As they made their way back to the surface, the path before them twisted and wound like a serpent, fading in and out of sight, but Randuff's light held it steady. The underworld, now silent and without its tyrannical keeper, no longer resisted their presence. Shadows, once alive with malevolence, now cowered and slunk back into the corners, as though the very fabric of the realm acknowledged its new rulers—if only temporarily.
Arazela glanced over at Seker, who walked beside Bethel, his hand never leaving hers. "You know," she said casually, "you’re going to owe me big time for not letting this realm swallow you whole while you had your little reunion. I mean, talk about melodrama."
Seker gave her a sidelong glance, a rare smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. "Consider it a debt paid when I didn't unleash a cataclysm on the mortal realm in my impatience to get her back."
Arazela chuckled, shaking her head. "Fair enough."