The Hero Should've Known Better

Epilogue

Forge carefully watched as a few droplets of a clear, red liquid were dripped into one of many glass potion vials, all of them lined up and held up on a wooden set.

"How does it look?" Junil asked.

Forge peered into the glass vial as the mixture began to cloud up. He adjusted the leather strap on his glass goggles while doing so.

"I don't see how this is supposed to work," General Forge replied.

"It should, to some degree," Junil replied. "It works with poisons. The most potent antivenom out there are made with some of the most dangerous venom that exists."

"These are deadly chemicals you scraped up off the ground," Forge replied.

"I didn't 'scrape them off the ground'. They were controlled samples from the volcanoes in the Demonfolk territories," Junil retorted.

"Yet, I don't see how mixing it with any of this'll make it less deadly."

"It just will, okay?" Junil snapped.

Forge peered from between the glass vials and the row of plants, half of which were dead.

"I don't think trying this experiment out ten times in a row with slight variations will make any differences," he replied.

The Healer sighed, and plopped her clipboard onto the table. "Then what else do you suggest we do?"

Forge stood there, then shrugged. "I don't know. You're the one who proposed the experiment."

Junil rubbed her forehead.

"But I think we should abandon this," Forge continued. "No point wasting time trying it further."

"If you really suggest that we—"

Junil was interrupted by the door swinging open and slamming against the wall behind it. Behind the door was a particular Demonfolk girl — a familiar face, yet her hair was black and shoulder-length, and her eyes an amber color.

"Forrar! Jun-ar!" she exclaimed. "My pen-dant has a problem!"

Forge was holding onto the stand of vials to keep them from shaking after she slammed the door open.

"Sollar! Be careful!" Forge exclaimed. "There's chemicals and poisons in this place, I don't want you to knock any of 'em over!"

"Don't worry, Forr-ar!" she replied. "I make sure I don't!"

"My Lady, you can't just 'make sure', you need to be careful," he replied.

Meanwhile, Ronn stepped up from behind Sollar, urging her into the room. "I do apologize. She outpaced me up the stairs."

"And across the street too, I'm guessing?" Forge asked.

"Yes. She has a lot of energy."

"Anyway, why are you two here?" Junil asked. She pulled her glass goggles up over her forehead. "We're in the middle of an experiment."

"I have spotted a few irregularities with Sollar's disguise pendant," Ronn said. "May you take a look at it, Miss Junil?"

"Yeah! Can you take the magic gem thing off?" Sollar asked. "Feels weird."

Forge looked from Sollar to Junil. "Pause the experiment?" he asked.

Junil groaned. "Fine. I'll take a look at it."

Forge stepped over and unclasped the necklace from around Sollar's neck. As it came off her body, Sollar's short, black hair began to lengthen again, and her amber eyes faded back into their apricot color along with her hair. Sollar rubbed the spot against her chest where it had rested.