The fortress buzzed like a starving hive, kids running circles around the tents and shouting that it was time to go home. Harvey smiled as he watched it all unfold. After months of killing, he was happy to contribute in another way, even if it was just opening a door.

  “I hate to impose, but do you think your people can wait a while and help us carry people up to the portal? These stairs will be pretty rough for a few of us,” Dean asked.

  “Of course! What kind of monsters would we be if we didn’t!” Harvey laughed.

  The two walked down the stairs side by side. A young boy charged up between them, startling Harvey to the point he almost fell off the side of the tower.

  “Wait!” Harvey urged, but the boy leapt into the portal without looking back. Harvey winced, praying the portal was actually stable without him. Luckily, he didn’t feel anything awry in his aura when his body disappeared into the golden light. “Phew! I guess that proves it works.”

  Those still eating from the buffet stared up at him, and he took that as his cue to explain a few things.

  “We don’t know what the situation’s like back home. I don’t know if we’re all going to show up together. I don’t know if we’ll return to where we died. What I do know is that our world has changed forever, and the Necrolords weren’t the only invaders. Whatever’s waiting on the other side of that portal, humanity needs to stick together. This battle was won, but the war isn’t over,” Harvey declared.

  Murmurs spread through the crowd, some darkness returning to the elation on everyone’s faces. He hated to kill the mood, but their heads had to stay on a swivel. Still, he tried to end on a high note.

  “The reason we won is that we helped each other. Fought side-by-side even though most of us never meant to be soldiers. Those who couldn’t fight made the weapons, armor, arrays, and inscriptions that were the difference between life and death. All to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and the people inside this fortress. Now, let’s help each other again. If you can, please help those who can’t ascend the stairs to the portal. Then we can all say our goodbyes, and hopefully see each other again back on Earth.”

  Hyrum nodded gravely, standing up from a half-eaten plate of steak and potatoes.

  “You can finish eating,” Harvey laughed.

  The huge Texas construction worker plopped back down on the bench, ripping into the meat like a starving wolf. Harvey didn’t feel any drain on his essence or his aura, so he assumed the portal was stable enough for people to take their time saying goodbyes. He was surprised to see tears streaming down the faces of many of the fortress inhabitants. Even if they weren’t related, many of the children hugged the older survivors like they were their favorite grandparent. Just like the Veilstriders outside these walls, they’d appeared in this trial lost and afraid. Forced to rely on total strangers to keep their world from descending into chaos.

  “Why, thank you, Ben!” a woman who had to be pushing 80 said when a young boy gingerly grabbed her hand and helped her up from her chair.

  “You’re welcome, Mrs. Chen!” he beamed.

  A little girl sprinted to take her other hand, and they pulled her towards the tower.

  “Kids have the purest hearts,” Dean smiled.

  “Should we help her? Seems like they’re tugging more than helping,” Harvey chuckled.

  “No, she’ll be fine. I wanted to thank you,” Dean said.

  “I should be the one thanking you,” Harvey smiled.

  “Well then, let’s thank each other. I don’t know how we would ever have gotten out of here without you guys. Not just fighting, but coming to open the door for us instead of running to save yourselves.”

  “We would never do that.”

  “Which is a testament to your character. I know a lot of people who would,” Dean assured.

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  “Then I guess I’ll say you’re welcome,” Harvey chuckled before going somber. “I can’t say how much your forgiveness means to me. I don’t know how you can. I deserved for you to be angry, but you’ve been nothing but kind.”

  “Anger doesn’t help anyone. When you get as old as I am, you realize that more than anything in the world, you just want peace. Holding a grudge just robs us both of ever having that blessing again, and I wouldn’t do that to myself. Neither should you,” Dean assured, pulling Harvey into a hug.

  The words sank into Harvey’s mind, and he felt like a true seed of wisdom had just been planted in his soul.

  “Thanks, Dean,” Harvey whispered.

  “You ready to go, honey?” Alice asked, leading Ava to her grandpa.

  “Let’s do it! Don’t be a stranger, Harvey! Whether this portal spits us all out together or back where we died, we’ll see you again soon,” Dean called.

  Harvey watched them join the line of people streaming up the portal before winking out of existence.

  “Harvey,” John said, walking up beside him.

  “Hey!”

  “I was thinking about what you said earlier. That we might not all end up at the same place?” John hesitated, clearly debating whether he should continue.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not going to keep him from his family,” Harvey assured. “Let’s go somewhere a little more private.”

