Midnight

Anya's fist opened up and the powdered stone dropped to the floor in front of her. She looked back up to see the happy and proud face of her master. To the side, Halios was in utter shock, something he had not felt ever in his life.

"I… I am free," he said, unable to process what had just happened.

"There you go," Ning said. "You can thank her and go do whatever you want."

"I can leave?" he couldn't help but ask.

"You no longer need to ask. Not only are you free, but you are also the strongest entity in the world, aside from me. Go do what you want to do," Ning said.

Halios looked around with a confused and worried look. "I don't have any," he said. "I have been working for the others for so long that… that I do not know what it's like being free."

"Well, there is no hurry then," Ning said. "Just stick around for a while, mingle with the people in here. I'm sure you will figure out what you want to do soon enough."