Back to the present.

Several days had passed since Amon and the others had deactivated the towers and got free from that place.

Currently, Amon sat under a black tree, looking at the beach and the beautiful sea.

The waves rolled gently toward the shore. The wind was stronger here, cool and refreshing.

He was thinking about their situation and how they would return home.

Scarlett had already informed her father about everyone. He had sent a huge ship to the island that could carry more than 300 people.

Amon had also recovered now. He could walk and run without any problem.

Everyone was preparing to leave this place, packing whatever they could carry.

According to Scarlett, the ship would take everyone from here and stop at Concord Isle.

An island where there was a port that worked as a neutral ground for ships of all races. Anyone could dock their ships there in case of emergency, with demons being the only exception. They were not allowed.

Many ships used for traveling between continents also stopped there.

From that place, other ships would arrive from different countries.

According to Scarlett, her family had already informed other kingdoms about the situation in advance.

To their surprise, the Valmoria Kingdom was sending a personal ship for all humans to return, regardless of which human kingdom they belonged to.

Once they reached the human continent, going back to their respective kingdoms would be easy.

The same applied to demons and werewolves. They could go to the Vampire Kingdom first and then travel to their own lands.

Amon and Scarlett were not alone here. Some elders were sitting at a distance, deliberately leaving the two of them alone.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?"

Scarlett sat beside him.

She was wearing the same brown outfit she had worn the first time he saw her.

Which, unfortunately, did little to hide her alluring curves.

"Eyes up, Amon."

At her cold words, Amon lifted his gaze from her chest to her breathtaking face.

She had fully recovered, and somehow, she seemed even more beautiful than before.

"Nothing... It just feels so unreal that I’m going back. It’s been more than seven months since I came to this place... so many things happened during that time."

"Same for me..." she said, looking ahead at the sea.

Her long blood-red hair swayed gently with the breeze.

Amon watched her silently, a faint smile on his lips.

He shifted slightly closer until their thighs nearly touched.

His right hand moved slowly toward hers, holding it gently before intertwining their fingers.

She did not pull away.

Instead, her fingers wrapped around his. Amon didn’t say anything. He just stayed there, quietly watching her.

Over the months, he had grown closer to her than anyone else.

At first, it had been nothing more than playful teasing, casual flirting, and lighthearted jokes.

But somewhere along the way... something had changed. He didn’t know when. He didn’t know how. But those weird feelings had taken root.

They were unfamiliar, strange and unsettling. He didn’t know what those feelings were. He had never fallen in love before. So this was new to him. Was this love? He wondered.

And now.

Now that they were about to leave.Now that she would return to her home, and he to his own kingdom.

He didn’t know how to feel.

A part of him was happy. Truly happy to finally go back.

But another part of him... felt heavy.

Because it meant he wouldn’t see her every morning.

He wouldn’t see her during training.

Wouldn’t see her flustered expressions.

Wouldn’t see her stubborn, tsundere reactions.

Wouldn’t be able to tease her.

Wouldn’t be able to spend time with her.

Wouldn’t feel her lips on his arm when she drank his blood.

The thought left an emptiness he didn’t quite understand.

A quiet ache. Amon let out a soft sigh and leaned his head against her shoulder.

She turned to look at him. Her eyes softened, and a small, gentle smile formed on her lips.

She said nothing.

And neither did he.

The sound of the sea filled the silence as the cool breeze passed over them.

The two of them remained like that, sharing a quiet moment in each other’s presence.

---

HOONKK!!!

A loud sound echoed from the sea.

Both Amon and Scarlett stood up.

Roland, Kael, and the others sitting at a distance also rose to their feet.

From one side of the sea, a massive ship approached, its horn echoing as it seemed to circle the island before arriving here.

"Let’s go and wave at them," Amon said calmly.

"Sure," Scarlett replied.

The two of them walked toward the shore, still holding each other’s hands.

The ship came to a halt. Its iron anchor dropped into the water, securing it in place.

An entrance opened. A man stepped out. He wore full dark gray armor. His hair was wheat-blonde, his eyes red, and his skin pale and fair, much like Scarlett’s.

He appeared to be in his late forties.

"Sir Darian," Scarlett muttered.

The man named Darian observed the people standing on the beach.

Roland, Kael, Silvana, Peter, and a few others.

And then Amon and Scarlett.

When his eyes fell on Scarlett, they lit up.

