Rushing waves crashed at Ammer's feet, spraying drops of water upon his face. The ocean breeze swept through his clothing. Cree and Mae stood solemnly beside him.

Ammer gazed across the sea. He was on his own. No Whitlock. No Mother. No one to save him besides his brother and friend. But what could three children do against a dark lord?

"Does this adventure feel meaningless to anyone else?" Cree whispered. The howling wind nearly drowned his words.

"How can you say that?" Ammer turned his body away from the ocean, but kept his feet in place.

"We lost Mother to gain Father. It doesn't seem worth it. Back home, in Epoh, at least Father was alive. He wasn't with us, but he was still alive."

"But," Mae spoke up. "Your father was alive when everyone thought he was dead. Who's to say it's not the same for your mother?"

"We saw her die. She was run through by a spear. No one could survive that."

Ammer shuddered at the words his brother spoke. _She was run through by a spear. _Those nightmares he had about his father being slayed by a Rogue - those nightmares were real. Only, Ammer had never expected them to happen to his _mother_.

"I guess what they say about happy endings isn't true." Ammer sighed.

"In a way, this _is_ a happy ending for us," Mae rested a hand on Ammer's shoulder. "The three of us are still alive to find your father, and we will find him. And then we'll find your mother."