then everything went black and I woke up," Hugo said.
"I'm sorry... I don't know," Lulu said.
"Same here. I didn't see that far ahead," Gwen added.
"Whatever... it's fine," Hugo replied.
"Are you... still scared?" Valen asked.
"No, it's just that when you know exactly when you're going to die... it's a strange feeling," Hugo said.
"Hey, that's not set in stone, is it? You heard what Livia said yesterday," Valen reminded him.
"Yeah, I know. But still... seeing it and living it are two different things," Hugo answered.
"Lucia also said the things in those visions are future events, but we can change them. She mentioned that to change her own vision, Lady Mariana went all the way to the Dark Continent to find the triplets. That means nothing is certain yet," Theo added.
"I know that... but when I saw it in the vision, it felt like my fate was already sealed and I just had to go through the motions. That's why this is so frustrating. It would be better if I didn't know and just experienced it when it happened," Hugo said.
"I get what you're trying to say, but Livia and Lucia are right. I think the reason why out of the ten people on that balcony, some were given visions and some weren't, is because we're supposed to support and help each other. I think that's what the gods intended. Besides, our visions are all different. For example, I saw Mariana arrive on the Dark Continent and find our three kings then died at my village. After that, I saw the ten of us together with our kings on the palace balcony, and that was it," Lulu said.
"As for me... to be honest, I saw until the end of the war. We win... but there are so many casualties. At the very end, I saw Theo and me getting married. Then it ended and shifted to a vision of us going to Castletown to stop a rebellion," Gwen explained.
"Did you actually live through the battle?" Hugo asked.
Lulu and Gwen shook their heads in unison. Hugo fell into thought, looking down at the floor.
"That means I'm the only one who actually experienced the fight. Out of the ten of us and our three leaders, everyone in this room was in that war—including Dustin, Mariana, and Cyrill. We were all fighting a terrifying army of skeletons and the undead. The only ones missing were Casey and the man wearing goggles," Hugo muttered.
"Calvin," Gwen whispered.
"Yeah, only he wears those," Theo added.
"I... I can't even imagine it," Lulu said.
The room fell silent again as the conversation stalled, until suddenly—blam!—Valen stood up and slammed her hand on the table. Her chair flew backward, knocked over by the massive sword strapped to her back.
"I really don't like this gloomy atmosphere. Hugo, remember when you found me at the border? You said you saw me get hurt. At that moment, were you actually there or not in your vision?" Valen demanded.
"Hmm... no. I saw you... but I wasn't there yet...I don't really know for sure," Hugo said.
"And based on your vision, you went to that place and saved me. That means if you hadn't come, I might have died," Valen countered.
Listening to Valen's words, Gwen and Lulu looked at her, their expressions shifting as they began to think deeply. They tried to recall their visions—the ones that still felt so incredibly real, played back like memories in their minds.
"If I think about it, you're right. I waited by that rock for three days because I knew Theo would pass by, and if I'd let him go alone, he would have been killed at the border. I think I understand what you're getting at, Valen," Gwen said.
"In my vision, Mariana was killed by my own tribe. That's why I fought so hard to convince the chieftains. You're right, Valen—it's our actions that change the outcome, because we saw the worst-case scenario first," Lulu realized.
"That's right! What Livia said is the truth. So now, Hugo—like I told you yesterday—when that axe comes for your face, I'm going to block it. Why? Because I'm alive right now thanks to you. Got it?" Valen said, staring Hugo down with a look of fierce determination.
Hugo looked at Valen beside him. He finally realized that he had already been acting against the fate he saw in his visions. A new sense of hope rose in his chest, and he smiled.
"Thanks, Valen. I guess you can be soft when you want to be. Nice to know you're still a girl," Hugo teased immediately.
"There he is. That's the Hugo I know. Don't overthink it—your actions have already changed everything. There are good visions and bad ones; just focus on the good. For example, us all standing on that balcony together with everyone from the Dark Continent and Libelia united—that's a good one, right? That's what's worth fighting for. And don't worry, I'll pay you back later. Don't think you're getting away with that crack you just made," Valen said with a smile.
"I hear you. I'll be waiting for my payback," Hugo replied, grinning back.
With the tension broken, they began chatting about other things, leaving the heavy weight of their visions behind for the night.