I forgot one important thing.
That thought surfaced slowly, heavy and unavoidable.
Now that I'd evolved, helping Maria was no longer my responsibility.
The Quest was complete.
That truth was clean and logical.
But then I remembered her face.
The way she stood when she asked for help.
hands trembling, shoulders stiff.
Her eyes hadn't begged.
They had only looked at me.
Honest. Desperate.
In a way that shouldn't have survived.
She hadn't tried to manipulate me.
She had simply asked.
That was why it hurt.
I exhaled.
I could walk away.
but power doesn't erase responsibility.
It sharpens it.
Turning my back now wouldn't make me free.
It would make me smaller.
I would help her.
And when this was over, I would visit Duskport.
That decision settled, I drank some water and went to bed beside Tiamat.
No words were needed.
We slept.
The next morning, someone shook my shoulders.
I opened my eyes to find Maria grabbing my collar and crying.
