When Kire and Narda reappeared in Elva’s manor, Kire heard a shrill shriek. When they hurried to the dining hall, alarmed, she saw two young girls tackling Ed to the ground. Etta and Precy were already crying as they hugged their older cousin, who found himself laughing through teary eyes as he hugged them and kissed the tops of their heads. Daryll the scholar hung back, a stunned look on his face, not quite believing what he was seeing. When Etta looked up and saw Kire and Narda, a fresh wave of tears went down her cheeks. Kire couldn’t help a laugh, too, and joined in, lifting the girls up to their feet so they all could embrace Ed. “Come on in here, you silly,” Kire called to Daryll, who dumbly followed, joining the big hug. 
After Narda had been returned to the Wench and at the insistence of the other cousins, Kire promised to stay put with the family for a couple of days. For the first time in nine months, the Wyverns were gathered at the table. They held a moment of silence for Earnest, mourning him again now that Ed was with them. As they exchanged stories, Ed was glad to retell his, albeit with flourish, to Etta and Precy, while Kire had a long discussion with Daryll and Elva about the gate and her Ring amongst themselves. Later that night, when the younger ones had gone to bed, the older Wyverns stayed and talked of serious matters, though they were all rather curious about Kire and Ruli. Stammering and drinking her fair share of alcohol as she did so, Kire told them the bare bones of what had happened between them, then insisted that the matter be set aside. Their conversations lasted deep into the night, punctured by long, thoughtful silences, each knowing how precious such calm moments were, considering the kind of family they had, the kinds of dangers they faced. 

A couple of days stretched to a whole week. A few days later, Kire asked Ed if he could teach her Elvish. “You’d have no-one else to practice on for a while,” she said, “and, you know, be easier to gossip between us, too.” 
Ed very much doubted that was the only reason, but he nodded, though he told Kire he would take it slow, knowing how Kire was like with being tutored. 

In her quiet moments, especially alone at night, Kire couldn’t help her thoughts drifting to Ruli. Their night together under Elva’s roof, the time they’d spent ever since first meeting him, the argument they had, and Envy’s entreaties to her. She found herself longing for their night together more than she would really care to admit to herself, but it was tempered by his reservations as well as her own. One night, a month later when as expected, thrown herself at work again, she returned to the manor exhausted. The day had been spent solely on a long round of difficult negotiations with her allied lords, who between themselves had been carrying on a feud even despite the war. Tired and irritable, she had transported herself to the seaside cliffs, terribly tempted to climb up to the crest and knock on Ruli’s door. But before anybody could spot her, she sighed, thinking the better of it, and went back home. 

Amidst all this, she had been doing as Envy had suggested and practiced her portal work, supervised not just by Elva but Daryll as well. He had been avoiding anything that had to do with gates and magic for a long while, but now it seemed there was only so much his grief and apprehension could hold back, his natural inquisitiveness winning out. It helped that Ed had returned, assuaging his fears somewhat. Each time she tried it a headache would flare up, and she feared it consumed more energy than her normal portals usually did, rendering the new skill impractical. But she kept Envy’s observation in mind about how it was her limitations and not the Ring’s that was the determining factor here. The idea of her inability to surpass her previous boundaries had, as expected of her, fueled her stubborn desire all the more to master the new ability. Between this, the war against the Gemini, and learning Elvish little by little, kept Kire much more preoccupied than she had anticipated. The months bled together, until it had been almost half a year since she and Narda returned from the last adventure. 

Towards the sixth month, Kire had been preparing for one of the largest campaigns since her exile from the Capital, over a year ago. They had hemmed in the forces of one of the Gemini’s most powerful allies, cut them off from support, and taken over their resources. Everything was going smoothly. Though Kire hadn’t tested her new ability on the battlefield yet, she was feeling confident she could use it when the need arose. 

Which was why, when the unthinkable had happened, Kire jumped into disaster. 

The Gemini, even without the aid of a world gate, still had tricks up their sleeve. Their spies had conflicting reports of what they had been brewing, and Kire thought all this only meant more blood magic. Part of it was true. When they marched against the Gemini’s allies, they were also greeted by a host of soldiers that were far from human. Still mindless, but formidable, the army of monsters took them by surprise as a part of the enemy forces transformed in the middle of battle. Gods, it reminded Kire of the dead Kartaian. She rushed to the front lines, taking down as many as she could with Narda by her side. Their soldiers needed to see that these monsters, though a more advanced kind of doll, were still just that. 

Just as they were beating back the new abominations, something exploded nearby. Kire had a split-second view of the fire that burst out, and instinct made her open a portal, sending Narda and the nearest soldiers back, only for her to be thrown back, the force of opening the portals in her panicked state releasing an energy that sent her flying towards the flames. The Ring flashed white-hot as her frantic mind opened another portal for herself, every fiber of her being screaming for her to get out. [i]I can’t die, gods not now, not until I see him—[/i]

She felt a crash as she fell out of the portal, and in her panic she grabbed onto what felt like another body, she couldn't see who, the portal overwhelming all senses, her eyes temporarily blinded by the portal light. Before she could land on the ground the portal flashed again, sending her back onto the battlefield with whoever she had been clutching in tow. Blue smoke rose from her armored form as the portal spat them both out, Kire unconscious.