Rell stood at the edge of the Elven Kingdom’s outer port, arms crossed, heat rolling off the stone beneath his boots. Even in the evening shade, the desert refused to let go of the day’s heat. Wind kicked up dust in dry gusts, sweeping over sandstone roads and pale ivory towers.

  He exhaled through his nose, eyes narrowing toward the horizon where the dunes met the faint blue edge of distant water. Somewhere past that… the jungle. Trees. Humidity. Shade. Real air.

  “You look like someone just promised you freedom,” Thessia said behind him.

  Rell gave a small smirk. “I’m finally leaving the sand. That’s close enough.”

  Neyxa stepped beside Thessia, adjusting the strap on her travel bag. “So dramatic. You act like the desert tried to kill you personally.”

  “It did,” Rell muttered. “At least five times.”

  “Could’ve sworn it was the dwarves, the cursed assassins, the worm beasts, and your own exploding mana.”

  “Those too.”

  Thessia stretched her arms over her head and let out a long sigh. “Well, jungle boy, you made it. You survived. Maybe it’s time to settle down.”

  “Settle down?” Rell gave her a look.

  “You know,” she said with a mock-casual shrug. “Now that we’re heading to a place where multiple marriages are legal... maybe you should just marry both of us.”

  Neyxa blinked. “Huh?”

  Thessia grinned. “I’m just saying. You already live like a man with two wives. Might as well make it official.”

  Rell looked like he was choking on air.

  Neyxa tilted her head. “You’d really be okay with sharing?”

  Thessia leaned in, whispering like it was gossip. “If it means I never have to compete with you again? Absolutely.”

  Rell stepped away, muttering. “Nope. Not doing this. I’m going to the boat.”

  But before he could take two full steps, his legs buckled. He collapsed forward, sweat suddenly pouring down his forehead.

  “Rell?!” Neyxa shouted, rushing forward.

  Thessia followed, panic flashing across her face. Ko Mala was the first to reach him. The towering gorilla, his fur lined with faint golden markings, moved with a sudden grace belying his size. He crouched beside Rell, placing a broad hand over his chest.

  “He’s overheating,” Mala growled. “Mana’s spiraling.”

  “What’s wrong with him?” Thessia asked.

  “Mana overload,” Mala said. “He’s still absorbing powers—magic he finds curious or unique. But his spirit hasn’t caught up. If left unchecked... he could combust.”

  “Can’t you stop it?” Neyxa asked.

  “I can slow it.”

  Ko Mala stood, pressing his knuckles into the stone, and began to hum—a deep, echoing rhythm that made the air around them shiver. Blue and gold motes began to rise from his body, spiraling into the air like fireflies. With each breath, his aura expanded outward, drawing the heat away from Rell’s body and replacing it with a pulsing, cool energy.

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  “I call on the ancestral veins of the jungle,” Mala intoned, “to cradle this soul and return his fire to balance.”

  A faint circle of shimmering green light formed beneath Rell’s body. Vines etched in spirit-light coiled outward, slowly wrapping his limbs, chest, and temples. His breathing slowed. His hands stopped twitching.

  Neyxa watched, half-whispering. “...That’s not medicine.”

  “No,” Mala said. “That’s the jungle.”

  They gave him space while the ritual played out, the motes weaving gently around Rell’s body. Thessia sat beside Neyxa, arms folded loosely.

  “You’re really okay with it?” Neyxa asked softly.

  Thessia tilted her head. “With what?”

  “If we both married him.”

  Thessia’s shoulders rose, then dropped. “I wouldn’t mind. Then we’d be real sisters.”

  Neyxa turned to her, surprised.

  “I mean,” Thessia added, voice quieter, “I never really had one. Never had any family, really.”

  Neyxa looked away, lips tightening. Then a small smile. “You’re annoying.”

  Thessia grinned. “I know.”

  By the time Rell stirred, Mala’s aura had faded. The circle of vines dissolved into flickering green mist. The heat in the air had calmed.

  Rell blinked, slowly sitting up.

  “...Did I pass out?”

  “You damn near burned a hole through your core,” Mala said. “Next time you steal a spell with your body, try asking your soul if it can keep up.”

  Rell groaned. “Thanks. I think.”

  “Don’t thank me. Thank the ones who walked before us.”

  By sunset, the group stood on the dock, bags packed. The Elven King stood at the base of the ship’s ramp, flanked by guards. Beside him, Dwarf Queen Azerath looked no less regal, arms crossed and unimpressed as usual.

  “You’ve done more than we expected,” the Elven King said. “The ship is yours. May it take you home safely.”

  “Don’t waste it dying in the jungle,” Azerath added, scowling like that was her version of a compliment.

  At the edge of the pier, Lirah stood alone. She didn’t speak. But her smile was warm—her eyes not.

  Thessia slowed beside her. “You okay?”

  Lirah nodded once. “He’s going home. That’s what matters.”

  As the group boarded, Neyxa leaned in toward Thessia.

  “You think those two are...?”

  Thessia glanced back toward the Elf King and Azerath, who were quietly exchanging words with no guards nearby.

  “Oh, they’re definitely fucking.”

  Neyxa covered her mouth, nearly snorting.

  Rell ignored them all. He stepped aboard the ship, wind ruffling his hair as he stared past the sails, toward the faraway coast.

  He wasn’t home yet.

  But he was done with the sand.