Carey was the first one to raise her hand. “Wait… Are you able to send us back home yourself? Because that’s actually why I’m coming along. I… I know it sounds wrong, and you want to know what’s happening to you, Peter, but I just want to go home.”

I shook my head. “No offense taken. I’m just trying to get home too, but I want to know what I’m getting into.”

“I may be a powerful witch, but I’m not that almighty. I cannot help you out of this land, my sister can, though; however, that shall be for a price.”

“What price is that?” Carey and I asked at the same time.

“That depends on her mood, I would not know. She’s quite temperamental to anyone that’s not those she raised.”

We both turned to Matthias, who twiddled with his fingers awkwardly.

“Wait, that Koschei guy, wasn’t he also someone she raised? He was your brother, right?” Kariya glanced at Matthias, who nodded at that.

“Oh… Speaking of him, did he ever pass by?”

Roga cackled and shook her head. “That foolish boy won’t ever show his hide here. He seeks the destruction of the world and has ensured that nobody stands in his way. He was even the mastermind behind the destruction of your base.”

All at once, the Keeper’s eyes widened with both shock and, most importantly, hatred. “That was… Him?!”

Katya managed to speak through gritted teeth as she stared down Roga.

“H-How do you know that?” Matthias’s tail twitched as he looked quite uncomfortable.

“Because the little bastard told me. He strode up to me and announced how he felt so wonderful bringing down those Keepers. One more step to completely engulfing the world in the Unifire.”

I could hear Rodion's clenched fist, Leonid's gritting teeth, and even Kariya’s heavy breathing. There was a growing animosity in the air that could choke out whoever breathed it in.

Even I wasn’t exempt from it. I could feel Andrei’s pain, his disgust, and his hatred. It fumed inside of me as images of those whom I called friends, burning alive, my home, which I lived in for years, going up in smoke. Everything I worked hard for, all of it, reduced to less than ashes and cinders as it was taken away by the flames.

“We need to kill him. He needs to pay for what he’s done.” Katya’s grip broke the wooden spoon she was holding as she sighed. “Forgive me-“

“Forgiveness is not needed. Your hatred and thirst for revenge are justified.”

It looked like Matthias wanted to say something, but kept completely silent. He curled up a bit in his chair and swayed side by side.

“But you won’t be able to defeat him. Not with the powers you hold right now. He is blessed by the Harbinger of Destruction as a chosen prophet.”

“We’ll find a way, anyway. As long as we can take him out, it will be worth it.”

“Oho~ then you’ll need to find favors, you’ll need to find those who can bless you again. Or perhaps, even find a way to have the Caretaker’s presence grow.”

Katya stood up, her eyes blazing with determination. “How? How can we do that? What must we do? What must we sacrifice?”

“My first instinct would be to call upon my sister.” Baba Roga sighed and shook her head. “But I do not believe that she would take kindly to someone trying to kill one of their beloved children. Unless, of course.”

She turned towards Matthias, who was trying to make his presence scarce. “One of them convinces her otherwise.”

However, Roga quickly waved her hand. “But, there are other ways too. You may ask for Fae Contracts, or you may even try other spirits, or perhaps… Maybe even the gods could lend you strength if you can pledge yourself to them.”

“Okay… But how do we even do that? I don’t think we’ve ever seen a fairy, much less a god.” Rodion thought aloud as he tapped his foot, trying to recall anything at all.

“Really? I met one when I was trying to find Matthias.”

Everyone except Matthias immediately turned to me with a look of surprise. “When did you find a Faerie?” Godwin asked with a glimmer of intrigue in his eyes.

Roga’s mouth curled to a smile. “Ah, if I were to guess, was it Shegora?”

“Yeah, her. I found her in these mountains. She gave me a test and said if I failed, she would eat me like all the rest.”

The Baba let out a loud cackle and shook her head in disbelief. “Oh, that silly girl. Yes, she wasn’t lying. She has done so to many others here. But, on the topic of why there doesn’t seem to be any Fae as of late, that is because of the Harbinger and her followers.”

My face darkened as I leaned in. “Did they start killing Faeries?”

“Hah!” A quick grin flashed across Roga’s face. “They would never be so brash as to start a war like that. Especially since their presence is limited in these lands. But the truth of the matter is far more mundane. The Faeries have simply grown bored.”

Kariya frowned at that, looking at the others as if the thought was ludicrous. “What do you mean, grown bored? Like, they just left us alone?”

“Correct. Faeries want fun; some even want worship. Your squabbles against the Descendants have been getting tiresome, and since you were under the Caretaker, they did not want to intrude as much. With the Descendants winning the war, they have decided to leave. Although a few stay, since they are attached to the land and cannot leave unless they offer themselves to another Faerie.”

