Chapter 92: The Journey Back
The journey to Yggdrasil took weeks.
Not because the distance was impossibly far.
But because the world itself seemed to be slowing down.
Every village they passed through had heard something.
Rumors.
Stories.
Half-truths.
Whispers.
An entire city destroyed.
Demons appearing.
The sky turning white.
A giant explosion.
Nobody knew the full story.
And the three of them intended to keep it that way.
Three days after leaving Oheyo's ruins—
They arrived at a small farming village.
The villagers immediately noticed them.
Travelers were common.
Refugees were not.
Especially refugees coming from the east.
The village chief approached cautiously.
An older man carrying a wooden staff.
"Where are you three coming from?"
Alice answered before anyone else could.
"Trading routes east of here."
The man narrowed his eyes.
"You aren't from Oheyo, are you?"
The three exchanged glances.
A brief moment.
Then Alice smiled.
A fake smile.
A convincing smile.
"Never been there."
The old man studied her for several seconds.
Then slowly nodded.
Whether he believed her or not—
He chose not to press further.
That night they stayed in the village.
The villagers were kind.
Too kind.
It made things worse.
Because they kept talking about Oheyo.
About how they hoped trade routes would recover soon.
About merchants they knew.
Friends.
Family.
Business partners.
People who would never return.
The villagers simply didn't know it yet.
Raj sat quietly during dinner.
Poking at her food.
Not eating much.
Alice noticed.
But didn't mention it.
Everyone was coping differently.
The next morning they continued their journey.
Days became weeks.
Weeks became routine.
Wake up.
Walk.
Rest.
Walk again.
Repeat.
The scenery gradually changed.
The dead lands surrounding Oheyo became less common.
Green returned.
Grass returned.
Wildlife returned.
For the first time since the disaster—
The world looked alive again.
One afternoon—
Taai broke the silence.
"You know."
Alice groaned immediately.
"Whenever you start a sentence like that, it ends badly."
"I was just thinking."
"Dangerous."
Raj agreed.
"Very dangerous."
Taai ignored them.
"What do you think Akshay's reaction is gonna be?"
Alice paused.
That was actually a fair question.
King Akshay.
One of the original drifters.
One of the few people left from their generation.
One of Brennan's closest friends.
Nobody answered immediately.
Then Raj quietly spoke.
"He's going to be angry."
Taai nodded.
"Very angry."
Alice stared at the road ahead.
"No."
Both looked at her.
She continued walking.
"He'll be disappointed."
The answer surprised them.
But the more they thought about it—
The more it made sense.
Akshay rarely exploded in anger.
That wasn't who he was.
Disappointment, however—
That was far worse.
Several days later—
The mountains finally appeared.
Far in the distance.
Small at first.
Then larger every day.
Alice stopped walking.
For a moment.
Just a moment.
Yggdrasil.
Even from here she recognized it.
The mountain ranges.
The forests.
The familiar terrain.
Memories surfaced.
The first time they arrived.
Akshay standing on the fortress walls.
Talking endlessly about how beautiful the scenery was.
Brennan calling him insane.
Raj getting lost.
Taai accidentally falling into a river.
A small smile appeared.
Then vanished.
Because Brennan wasn't here anymore.
The group continued forward.
The roads became more maintained.
Safer.
Patrols occasionally passed by.
Signs of civilization increased.
And eventually—
The fortress came into view.
Yggdrasil.
Built into the mountains themselves.
Massive walls.
Stone towers.
Countless banners fluttering in the wind.
The city-fortress stood proudly against the horizon.
Untouched.
Unaffected.
A symbol of stability in a world that had suddenly become uncertain.
Raj let out a whistle.
"It's gotten bigger."
"It always gets bigger."
Taai replied.
"Akshay treats city expansion like a hobby."
Alice nodded.
"He's probably added another district."
"Or three."
As they approached the main road—
The guards noticed them.
Immediately.
Then one of the guards froze.
"...Alice?"
Another blinked.
"No way."
A third guard practically jumped off the checkpoint.
"ALICE'S BACK!"
The shout echoed across the gate.
Alice immediately covered her face.
"Oh no."
Raj started laughing.
Taai began laughing harder.
Because within seconds—
The entire gate area descended into chaos.
Messengers started running.
Guards began shouting.
People started pointing.
One soldier sprinted away at full speed.
Alice already knew why.
Someone was about to inform Akshay.
And if there was one thing worse than explaining Oheyo to a king—
It was explaining it to a friend.
Especially one who had trusted them to come back alive.
As the fortress gates slowly opened—
Alice felt her stomach sink.
For the first time since leaving Oheyo—
She was nervous.
Not because of demons.
Not because of cultists.
Not because of Vaan.
Because she was about to tell Akshay the truth.
And some truths hurt more than any weapon.