The trip back to the surface felt longer than the trip down.

Cora walked beside Voss, one hand on the hilt of her sword, the other gripping the rogue leader’s arm. Voss didn’t resist. She didn’t struggle. She just walked, her silver hand hanging limp at her side, her eyes fixed on the back of Lucian’s head.

He was ahead of them, carrying the netted Glimmertongue like it weighed nothing. The creature didn’t move. Couldn’t move. The sealing rune on its chest glowed faintly with every step, a soft gold pulse that matched Lucian’s heartbeat.

Cora watched him for a moment, then turned to Voss.

"The pendant. The one you stole from the Ashen Guard. Where is it?"

Voss said nothing. Her eyes didn’t move from Lucian.

Cora tightened her grip. "I asked you a question."

"I heard you."

"Then answer."

Voss’s lips twitched. Not a smile. Something else. "Ask your boy over there. He’s the one who took it."

Cora looked at Lucian. He didn’t turn around. Didn’t react. Just kept walking.

"He didn’t mention a pendant."

"Then maybe you’re not as close as you think."

Cora’s jaw tightened. She wanted to press, to shove Voss against the tunnel wall and make her talk. But she could hear the others behind her—Mason breathing hard, Derek’s staff tapping stone, Sera’s boots scraping. This wasn’t the place. Not yet.

She let it go.

For now.

---

They emerged from the crypt into grey dawn light. The cemetery looked different in the early morning—less threatening, more sad. Headstones that had seemed like teeth in the dark were just old stone now, covered in moss and rain.

A black van waited outside the gate. Ashen Guard operatives in dark jackets moved between the headstones, checking the area, securing the perimeter. One of them, a tall woman with silver hair and cold eyes, walked toward Lucian.

"You must be the Vale kid."

Lucian stopped. "Lucian."

The woman glanced at the netted creature in his arms. Her eyebrows rose. "Glimmertongue. Juvenile. Alive." She looked at him. "You captured this alone?"

"My team helped."

"Your team was outside."

Lucian didn’t answer.

The woman studied him for a moment, then nodded. "I’m Commander Ilsa Vane. I’ll be taking over from here." She gestured to two operatives behind her. They stepped forward with a reinforced container, steam hissing from its seals.

Lucian handed over the creature. It didn’t struggle. The operatives placed it inside the container and sealed it with practiced efficiency.

Ilsa turned to the rest of the team. "You’re Ashen Dawn, correct?"

Cora stepped forward. "Yes."

Ilsa’s eyes moved across them—Mason’s burned gauntlets, Sera’s empty crossbow, Derek’s trembling staff. "First real mission?"

"Yes."

"And you all survived with no permanent damage." Ilsa’s expression didn’t change, but something in her voice shifted. Respect, maybe. Or surprise. "That’s a first in Ashen Guard history. Most rookie teams lose someone on their first field assignment. You didn’t."

Cora glanced at Lucian. He was staring at the container.

"The Glimmertongue is contained," Ilsa continued. "The rogues are in custody. And the town’s memory of the past few days will be wiped by nightfall. Standard procedure." She paused. "You’ve done well. Your team will make waves in the hunter community."

Mason cracked his neck. "Waves are fine. I just wanted to finish the mission."

Ilsa almost smiled. "That’s how it starts."

---

Sera and Derek returned from the town center, both looking tired. Sera’s boots were covered in mud. Derek’s staff had a fresh scratch along its length.

"The locals are handled," Sera said. "Field operatives are doing the memory wipes now. By the time they wake up tomorrow, they won’t even remember the kids were missing."

Derek shuddered. "It’s still weird. Wiping memories."

"It’s necessary," Cora said. "The Veil exists for a reason."

Derek didn’t argue. He just tightened his grip on his staff and looked at the ground.

Voss was being led toward a separate van, her hands bound behind her back. Mira and Gunnar were already inside, both silent, both avoiding eye contact.

Cora walked up to Voss one last time.

"The pendant."

Voss looked at her. Then at Lucian. Then back at Cora.

"You really don’t know, do you?"

"Know what?"

Voss smiled. It was thin, bitter. "Who he is."

Before Cora could answer, one of the operatives spoke. "Miranda Voss. You’re wanted for theft of Ashen Guard property, illegal monster hunting, and violation of the Veil Accords. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you."

Voss ignored him. She kept her eyes on Lucian.

"Vale," she said. "That name. I’ve heard it before."

Lucian didn’t react.

Margaret’s son. Of course."

The operative pulled her toward the van. Voss didn’t resist, but she twisted her head to look back one last time.

"Things will get interesting from here on, boy." Her voice was low, almost kind. "The Guard doesn’t forget. And neither do the people you cross."

Lucian watched her climb into the van. The door slid shut. The engine started.

Then she was gone.

---

Cora stood beside him, arms crossed. "She knew your mother."

"Everyone knows my mother."

"That’s not what I meant."

Lucian looked at her. "What did you mean?"

Cora studied his face. The same calm expression. The same unreadable eyes. But something was different now. Something had cracked.

"I meant," she said slowly, "that you’re not just some transfer student with a high perception ability. You’re not even just a Prime Human. You’re something else. And I think you’ve known that for a long time."

Lucian didn’t deny it. Didn’t confirm it.

"I need to know, Lucian. If we’re going to keep doing this—if we’re going to keep trusting each other—I need to know what you are."

The dawn light caught his face. For a moment, he looked older than twenty-one. Tired in a way that had nothing to do with sleep.

"I’m someone who doesn’t want to be alone anymore," he said.

Cora stared at him. Then she nodded.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay." She turned away. "But we’re talking about this later. With the whole team."

Lucian watched her walk back to the others. Sera was already on her phone. Mason was checking his gauntlets for damage. Derek was talking to Dr. Blackwood, who was saying something that made him groan.

They were his team.

And for the first time, he thought maybe that was enough.