The sands outside the temple had stilled. The twin suns were beginning to set, casting long shadows across the dunes as Elizabeth and Matt stepped through the broken archway into the open air. The weight of the encounter still lingered in the space between them.
"She's not what I expected," Matt said quietly. "Medusa. I thought we'd be fighting a monster, not healing one." Elizabeth glanced down at the obsidian pendant now hanging from her neck. "That's the thing about legends," she said. "They leave out the parts that don't make good stories."
Matt gave a short laugh. "Yeah. Like the part where the monster is more human than the gods who cursed her."
As they moved toward the shimmering veil between worlds, Elizabeth raised her hand. Light flared at her fingertips—cool, silvery, and pulsing with transition energy. The portal responded, swirling open with a sound like distant thunder.But far behind them, unseen among the dunes, a figure watched.
Cloaked in black, face hidden by the hood's shadow, the stranger stood with arms crossed, silent as death. No footprints marked the sand where they stood. No wind dared touch the hem of their coat. Only their eyes moved—glowing faintly, unnaturally, beneath the hood. They watched Elizabeth laugh softly at something Matt said. Watched her step toward the waiting portal. Then, the figure turned. Their voice was no louder than a whisper, yet it carried across the empty desert like a promise:
"It's only a matter of time before it's time for us to see each other."
And with that, the stranger vanished into the dusk. The portal shimmered behind them, fading into nothing as Elizabeth and Matt stepped through and landed—gently this time—on familiar ground.
They were back home.
It wasn't much. Just a small, stone cottage tucked away in a realm untouched by gods or monsters, hidden between folds of reality where time moved slowly. It was the kind of place no one looked for because they didn't believe it existed.
Elizabeth stood on the porch for a moment, the door slightly ajar. She frowned, tilting her head.
"…Did you hear that?"
Matt looked up from brushing sand off his jacket. "Hear what?"
She glanced behind her. The wind rustled through the trees. Quiet. Peaceful. Normal.
"…Nothing," she muttered, shaking her head. "Must be tired."
Matt gave her a look. "You just fought a cursed legend and talked her into becoming our friend. I hope you're tired."
She gave him a tired smile and stepped inside.
Warm lamplight greeted them, casting the wooden walls in golden hues. Her cat, Orion—a sleek, gray tabby with a single white paw—was already curled up on the arm of the couch, blinking at her like she'd been gone for days.
"I missed you too," Elizabeth whispered, scooping him up.
He purred instantly, already melting against her chest as she made her way to the bathroom.
The shower was hot and long, steam curling around her like a second skin. She didn't realize how tense her body had been until the water hit her shoulders. The adrenaline had faded, the calm setting in. But still, at the back of her mind, that feeling lingered—like someone had been watching her. She pushed it aside.
Wrapped in a thick robe, cat purring on her chest, Elizabeth collapsed onto her bed and exhaled deeply. Her eyelids fluttered shut. Just for a little while, she allowed herself to feel safe.Across the hall, music thumped faintly from Matt's room. Something upbeat and completely out of place considering everything they'd just faced. But that was Matt—spinning around with his headphones in, trying out bad dance moves and worse singing while pretending the world wasn't broken.
Elizabeth smiled faintly at the muffled crash of something falling in his room, followed by a muttered curse. Then she pulled the blankets closer, buried her face in Orion's fur, and finally, let herself drift to sleep. Outside, the wind howled gently. And far away—watching from a place between stars and silence—the figure in black smiled beneath their hood.