"I'm inclined to agree. This whole place speaks of abandonment rather than a battle. And I'm sure she would have been difficult to kill here. I am more than certain she used it to protect people inside of the Dead Zone. She should have been just as capable of defending herself."

At least, from physical attack. Which only leaves him to wonder why and how the castle sent her back after so much time.

"And with her gone, the bond to the tree seems to have broken. It seems to have been a kind of partnership. Without a bond, the magic in this place seems to have withered."