Chapter 93: Welcome Home
The gates of Yggdrasil opened.
Massive wooden doors reinforced with steel slowly parted.
The familiar sight greeted them.
Stone roads.
Bustling merchants.
Guards patrolling the walls.
Children running through the streets.
Normal.
Everything looked normal.
Alice hated it.
Because Oheyo had looked normal too.
Until it wasn't.
The moment they entered—
People recognized them.
Not everyone.
But enough.
Whispers spread quickly.
Alice.
Raj.
Taai.
The six that had left years ago.
The six that occasionally exchanged letters with Yggdrasil.
The six who always returned with stories.
Except this time—
Nobody was smiling.
A messenger rushed toward them.
"His Majesty requests your presence immediately."
Alice sighed.
"Of course he does."
Taai scratched his head.
"Can we at least eat first?"
"No."
The messenger's answer came far too quickly.
Ten minutes later—
They stood inside Yggdrasil's central keep.
The halls were larger than before.
More decorations.
More banners.
More guards.
Akshay had definitely been busy.
Eventually they reached the throne room.
The doors opened.
And there he was.
Akshay.
King of Yggdrasil.
Unlike Alice—
He had embraced the title.
The simple clothes from long ago were gone.
In their place were royal garments layered with practical armor.
A crown rested atop his head.
Though slightly crooked.
As usual.
The moment he saw them—
He grinned.
A genuine grin.
The kind only old friends received.
"YOU IDIOTS!"
His voice echoed throughout the room.
Several nobles visibly flinched.
Apparently the king still hadn't learned how to act like a king.
Akshay stepped down from the throne.
Ignoring every ounce of protocol.
Then stopped.
His smile faded slightly.
His eyes moved.
Counting.
Alice.
Raj.
Taai.
Three.
Only three.
Akshay spoke quietly.
"Where's Brennan?"
Nobody answered.
The noise of the city suddenly felt distant.
Akshay's smile disappeared.
Then another thought appeared.
A worse one.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Wait."
His voice became quieter.
"Where's Akari?"
No answer.
His gaze shifted.
"Where's Chocomint?"
Still no answer.
The silence said everything.
Akshay looked between them.
Then back toward the road.
As if expecting them to suddenly appear.
Maybe they were behind a wagon.
Maybe they were arriving later.
Maybe this was all a misunderstanding.
Then he remembered the letter.
The last letter.
The one they had sent months ago.
The one that only mentioned Brennan.
Only Brennan.
Not Akari.
Not Chocomint.
Just Brennan.
At the time he assumed the others were safe.
That only Brennan had stayed behind.
That only Brennan was missing.
But now—
Now he understood.
His expression darkened.
Not with anger.
Not with rage.
With fear.
"Tell me."
Nobody moved.
Alice opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
This was telling a friend that another friend wasn't coming home.
She didn't know where to start.
.
.
.
How do you explain the fall of an empire?
How do you explain betrayal?
How do you explain sacrifice?
How do you explain the death of someone who always seemed invincible?
Akshay took a step forward.
"Tell me what happened."
Alice looked away.
Raj stared at the ground.
Taai closed his eyes.
For the first time since returning—
Nobody had an answer ready.
Because no matter how they explained it—
The outcome remained the same.
Finally—
Alice spoke.
"We found Brennan."
Akshay's eyes immediately focused on her.
For a brief moment hope returned.
"We found him."
She repeated.
"And?"
Alice clenched her fists.
Raj lowered her head.
Taai remained silent.
The hope vanished.
Akshay understood.
Not fully.
But enough.
His shoulders sank slightly.
"He's dead."
"Oheyo is gone."
Akshay didn't react.
Not immediately.
His eyes remained fixed on Alice.
"What do you mean?"
Taai answered this time.
"Gone."
Silence.
"Destroyed."
More silence.
A statement.
Alice nodded.
Once.
Akshay closed his eyes.
The street remained silent.
Nobody nearby dared interrupt.
Because everyone could feel it.
This wasn't a king speaking.
This was a friend.
A man who had lost someone important.
Then Akshay asked another question.
A question he already knew the answer to.
"And Akari?"
Raj answered this time.
"We don't know."
Akshay opened his eyes.
"And Chocomint?"
"We don't know."
The answer somehow hurt more.
Death was painful.
But uncertainty?
Uncertainty lingered.
It never ended.
Akshay slowly looked toward the sky.
The same sky he used to admire alongside Brennan.
The same sky where they once talked about the future.
Back when they were just confused drifters.
Back when they had all arrived together.
Eight people.
Brennan.
Akshay.
Alice.
Raj.
Taai.
Akari.
Chocomint.
Tchoco
Eight.
Now?
Three stood before him.
Two missing.
One dead.
And himself.
The numbers felt wrong.
They felt incomplete.
After a long silence—
Akshay laughed.
A small laugh.
A broken laugh.
Alice looked up.
Concerned.
But Akshay simply shook his head.
"You know."
He smiled bitterly.
"When we first arrived here..."
Raj already knew where this was going.
Akshay continued.
"I honestly thought Brennan would outlive all of us."
Nobody replied.
Because everyone thought the same thing.
Brennan always felt invincible.
Not because he was strongest.
Not because he was smartest.
Because he was Brennan.
The one who solved problems.
The one who stayed calm.
The one who carried everyone else's burdens.
Yet somehow—
He was gone first.
The irony wasn't lost on anyone.
Akshay exhaled slowly.
Then straightened himself.
The king returned.
Not completely.
But enough.
"There will be time for explanations later."
His voice regained some authority.
Some stability.
"You three are exhausted."
Nobody argued.
Because they were.
Months of traveling.
Fighting.
Running.
Losing.
All of it had accumulated.
Akshay looked at them.
His remaining friends.
The survivors of his batch.
Then quietly said—
"Welcome home."
The words hit harder than any speech.
Alice immediately looked away.
Raj wiped her eyes.
Taai pretended he wasn't affected.
Failed miserably.
And for the first time since Oheyo fell—
They felt safe.
Not happy.
Not healed.
But safe.
For now.
That would be enough.
That night—
The four names lingered in Akshay's mind.
Brennan.
Akari.
Chocomint.
Vaan.
The dead.
The missing.
The unanswered questions.
And outside—
Far beyond Yggdrasil's walls—
The world continued changing.
The fall of Oheyo had only just begun to reveal its consequences.
And none of them knew yet—
That this disaster would shape the next century.