Outlander, you have returned to the present time.
"Mia~"
After staggering out of the study, Shade immediately bent down and picked up the cat that had been waiting for him where it was. Before the cat could react, Shade pressed his face into its back and rubbed against it.
"Meow~"
Startled, Little Mia immediately escaped from Shade's hands. Shade, meanwhile, felt as though he had regained happiness and hope from Little Mia and finally recovered:
"Home really is better. That black beach was really... Mia, you're not mad at me, are you?"
The cat naturally did not reject Shade's affection; it had merely been frightened by his earlier behavior. Fortunately, it soon wandered back to his feet on its own, and when Shade picked it up again, it did not struggle.
Thus ended the first expedition with this Time Key from the Fifth Epoch, year 2025. Shade had more or less figured out the rules there, and the ship that could travel to any time and place so long as one paid the fare filled him with endless possibilities.
Of course, before using that ship to accomplish his own goals, it was more important to finish his tasks in the past.
There was no rush to borrow the "blindfold" from Sister Devlin. Sunday next week was still far away, so Shade planned to find Sister Devlin sometime next week to let her know, then open that door directly at the Mountain Top Sacrificial Ground on Sunday morning.
As for asking the Doctor about sins, he was not in a hurry to leave immediately either. He intended to seek the Doctor's help that evening.
Of course, this Time Key adventure had also raised another question: just who was the God of the Ferryman? However, Shade did not need to