"Lady Scarlett!"

He immediately descended from the ship and approached her and Amon.

Then he knelt on one knee in the sand.

"Finally... finally we found you!"

"Yes... you did. How have you been, Sir Darian? Also, you can get up. There is no need to kneel."

Darian looked up at her respectfully and rose to his feet.

"I have been well... but what about you? Being in a place like this for nearly four years... I cannot imagine the hardships you must have gone through. Where were you? We couldn’t contact you, nor could you contact us?" he asked worriedly.

Scarlett shook her head lightly.

"As I said... it’s a long story. I will tell you on the ship. For now, we should take everyone."

Darian nodded.

"As you say, Lady Scarlett."

Only then did Roland speak.

He had remained silent while Darian spoke with Scarlett, knowing his position.

"Greetings, Sir Darian. I am Roland. These are my companions. The others are still in the village. We will inform them, and they will be here shortly. Please wait for us."

Darian gave a small nod.

"Don’t worry. Take your time. We will wait here."

Roland instructed Peter to return to the village and bring everyone.

Darian then turned back to Scarlett. His gaze finally moved to her hand. The hand that was still holding the young man’s beside her.

The way their fingers were intertwined. Realization dawned upon him. "May I know the name of this young man?"

Amon, who had remained silent throughout, raised an eyebrow slightly. Then he replied with a calm smile.

"My name is Amon... Amon Vale."

---

Hours passed slowly, yet steadily, as the final preparations came to an end.

One by one, the villagers arrived at the shore, carrying whatever little they could gather from that cursed place. Their steps were heavy, their bodies still wounded and tired, but their eyes held something different now.

They were free.

Wood creaked under the weight of footsteps as they climbed onto the massive ship. Some looked back at the island with lingering fear. Others didn’t dare to look at all.

This place had taken too much from them. But for some people it was home where they born.

---

At the edge of the ship, near the railing that overlooked the endless sea, Amon and Scarlett stood side by side.

The wind was stronger here.

It brushed past them, carrying the scent of salt and freedom. So different from the suffocating air of the island they were leaving behind.

Neither of them spoke for a while. They simply stood there.

They were watching. The ship let out a deep, resounding sound.

HOOONNNKKK!!!

A signal of departure. Slowly, the massive vessel began to move. Water churned beneath it as the distance between them and the island started to grow.

Amon’s eyes remained fixed on that land.

That dark cursed island. The place where he had struggled, fought, survived. Where he had nearly died. Where everything had changed.

It grew smaller.

The towering trees, the broken land, the shadows that once felt endless... all of it began to shrink, fading into the horizon.

Amon’s fingers tightened slightly over the railing. A strange mix of emotions filled his chest.

It was relief, exhaustion, satisfaction. He couldn’t tell.

"...It’s really over," he murmured under his breath.

More than seven months. Seven long months of fighting, surviving, adapting.

And now he was leaving it behind. His gaze softened slightly, though his expression remained calm.

"I thought I would feel happier," he said quietly.

Beside him, Scarlett turned her head just slightly, her crimson hair swaying gently in the wind.

"And you don’t?" she asked.

Amon smiled faintly.

"I do... but..." his eyes remained on the island, now barely visible, "it doesn’t feel that simple."

He paused for a moment.

"There were things I hated here..." he continued slowly, "but... there were also things I’ll probably never forget."

His voice was calm, but there was depth in it now. Not the same careless tone as before.

Scarlett watched him silently. Then her gaze shifted forward, toward the open sea.

"...That’s how it is," she said softly. "Places like that... they change you."

Amon let out a quiet breath, leaning slightly against the railing.

"...Yeah."

The island was now just a distant shadow on the horizon.

Almost gone. Amon watched it until it completely disappeared from sight.

And when it did he felt it. A strange sense of closure. Like a one Chapter of his life had finally ended.

He straightened, his gaze lifting toward the endless blue sea. The gray clouds that once blanketed the sky slowly drifted apart, revealing a warm orange glow.

It was evening.

Sunlight spilled across the horizon, its golden-orange reflection dancing over the surface of the sea, turning the waters into a mirror of the sky.

Amon’s eyes widened slightly as he took in the sight.

The other villagers yelled and spoke loudly watching the scene.

A small smile formed on his face.

"...Let’s go back," he said quietly.

[End of Volume 2: Pārijātavana: The Grave Of The Celestial Tree]