Chapter 359: Back To Reality

The blinding white light swallowed everything.

For what felt like an eternity, Sage could neither see nor hear anything. His body felt weightless, as though he had been thrown into an endless void where neither gravity nor time existed.

The deafening roar of the ancient horned serpent disappeared completely, replaced by a strange silence that pressed against his ears. His grip around Lyana slowly loosened, not because he wanted to let go, but because his consciousness itself seemed to drift farther and farther away.

Even the violent wind that had surrounded his body during their desperate charge toward the Return Gate faded until there was nothing left except endless white.

Then, without warning, the silence shattered. Something icy slammed into his face, freezing water rushed into his nose and mouth, and his entire body lurched violently as he was thrown back into reality. Instinct took over before thought could catch up.

Sage kicked his legs, forced his eyes open, and found himself tumbling through a fast-flowing river beneath a bright blue sky.

The current dragged him downstream with surprising force, spinning him once before he managed to plant his feet against the rocky riverbed. Water surged around his waist, cold enough to make every aching muscle in his body tighten painfully, but at least he was standing.

He coughed twice, wiped the water from his eyes, and immediately looked around.

The scene before him was complete chaos. One after another, familiar figures surfaced throughout the river as though they had all been thrown into the same stretch of water from the heavens.

Gregor had already regained his footing and was fighting against the current while searching frantically for Lyana, Brutus emerged farther downstream with a loud splash before planting both feet into the riverbed like an immovable boulder, Caelis surfaced near a cluster of rocks while dragging one of the exhausted adventurers with him, and several members of the expedition were coughing violently after swallowing half the river during their unexpected arrival.

Sage’s heart finally settled when he spotted Mina. The little girl had surfaced several meters away, but unlike everyone else, she was struggling badly.

The current kept pushing her small body downstream every time she tried to stand, and after swallowing another mouthful of water she broke into a fit of coughing, waving her arms helplessly while trying to catch her breath.

Without hesitation Sage splashed through the river toward her, ignoring the soreness running through every part of his body. By the time he reached her, Mina had nearly lost her footing again.

He grabbed her beneath the arms and lifted her clear of the rushing water before carrying her toward a shallower section of the river. She continued coughing against his shoulder, spitting out river water between breaths while trying very hard to pretend she was not frightened.

Only after several moments did her breathing finally steady. Her cheeks were flushed red, strands of wet hair clung to her face, and she glared stubbornly at the innocent-looking river as though it had personally offended her.

"I don’t like rivers," she muttered hoarsely after another cough. "The Vault never tried to drown me."

Sage couldn’t help letting out a tired chuckle despite everything they had just survived. "Considering everything that happened inside the Vault, I think that’s a very generous compliment."

"I still don’t like rivers."

"I noticed."

Not far away another loud splash drew everyone’s attention. Boren floated face-up on the surface of the river, arms spread wide, eyes tightly shut, drifting peacefully with the current as though he had already accepted his fate.

His round body bobbed gently downstream while everyone else was trying to reach the shore, and after several seconds of complete silence he released an exaggerated sigh dramatic enough to make even Gregor stop for a moment.

"Farewell... everyone..." Boren declared weakly without opening his eyes. "Please tell future generations... I died heroically..."

Brutus stared at him with a completely blank expression before wading through the water, grabbing the back of Boren’s collar with one enormous hand and hauling him upright as easily as lifting a sack of potatoes. The moment Boren’s feet touched the riverbed he instinctively stood up.

Brutus looked at him. "So... dead people can stand now?"

Boren froze. "...I can explain."

"No."

"I was preserving my strength."

"You were floating."

"I was floating strategically."

Gregor laughed so hard he nearly slipped back into the river, while several exhausted adventurers who moments earlier had been convinced they might die finally relaxed enough to laugh as well.

Even Mina giggled quietly against Sage’s shoulder before quickly pretending she hadn’t.

Meanwhile Gregor had already reached Lyana, who was struggling against the stronger section of the current after exhausting most of her mana inside the Vault.

