Chapter 174 – A Homecoming in the Shadows
The air in the city gradually turned cold as dusk drew its amber curtain across the sky. The last rays of sunlight slipped between the white stone towers, casting elongated shadows like silent hands reaching for the heavens. In a quiet alley, the footsteps of Sylvia, Alicia, and Stacia echoed softly but steadily, moving away from Elara’s house now swallowed once more by silence.
For a while, none of them spoke. The information they had just received spun around in their minds about the Lycanthropes, about the gods trapped in this world, about the wolf from another realm and the chaos pulsing through the blood of those creatures.
But more than all of that it was about Sylvia herself.
Alicia finally broke the silence in a gentle voice. "Are you really sure... we’ll face them? The gods?"
Sylvia didn’t answer immediately. She stopped at the end of the alley, gazing at the darkening sky. Her eyes narrowed, as if she were looking at something far deeper than what was visible.
"I’m sure," she replied quietly. "But not yet."
Stacia, who had remained composed until now, tilted her head with curiosity. "What do you mean?"
"We need to return to the castle," Sylvia said, now turning to face them. "Celes is probably worried. And I... don’t want to make her wait any longer."
Alicia nodded softly. "You’re right. We came here to seek information, and we found it. Now it’s time to plan."
Stacia smiled slightly, her expression visibly relieved. "And I want to read those old books again because you hate reading."
"Then it’s decided," Sylvia said firmly, stepping out of the alley back onto the main street. "We’re going home."
Their journey back to the inn felt much shorter than when they first arrived. Their steps were lighter now, and though danger still lurked behind the grand walls of this city, Sylvia felt a small peace settle in her chest for now, at least.