The eye stared right back, and he froze, breathing out.

Atomu gulped. He took one unsure step further, seeing as the others did the same. Chyuuichi waddled over behind Atomu, observing. Rowan looked out from behind the counter, and so did Ella and Elton, now freed from their earlier constraints.

The Paladian moved bit by bit as if the power he held in his hand seemed overwhelming.

The goblin king moved towards the other tables, taking the loose chain that was wrapped around the big goblin, and then fidgeting with a bone horn, with many shining elements, that he found attached to his pants. He blew as hard as he could, and its sound echoed through Magna before he dropped it on the ground.

Atomu swung his weapon around, as it left shadows of the eye, waving towards the demons. One last step meant putting all that power in one hand, forcing the tip to move further.

Lisbeth gasped. "Damn you."

The force blew back her hood, revealing her face, only momentarily, and she grabbed onto everyone's hands, floating up, and suddenly disappearing in a dark smear.

Breathing in, Rowan shot out three flame spears which went through the lamps at the back of the bar, lighting a new hope to follow.

The eye on Knrhum's Blade sealed shut, and Atomu stared at its creased edges, amidst the yells of joy and claps of the hands of the freed. Sweat rolled down every ounce of his body, but nonetheless, he stared forward.

"YOU DID IT!"

"YOU SAVED MAGNA!"

"YOU SAVED US!"

Atomu stood in the middle, putting his weapon down and breathing heavily. Chyuuichi stepped to his side, and Rowan eventually made it too, almost losing their step but balancing on the broken ground.

People started standing up, and more and more clapped their hands or cried out, thankful that all of this was over.

Atomu couldn't believe anything that just happened, and was even more surprised than anyone else. While Chyuuichi enjoyed the praise of the people, raising his fist and singing out and Rowan stared at the others, with a rather reassuring and rare smile, Atomu looked confused. His eyes were full of shock, but at the same time, relief.

Finally, the Nuil stood up (with the help of Lamon), taking one free hand of Atomu and shaking it violently, almost splitting it from his body.

"Ahh..." Atomu made a noise.

"Thank you, brave Demonears!" tears rolled down the face of Eryk, each time he looked into their eyes. For once this time, his expression felt genuine and quite earned. "You saved our city when no one else could!" he informed, and Kashmir rolled his eyes, now untied by Elton. "These, my dear Magnanians, are the heroes of our town!" he turned to the others, and things quickly went silent. "Names?"

"Chyuuichi!" The Mirillian said. The people raised their voices in celebration, and he chuckled.

"I know your name already." he pointed to the Tributal.

"Rowan," they said, fixing their ponytail, as the people screamed in joys.

"...and!" Eryk pointed to Atomu. "Mmh?"

"A..." Atomu looked down, sucking in the air. "A-Atomu."

The yells were the loudest they've been, and Atomu, still a bit confused, mustered enough courage in his body, clenching his fist.

Atomu beamed, looking forward. "Forth, Klakunhoi," he muttered.

***

Over the next few hours, Magna started its slow recovery from last night. Although the damage was severe, this wasn't the first time something like this happened in Magna, so people were prepared for the occasion. When morning came or when the demons weren't strolling through parts of town, residents of the Homieo district successfully snuck out to help the few survivors back into hiding before a decision was made. Others attempted to quietly fix what was broken, even creating small, cosy homes in the basements connecting through the castle.

There were more survivors than fatalities, and that was one thing to speak about.

Of course, this doesn't mean that everyone was filled to the brim with joy when it was over. Some even muttered that they'd be better dead than alive, having to go through everything connected to the aftermath. Houses were ruined, and their goods were stolen, but those wandering around, reporting the damage were quickly compensated, as promised by the Nuil. They were given hefty sums of money and offered a place to sleep.

After the Demonears and the other guards searched the entire town before nightfall, all the demons and goblins were either wiped out or chased away into the waters of the distant forests.

Lots of people stayed at the Midcity Bar. Its roof and walls were broken, but its insides were quickly cleaned up, and Ella took out the food she kept hidden even from the most knowledgable, and served as many portions as she could, seldom requesting Elton's help and quickly learning that he might be fit for this job as well.

Those in need or poor condition were given more, and those holding up a bit better received less, nonetheless, the bar was in high swing, higher than ever before. There were at least two hundred Morians, fifty Paladians, some Erans and lots of Tributals.