Without saying a word he grabbed her forearm firmly and guided her toward the shallows, making sure she kept her balance over the slippery rocks beneath the water. Lyana accepted the help without her usual protest. She looked completely drained, her normally neat hair hanging wet around her shoulders while every step seemed to require effort.

"Can you still walk?" Gregor asked once they reached dry land.

Lyana nodded after catching her breath. "I’m fine. My mana is almost empty, but I’ll recover."

Before anyone could relax further, Vanthrice had already moved away from the riverbank. Unlike the others, she did not spend time checking herself first. The moment her boots touched solid ground she drew her bronze spear in one smooth motion and began circling the nearby area with calm, measured steps.

Her sharp eyes swept across the surrounding forest, the nearby hills, the opposite riverbank, and the dense tree line beyond, studying every shadow with the discipline of someone who refused to assume they were safe simply because the fighting had stopped.

Every few seconds she paused, listening carefully before continuing onward. Only after making a complete circle around their landing point did she lower the spear slightly.

"No immediate threats," she reported. "No fresh beast tracks near the river either. Either this place is unusually quiet... or whatever lives here hasn’t noticed us yet."

"Let’s hope it stays that way," Caelis replied while helping another adventurer sit against a large stone.

Valeria had remained silent ever since arriving. She neither joined the laughter around Boren nor the conversation between Gregor and Lyana. Instead, she slowly walked toward a large rock overlooking the river and climbed onto it with effortless balance.

From there she simply stood still, her crimson eyes moving steadily across the landscape stretching in every direction. Sage watched her without interrupting. He had long learned that when Valeria became this quiet, she was thinking.

The scenery surrounding them was completely unfamiliar. A broad river cut through a wide valley before disappearing into distant forests. Towering mountains rose far beyond the trees, their peaks partly hidden beneath drifting clouds.

The sun sat high enough to make judging the hour possible, while several smaller rivers merged with the one they had landed in before flowing eastward. Valeria studied everything patiently, the mountains, the direction of the water, the position of the sun, even the wind itself.

Nearly a full minute passed before she finally climbed down from the rock.

Everyone looked at her.

She spoke calmly. "We’re on the western side of the Evergreen Mountain Range."

Silence fell over the group. Even Boren forgot to complain.

Gregor frowned first. "...Western side?"

Valeria nodded once. "The Vault didn’t return us anywhere near Greyvale."

Lyana slowly pieced it together. "Greyvale is east of the mountains..."

"Exactly."

Sage felt a heavy weight settle in his chest.

"How far?"

Valeria answered without hesitation. "Thousands of miles."

No one spoke for several seconds. The words were simple, but their meaning struck harder than any beast they had fought inside the Vault. They had survived ancient guardians, escaped the horned serpent, and reached the Return Gate alive, only to discover they had been thrown across an enormous mountain range that divided entire regions.

Walking back would not be a matter of days if they were ordinary travelers. It would normally take months.

Boren slowly sat on the ground. "...Can the Vault refund transportation fees?"

Nobody answered him, they just rolled their eyes at him.

Sage finally broke the silence. "Panicking won’t change our situation. We’re alive, everyone made it out together, and we still have our supplies. Compared to what almost happened inside that Vault, this is a problem we can solve."

Vanthrice gave a small nod. "He is right. Distance isn’t our enemy. Carelessness is."

The others gradually agreed. They had escaped something that should have killed them many times over. They refused to lose hope now because of a long journey home.

They rested only briefly beside the river. Food was taken from Sage’s storage, waterskins were refilled from the clean upstream current, and the group’s healers treated cuts, bruises, and strained muscles with the little mana they had recovered. Nobody wasted time talking about treasure or wealth anymore.

For now, everyone wanted only one thing, to return home safely.

After nearly an hour, Sage looked around at every familiar face. Exhausted. Injured. Dirty.

Alive.

That alone made everything worthwhile.

He rose to his feet, adjusted the sword at his waist, and looked toward the distant Evergreen Mountains.

"We’re going home."

One after another, everyone stood, adjusted their weapons and packs, and quietly fell into formation behind their Guildmaster.

Then, together, they began the long journey back to Greyvale.