When the main body of the preparatory unit leaves Aurea, the empty space it leaves behind becomes part of the lesson. Who fills the gate, who watches the wagons, who rests, and who is allowed to go home all matter as much as battle. Aida, Marida, and the others return to hearths, graves, villages, and families that remind them why a road back matters in the first place. By the time they return to Aurea, the words 'Open the road. Keep the fire from going out' are already living inside the unit, even before they are sewn onto a flag.