Charlie spends his final night in Empis at Dora’s house, sharing a simple meal and marveling at the healed sky where Bella and Arabella once were. In the morning, Dora’s recovering voice and steady work signal renewal. After a warm farewell, Charlie and Radar part from the Snab at the tunnel, and Charlie lights a baby light for the journey home.

In the passage, disorientation returns and the candle briefly dies. At the spiral well, Charlie checks for intruders, then slowly clears his makeshift cover, careful with his injured arm. He emerges into the cold shed, relieved to find it padlocked from outside—Andy Chen has secured it—then breaks through the old boards with the sledgehammer and steps into bright, snowy Illinois.

After retrieving a coat and leaving Bowditch’s gunbelt in the closet, Charlie notices a weathered missing poster with his school photo. Tempted to turn back to Empis, he thinks of his father and the people who searched for him. A boy on a sled tells him it’s Saturday in February 2014, confirming he has been gone four months.

Fearing his father may have relapsed, Charlie approaches the house but finds signs of order. Inside, Radar joyfully announces them. Father and son recognize each other, shock giving way to tears. They embrace over the excited dog, completing Charlie’s return from prince to son and sealing a quiet, genuine happy ending.