Like a drop of ink falling onto paper, the subspace slowly spread and rippled.

[Tie—!]

At that very moment, a familiar voice rang out from beyond the subspace.

Tie sprang to her feet.

"Kkamani!"

The sound was pulled inward, swallowed by the subspace.

At the far end of the endlessly deepening space, something blurred appeared like a mirage.

Tie grabbed Tesetan’s hand and shook it.

"...Papa! That’s our home!"

At the distant end of the long passage—

the familiar sight of the first floor of their base came into view.

[Kid! Are you okay?!]

Pushing forward through the gathered crowd, Bale shouted first.

[Come through now! Hold tight to the deputy commander and cross! Can you hear me?! Huh?!]

In his impatience, Bale even leaned his body into the passage.

Basto, horrified, grabbed him by the shoulder.

Looking at Tie, he said:

[Tie, don’t be afraid! The passage has already been stabilized with your magic!]

Tie’s eyelids trembled.

‘We weren’t even apart for that long.’

But the moment she saw the faces of the squad members again, all the tension in her body nearly melted away.

[Tie, everything will be fine.]

The voice of Lucarion rang out again.

He stepped forward and, standing at the passage, extended his hand toward her.

[Everything will be fine. Don’t be afraid.]

Tie swallowed and carefully took a step forward.

The subspace had fully expanded now, lowering to the floor so it could be stepped on.

As she approached, a faint breeze brushed against her hair.

At that moment, her hand was warmly clasped.

Tesetan held it tightly.

"Shall we go?"

Tie lifted her gaze to her father.

But before nodding, she looked one last time at the deeply sleeping grandma and aunt.

"Grandma, Auntie."

She felt only a little regret. Not sadness.

She remembered what she had said to Marbas.

‘This isn’t Tie’s home. This place is like a stop where the kindergarten bus pauses for a moment.’

For a moment, Tie let go of her father’s hand and walked over to the two sleeping figures, crouching between them.

"This was a very good place."

she said quietly.

"When it was hot, a cool breeze would come...."

The grandma from Room 107, who always fanned her in the summer.

"When it was cold, warm sunlight would come."

The auntie from Room 203, who took care of Tie like a mother.

"It was a very, very good place."

But Tie’s final stop was the Tallocium.

After such a long return, she truly had to go there now.

Tie wiped her eyes [N O V E L I G H T] and smiled.

"Thank you for bringing Tie this far."

In the stopped time, the two did not respond.

But Tie stood up briskly.

She picked up the small pouch she had prepared earlier from the corner of the room and placed it on the grandma’s vanity.

Then she took her father’s hand again.

"Let’s go!"

Tesetan silently stroked her head several times.

They stepped forward together.

And at that very moment, light flared within the open passage, and the rushing wind abruptly stilled.

The clock in the darkened Room 107 began to tick again.

Tick—tock—

"Myeongcha...."

Chae Boksu slowly pushed herself up from the bed.

Seeing the empty space beside her, she said in a hollow voice:

"...They’re gone."

Where Tie and Tesetan had been lying, only neatly folded blankets and pillows remained.

"Unni, sniff, Unni...!"

Jeong Myeongcha, sobbing, clung to Chae Boksu.

Holding back her tears, Chae Boksu roughly patted her back.

"It’s okay, it’s okay... they didn’t leave without a word."

"How are we supposed to live with this emptiness? If I want to see her—how can I?!"

Chae Boksu couldn’t answer.

She absentmindedly ran her hand over the spot where Tie had been lying.

"This is all so strange...."

Four years together felt like forty.

A child whose name and origin they didn’t even know.

A child with whom they shared not a drop of blood.

To love her this much.

"Tie...."

Jeong Myeongcha sniffled and whispered:

"She was so beautiful."

She gripped Chae Boksu’s hand.

"Every word she spoke—it was like an angel. It was impossible... impossible not to love her."

"Of course. Wherever she goes, she’ll manage."

"Of course she will. She’ll manage anywhere. And she won’t have to suffer in a чужой world anymore... now she’s with her father...."

Chae Boksu and Jeong Myeongcha, both tearful, looked at each other and smiled.

The next day.

Perhaps because of the chaos, they only noticed the pouch Tie had left on the vanity after dawn.

Inside, it was filled with gold coins and jewels they had once refused.

"...She still left it...."

Tears fell onto the note from the pouch.

[

This isn’t bad money. Tie earned it honestly.

If you take it to the uncle at the Frog Gold shop, he won’t ask anything and will exchange it for money.

Because Tie used magic and charmed him like a kumiho. (Marbas said I must write that he helped too)]

The handwriting was crooked.

In places, it was clear she had erased and rewritten.

[Grandma, Auntie, don’t get sick. Even without Tie, please always stay healthy. Tie will stay healthy too.]

The single dot at the end of the line felt so precious that Chae Boksu could barely hold back her sobs.

They thought about it for a long time.

In the end, they carefully stored the jewels in the deepest drawer of the dresser.

They couldn’t bring themselves to use them right away.

During the day, the two of them went to the university hospital where Chae Boksu used to go.

But from that day on, they never had to return there again.

For a very long time.

"Uuuh—"

Tie pounded Basto’s chest.

"I—I can’t breathe...!"

Basto hurriedly let go.

He said guiltily,

"S-sorry."

Tie immediately broke into a wide smile.

"It’s okay!"

And hugged him tightly herself.

At that moment, someone pulled Basto away from Astie.

"Kid! What about me!"

It was Bale, his eyes red.

Tie tilted her head.

"Bale oppa, are you crying?"

"Me? Crying?!"

Bale dropped to his knees.

Then he suddenly hugged Tie, burying his face in her hair.

"You... went back to your world."

Tie froze.

"And I thought, what if you...!"

"...."

"What if you went there and never came back...."

Tie blinked.

Now she could feel it.

The faint trembling coming through his arms.

Awkwardly, she hugged Bale back.

"Bale oppa, Tie will definitely come back."

Bale pulled back.

His dark blue eyes met her green ones.

"Really...?"

"Mm-hm! Tie is the Squad Leader! And I signed the contract!"

Bale fell silent.

He remembered the very contract he had made her sign at the very beginning of forming the squad.

"Third clause: no leaving!"

Tie began reciting it from memory.

"Tie cannot leave the squad without the elders’ permission! Never! Under any circumstances!"

Bale’s eyes trembled.

He hugged her tightly again.

"That was just... formal. You know that."

"Mm-hm, I know."

"It’s not because of the contract. That thing can be broken anytime. I just...."

"Mm-hm. I know. Bale oppa just really, really loves Tie."

A laugh escaped Bale.

At that moment, Tie looked around and asked:

"By the way, where is Grandpa Nordix?"

Raul, Enzo, Ribia, Allerik, Victor.

Everyone was here.

Except Nordix.

Tie slipped out of Bale’s arms and ran to the kitchen.

"Grandpa!"

Then, just in case, she ran to the second floor.

"Grandpa Nordix!"

But he was nowhere to be found.

"...That’s strange?"

The person who loved Tie the most couldn’t possibly be absent on the day she returned.

And besides, Nordix never left the base alone.

"Tie."

Basto, who had approached, gently took her shoulder.

Tie turned, uneasy.

After a moment of hesitation, Basto spoke in a grave voice:

"Old man Nordix is missing."

Tie’s breath caught for a moment.

"On the day the Day of Calamity began. The day you returned to Jongno."

"...."

"He disappeared that day."