  Walking behind one of the tents, Julian’s body appeared in Harvey’s arms. The sight of his gray, drained skin sent a stab of pain through his heart, but he managed to keep his composure.

  “Here.”

  “Thank god,” John gasped, quickly grabbing Julian and placing him inside his own slipsack. “I wasn’t sure if you even had the body, or if you’d be willing to give it to me.”

  “Honestly, even though I barely knew him, Julian was one of the best friends I’ve ever had. He saw the light in me when I couldn’t see it myself. He changed my life more in two months than most would in a lifetime. I figure if he did that for me, I can’t imagine how much he meant to you, his wife, and his daughters.”

  “You’re a good man. I’ll make sure he gets home safe, no matter what happens,” John assured.

  “I want an invite to the funeral,” Harvey said. “Oh, and take this.”

  The shard of crystallized skin holding the Unbroken Sentinel Imprint appeared in his hand. The color was as vibrant as ever, still showing an armored Julian protecting a sea of faceless allies with his golden flames.

  “His legacy.”

  John nodded, adding it to a slipsack before they returned to the base of the tower and said their goodbyes. Once he ascended the tower, Elena approached with a small horde of children.

  “Alright, you guys, be very careful climbing up the stairs,” she said.

  “I climbed them loads of times,” a boy replied.

  “Yeah, Dean told us to be careful, but it’s cool up there,” another added.

  “The portal looks like cotton candy!” a girl no older than 3 shrieked.

  He smiled as the gaggle added their takes on what gold cotton candy would taste like as they ascended the steps. The wonder in their eyes reminded him of his younger brother. He prayed for all his family, but especially for Max. His whole life, he’d never been afraid to run up and hug anyone he saw, but now they could be skeleton warriors or infernal demons instead of sketchy bikers.

  “You doing ok?” Elena asked.

  “Never better! How about you?” Harvey asked.

  “You know, I’m doing pretty good. I thought my life was pretty rough before I died, but I’m looking forward to going back after this,” she chuckled.

  “I don’t think things will ever be like they were before,” Harvey said.

  “Can’t you let a girl dream?” she laughed.

  “Nope! But, instead of teaching boring art classes like you used to, now you can teach magic art classes.” Harvey said.

  “They weren’t boring! I’ll have you know my students said I was the favoritest teacher they ever had!”

  “Favoritest huh? Did you bribe them into saying that?”

  “Whatever,” she scoffed. “Better than a stupid code monkey.”

  “I wholeheartedly agree,” Harvey laughed.

  They sat for an awkward moment, her eyes darting back and forth between his eyes and the portal. He saw her struggling to decide whether to hug him, so he made the decision for her. Wrapping his right arm around her shoulder, he felt her relax.

  “Thanks, Harvey. For being there for me,” she sighed.

  “Of course. Thanks for keeping my head on straight.”

  “Someone had to keep you from getting yourself killed,” she laughed. “If it wasn’t for me, you would’ve died in that mine a long time ago.”

  “You’re probably right,” he smiled.

  “You guys ready to go?” Hannah asked, three kids riding Buttercup behind her.

  “I want to be the last to leave. Just in case something happens with the portal,” Harvey replied.

  “Ooh, Mr. Fancy thinks he’s so important now,” she mocked with a wry smile.

  “Alright, fine. It’s not like my hand is literally the key to opening the thing. I’ll just fly up there and let you all hope for the best,” he replied.

  “Whoa there, fella, let’s not do anything hasty,” she joked.

  “What are we gonna do once we’re back?” Elena asked. “Even if we all stay together, it’s not like we can just go back to our old jobs.”

  “I don’t know. Just keep getting stronger, I guess. Build an Outpost. Prepare to fight any invaders that make it to Earth,” Harvey mused.

  “Sounds fun,” Hannah replied.

  When the last inhabitants all entered the portal, the four of them ascended the stairs. It was the middle of the night, but the oppressive darkness that had felt so suffocating that first night in the forest didn’t feel so bad anymore. He heard the roar of some unknown creature off in the distance, but his heart didn’t even tremble.

  “Catch you on the flip side!” Hannah said, her body disappearing through the portal alongside the buck.

  “I don’t have any cool slogan prepared,” Elena said.

  “Me neither,” Harvey laughed.

  They stepped into the light, leaving the cold night air for the warm embrace of home.