Katya sighed as she took a deep breath. “I would rather not be given powers by those who seek not to act in our plight.”

“Then, the gods up north and the other greater powers can offer you strength. Seek them out if you wish, but I warn you all right now. The darkness that lurks northwards is far more treacherous and dangerous compared to any that lies here in the south. The further you go, the more you shall bear witness to horrors that claim so many others.”

“Wait…” Matthias interjected. “But, I’ve never seen anything worse than what we faced here.”

“Hah, of course not. Those with more power are smart, and if they are smart, then they would not mess with a child of Baba Yaga. Only the foolish and animalistic shall do that. Otherwise, the colony of giants would have had you for supper, the Tree Stalkers would have used your body to grow their brethren, and the Todorats, they would have marched on your corpse in an endless parade.”

The air went unfathomably cold as I felt goosebumps pop along my skin, and every hair on my head stood on end. Everyone went so quiet, hanging on every word from the hag’s mouth as if it were a story.

“The worst has yet to come, but if you can survive that, then I am sure you can survive anything. But, that you can always stay here. I will treat you well as my servant, under my protection. My sister’s Name may spark far more fear, but I assure you that I can still ensure you are all safe.”

She looked around the table for any takers. But nobody seemed to respond, not even Carey, who I noticed had shaking hands as if she was resisting with every fiber in her body to go and accept it.

“Hah. It looks like you all are willing. That’s good, the first step is always to be ready. Because then, when anything goes wrong, and I assure you, something will go wrong. You will only have yourselves and each other to blame. But when everything goes right, and I hope that it will, you can cherish and know you have carried yourselves out. Now then, while you all sit and eat, I shall prepare the ritual.”

Baba Roga stood up before strutting into the kitchen with that creepy yet reassuring grin on her face, leaving us all alone as we continued to eat in relative silence. Yet, I could feel the tensions in the air, a swirl of emotions not of my own filled me up. There was anger, vengeance, curiosity, but the one that resonated the most was uncertainty, and for some reason, whenever I thought of it, my mind went to Matthias.

Whenever I looked at him, he recoiled, shaking almost. It wasn’t his fault at all, and I would be wary of the man who tried to end my life, too. I had to make it up to him, at the very least, try to apologize.

It took a while, but after we were done eating, the plates, utensils, and even glasses floated up into the air accordingly and started to wander into the kitchen as if it were from a cartoon. I had to admit, it felt so much more magickal than anything I’ve seen from Phorash, even if I’ve seen weapons that could literally vaporize you into particles in the air.

The Keepers all grouped together in what I could only describe as a living room, while Godwin and Carey both went to the kitchen to speak to Baba Roga. I would have too, but Matthias was far more important at that moment, so I followed him as he walked towards one of the windows, swallowed my anxiety, and spoke.

“So… Nice weather we’re having.”

I had to hold my laughter in from watching him nearly jump through the window.

“O-Oh well, I guess it’s better than normal.”

“Oh wow, you took that seriously uh- I mean yeah it is way better than what we’re used to haha.” I laughed awkwardly as I stood right beside him, leaning against the window.

“Look… I know what I did-”

Matthias quickly shook his head before I could continue. “It’s not your fault, don’t blame yourself for it…”

“It was my fault, though. I should have had control of Bartholomew. You nearly died because of that. I should have done better.”

“Bartholomew?” He looked at me, confused, as I remembered that he didn’t know the situation at hand.

“The Spirit’s Name is Bartholomew. He was the one in the Bes. Found out his Name after I looked into his memories and stuff while we fought- okay, let’s not get into the weeds of this, really. I just, I’m sorry, that I didn’t manage to protect you from myself.”

He smiled a little as his tail wagged happily. “Thanks, Peter. I’m glad you could finally get… Bartholomew? Under control, and that you managed to save us all. Do you feel anything strange? Anything different?”

“Just more voices in my head than usual, I suppose. How about you, we finally made it up here, the hard part is finally over.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. The hard part so far is over.”

I raised my eyebrows at that. “So far? What do you mean, so far?”

“Well...” Matthias’s ears drooped a little. “Well, I’m not sure if Baba Yaga would really try and… Help us, especially if my brother is going around and trying to destroy the world or whatever.” He sighed and lay his head on the window.

“We made it this for Matt. I’m sure we can make it further. All we have to do is wait and hope.” I gave him a reassuring smile, even did a thumbs up, although it was horrifically awkward.

But he smiled back at me, and it felt worth it just to see that.

However, it seems that the moment couldn’t last, as a booming voice echoed throughout the house.

“The time of parting hath come!”