To be honest, I was still in a daze. I hadn’t really noticed that I had wandered back to the spot where I had reunited with Runica.

  She probably wasn’t going to be there. Why would she be? She was probably waiting in the village.

  I was so sure that would be the case, but when my feet finally stopped, she was there, kneeling on the grass, praying in the clearing, her eyes and hands as tight as could be.

  I walked up to her quietly until I was looming over her. I broke the silence with a chuckle.

  “Hope we’ll have a good harvest with how hard you’re praying.”

  Runica flinched at my voice, stiffening mid-prayer.

  “Runica?”

  Her hands loosened, her shoulders trembled, and for a second, I thought she might cry.

  Then, she looked up.

  Her wide eyes locked onto me, and all at once, relief flooded her face. She scrambled to her feet so quickly she nearly tripped over herself. Before I could even think, she lunged forward, throwing her arms around me.

  “Set!”

  She crushed herself against me without thinking twice. She clung tightly, her grip desperate, like she thought I might disappear again if she let go. Her fingers dug into my cloak, managing to scrape me. Her whole body shook.

  “Idiot,” she muttered.

  I stroked her back with my right hand. “I guess so.”

  She pulled back just enough to look at me, her hands still gripping my cloak. “The Shadow Beast!” Her eyes searched mine. “Did you… Did you find it?”

  I nodded. “I found it, Runica. And I… I chased it away. The monster won’t hurt anyone.”

  “It won’t hurt anyone…” Runica gulped and nodded. “I understand… Thank you, Set… Should we… Should we go home?”

  Her blue eyes shimmered with hope and relief. But I couldn’t just proceed with going home. I gripped her hand.

  “Is something wrong?” She then let out a nervous chuckle. “You’re not going to tell me you have to go away again, are you?”

  I smiled and shook my head. “I told you I would do something. I’m making good on that.”

  She looked down, her eyes darting all over the place as she tried to recall. “Something? I don’t…”

  “You never know when everything will end.” I cupped her face and gently raised her gaze. When our eyes met, I smiled. “Runica, I don’t want to be apart from you ever again.”

  She gasped, her eyes shimmering more strongly as tears welled within them. Her hands, still gripping my cloak, trembled slightly.

  “Are you joking?” she asked, her eyes pleading for me not to be so cruel.

  My heart pounded in my chest. This is the right next step in Set’s life–in my life as Set. I knew what life could be like. I knew regrets. Set didn’t need to live such a cowardly life.

  “I’m not joking. I’m fixing what should have been in place a long time ago.”

  Her lips parted as if to speak, but no words came. Instead, she just stared at me, nervous.

  I leaned in, tilting my head slightly, giving her enough time to pull away if she wanted to. But she didn’t.

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  Our lips met, soft and uncertain at first–it was the sort of moment that I could say would make me go, “Finally!”

  This was a long time coming. If it hadn’t been for me regaining a greater sense of self, I would have kept stumbling along in this world, spineless, wholly unaware that someone had a vendetta against me. And wholly unaware that there was someone amazing waiting for me.

  When we finally parted, she exhaled shakily, her forehead resting against mine.

  "Set…" she whispered, voice barely audible.

  I opened my eyes, meeting hers again, watching as a new kind of warmth bloomed in her gaze.

  I smiled softly, my hand still cupping her face. "I meant what I said. I don’t want to be apart from you ever again."

  Runica inhaled sharply, but instead of pulling away, she melted into me, pressing forward, her hands loosening from my cloak, only to snake up and clutch my shoulders. Her fingers curled against the fabric as she kissed me back, her lips warm and eager, carrying all the emotions she had been holding back.

  She let out a shaky laugh, half-disbelieving, half-overwhelmed. Her fingers curled a little tighter on my shoulders.

  “I believe you.”

  And just like that, she kissed me again.

  ***

  A gentle moment was what I needed. That was my reprieve. Now, it was time to resume my work.

  After composing ourselves, I extended a hand to her. “Runica, I’ve got to go announce myself. Come with me?”

  She grinned—it was like daylight that warmed the soul. “Of course. I told Selma, and I told my cousins. They’re already off telling my family. We have your back.”

  “Oh boy…”

  Runica rattled my hand. “We’re going to make sure… make sure that everything’s set straight. We’re not going to let any Voss hurt you again.”

  I sighed. “Your family really covers for me a lot. Thank you.”

  “You know my family would come to your aid as readily as you came to mine.”

  Her gaze lingered on me, causing me to raise a brow.

  “Are you okay, Set?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Well… I don’t want to offend you but… You seem more decisive. And more… planted.”

  I chuckled. “Guess the journey just changed me.” I glanced at my missing arm. “Might have been missing more than my arm if I wasn’t decisive.”

  “Wow…” Her hand tightened around mine. “Will you tell me what happened to you someday? What really happened?”

  I leveled my gaze on what was ahead and nodded. “Hope you don’t mind waiting a little.”

  Her smile broadened. “I don’t. I’m just glad to have you back.”

  “Yeah, I’m glad to be back too.”

  “This cloak is kind of… scary. Where’d you get it?”

  I made an overdramatic wince. “You really want to know?”

  “When you make that face–yes!”

  “I found it on a corpse.”

  Her eyes widened. “A corpse? But no one in the village would ever have something like this.”

  “I don’t think they were from the village.”

  Runica shook my arm immediately. “Wait, there were other people out there?!”

  “I’m pretty sure there were,” I said, keeping a straight face.

  Runica covered her mouth as she muttered away. “In that case… We should tell Raster… He would be ecstatic.”

  “Raster…”

  My memories resurfaced. Raster was the peculiar one out of the cousins. He was always holed up in an old wooden tower. Before the unification of my memories, I didn’t bother asking too much about him.

  I knew better now.

  “Yeah, I’d like that,” I said.

  “Speaking of my family, how do you want to do this, Set?”

  “Nice and simple. I’m going to the Shadow Torch, and I’m telling everyone I’m back. Then, I’ll answer any questions I need to.”

  “Okay… And my family will be there to make sure everyone knows to give you a chance.”

  “Kind of mad that I need to be given a chance to tell my side of the story.”

  Runica chuckled dryly. “Yeah, Voss got some people riled up.”

  “It’s fine. I’ve got you within arm’s reach now; I can handle anything.”

  A sound escaped Runica. When I glanced at her, I saw her reddening cheeks.

  “Gosh, I don’t think I can handle all the things you can tell me all of a sudden.”

  I rubbed her head as I laughed.

  “Set!” she playfully cried.

  “You’ll have time to get used to it… Hey… Do you have any kind of food or dish that only your family can make?”

  Runica giggled. “That’s a weird question. I’ll have to ask my Mom.”

  The Checklist needed a foreign settlement’s specialty, but hey, nothing wrong with enjoying what I had here.