Most of them survived, as opposed to what Rowan saw in Swania. Some were locked in small prisons, and later, promptly rescued.

The basements of Eryk's palace stretched from the Midcity to Swania, allowing him or other or his guards quicker means of travel. Coincidentally, they also connected to those little cells with the windows near the ground. The Nuil thought it would be amusing to see criminals sticking their heads out and begging for mercy.

The guards often got lost in the basements, which led to Lamon ALSO taking the position of the jail guard. Although there weren't many prisoners, it was one more stone added to his already broken back. Each day he dreamt of being born in a different place, that way he could still serve the Nuil and bring back the same amounts of money he does nowadays.

Mentioning that, there were two classes of Eryk's guards, the first made up of Paladians, Erans and Morians, and the second one, only of Tributals. The first one was shield and minions to Eryk, doing everything he asked them to, while the second was more or less about patrolling Magna and keeping its ports safe. Even Eryk wouldn't be able to convince the Tributals to work the same way the first class did.

...and Rowan, except for being of royalty, one of the second-class guards to Nuil, were also knowledgable in medicine. Finding their medicinal handbag among the piles of items the goblin king left behind, they were tasked with a little more than the others. Finding any injured people, they quickly nursed them to a better state.

Chyuuichi didn't do much afterwards. He remained at the bar, pretending he was helping everyone else with cleaning up the debris, applying bandaids or tending to the broken bones of the injured. In reality, he wandered around the inns, peeking through the open doors and eventually finding an empty one with a carpet made out of a pulu's wool and a comfy, big bed. He wrapped himself around the thick blanket and fell asleep. On the floor.

Atomu was pulled around by many people, with barely a moment's rest. Firstly, came the Nuil, who begged for such a warrior to join his guard, offering him Lamon's position. Lamon eyed Atomu, and the Paladian swiftly rejected the proposition. Ella kept talking, asking questions or offering stories of similar happenings. She described the one time in Harabara when a place called Sohota Town kept being targeted by centura attacks because the nearby Kiki Forest was widely inhabited by such. Even Elton eventually joined in, and Atomu couldn't keep up.

He may have enjoyed the attention but didn't know if he deserved it. In all honesty, he longed for some rest, an hour for himself in a separate room, but was too afraid to voice his concerns.

When night came, Chyuuichi woke up, Rowan returned to the bar and Atomu sat at the table, with a plate of food in front of him, left untouched. All around, people were dancing to the combined melodies of the guitars, thaduks, burkas or flutes. Some joined in pairs, hopping around to the beat and clapping their hands, while the others ingested generous amounts of beer, eventually fainting. They sang songs, some were made up on the spot, and the others were Morian or Paladian classics, such as "The Willying Woe", "Twice the Fifth" or "The Dragon's Den."

"Aah," Chyuuichi stretched, yawning, and stepping towards the table. "Good morning!"

"Night." Atomu corrected him.

"Right!" Chyuuichi sat down next to the Paladian, and tapped his fingers on the table, making a few noises that only he could utter. "Ya know, us Mirillians live deep below!" he said, turning to Atomu. "We're not even sure when it's day or night."

"That explains why you fell asleep twice during our journey to Magna." he breathed out.

"I guess so!" Chyuuichi nodded. "Time and day is a surface concept we should reject." he took one bite of the pais vegetable present on Atomu's plate. "Are you going to eat that?"

"No, I-I'm not hungry." he shook his head.

"Then why'd ya order it?" Chyuuichi said, his mouth full of pais.

"Ella essentially forced it down my throat. You can eat it." he slid the dish across the table.

"Yay! If it's free then I'll take twelve!" Chyuuichi raised his voice, and at that moment Atomu lay his head on the table, breathing rhythmically. Through the chomps of food, Chyuuichi kept trying to sing the songs he recognised.

Eventually, Rowan appeared, stepping around the table with two golden plates, and looking down at the Demonears. "Here. Treat it as thanks for all your... help." they sat down, sliding the one in front of Chyuuichi to the side and offering a new meal, which both didn't recognise. "Tributal food. Kamas bread wrapped in Malikan lotus leaves, with a side of mixed pama and some natural western tree sap. Dip it right here, and enjoy your delights." they smiled.