What little remained of the inverted planet was quickly disappearing, crumbling from within. John, flying through the air with the others, watched the sunlight streaming through the massive holes. If he were in a different state of mind, he would have found the sight strangely beautiful.

‘How many lives are you ending right now, Rain? And for what? For fucking WHAT?!’

He regained some mobility, but the force sending him flying was unbreakable. And even if he could move, he wasn’t sure if Larang could carry him, split in two as it was. The greatshield was scattered across his core and would take a long time to repair itself.

Looking at the direction they were facing, he had another realization. They were flying to the other side of the forest he had first landed in, next to the black bird’s territory. Something was keeping the area intact, which John assumed was Rain’s doing.

‘... I was that close to the portal from the start? A final twist of the knife, Rain?!’

Looking at the parts of the planet closest to him, he could see the path they had journeyed from above.

The jungle, where he had rested and healed after beating a horror.

The evermist forest, where they met the sage carrying the bodies of their fellow earthlings.

The red desert, where they met Dennis and survived the bone horror. And where John had become an aspecter.

The purple plains, where he had discovered the remains of an advanced civilization, the Aasvedans. Where Rain saved his life so he could keep being useful.

And finally, the forest, where it all began. Where he met Rain.

They continued past the forest, which stretched over a large area until they arrived at a large field filled with tall grass. It felt sort of familiar, but the same terrain could be seen in many places on the planet.

Then he saw another much smaller forest, a portal guarded by machine guns and barricades, and the other side of the portal—the room where Invoker Hans had given his speech, igniting their spirits.

And now, three of those one hundred and five people that set off returned alive.

They landed softly on the metal floor, four of them still unconscious while John sat on his knees, staring at nothing. The vestige had let go of his mind, no longer offering any power. Likely because he no longer desired it.

“Quickly, get the medical personnel over here!” a female voice shouted. “Is Hans still inside the portal?!”

“Yes! I’ve sent a signal for him to return!” another person said, standing by a control panel.

The female voice shouted again, sounding strangely familiar. “John! John, can you hear me?”

The familiarity penetrated his shock, making him turn to look at her. “... Oh, Karin… I’m glad you’re alive. Sorry about your friend, though…”

She knelt down next to him, putting an arm around his shoulder. “My friend? Are you feeling okay, John? You seem to be in shock.”

She used a flashlight to look at his eyes, studying them closely. “Mmm, no signs of damage… You’re safe, John. You’re back on Earth.”

He nodded absentmindedly, staring at the ground again. “You should check on the others. I’m not sure what she did to them.”

“She did to them? Who is ‘she’?”

A thousand images flashed through his mind as he was asked to explain who Rain was, making it very hard to respond. There was no simple answer.

Karin kept staring at him, but seeing that no answer was coming, she got back up. “Take your time, John. There’s no rush. I’ll go help the others now, but call out if you need me.”

Then she was off, leaving John to his thoughts.

‘... These memories are unpleasant. Extremely so.’

Stolen story; please report.

He lost his mother to the demons, watching the security system be completely unable to protect them. Then his brother was killed, pierced by the giant claws of the beast. And then he died in the exact same way, cursing the portals that had invaded their planet.

His two daughters were eaten by a pink horror, turned into nothing but bones. His only source of joy was that he was only seconds behind them, relieving him of the torturous grief in seconds.

His people were dying in droves, and now his castle was one of the few places remaining. They broke through the walls like they were made of paper, killing his guards the moment they met. Finally, they found the room where he was hiding away with his family, praying for their final moments to be swift. And they were.

‘... God damn vestige. It’s not just lending me rage and grief; it’s handing it over for free, making me drink from its source… But I’m almost glad. It puts my own suffering into perspective.’

He sat there quietly while the others were brought away on stretchers. Dennis seemed to be conscious when he looked over, but just barely. It was a relief to see they were still alive. He had feared the worst once he arrived at the tree.

Thinking back to the joyous hunting mission right before it all went up in smoke, he touched the spot on his chest where the heart of light was stored. It wasn’t there anymore, of course. And Serah knew that would happen.

But his hand did touch something. Something small and flat.

‘... What?’

He took it out, curious as to what it could be. A small, flat piece of wood appeared in his hand. And on it, small letters seared into the surface.

“This is all I could think of to give you.

My future is fateless, but yours still has a purpose.

Please make me a part of it. Until then, take care.

When you see me again, tell me everything.

When I see you again, I won’t have to.

Forever and ever, Serah.”

A small heart was scribbled next to her name.

John read it several times, looking for some logic to the words. Some parts were clear, but others were vague and indecipherable.

‘... More cryptic shit, huh? Of course you’ll be part of my future, if it’s the last thing I do. But if you think you won’t have to explain a ton of stuff when we meet… Are you stupid? I have a billion questions for you!’

He stared at it for a moment longer before putting it back next to his heart. Then he sighed at the momentous task in front of him. How would he even find her? And if she were guarded by Rain, how much stronger would he have to become?

‘I guess it all comes down to… lack of guidance… Is that what you thought I would say, Rain? You think I’m going to trust this shit you gave me? Guide me to what’s most important? Why would you?’

Convinced it was another of her tricks, he didn’t even take the small antler point out to study it. It would be disposed of as soon as he had the chance, thrown at some heap of trash, buried deep.

“Hans!” one of the guards in the room shouted while looking at the portal.

John turned, curious to see the invoker who had survived. He had a good impression of the man after he seemed so torn by what would happen to them all, and it became even better now.

Hans came through the portal carrying three people, all unconscious or dead. And behind him, the planet was collapsing completely. It was no longer recognizable, only showing a scattered belt of floating dirt. It was a wonder he had even managed to return.

“Ahh! We made it in time! Did anyone else return while I was gone?!” he asked worriedly. Then his eyes landed on John, and a smile broke out. “Ah! You’re part of the rookie group! You did an incredible job staying alive!”

John nodded somberly. He was grateful for his words, but had a hard time thinking he had done an incredible job. The planet would still be whole if he hadn’t brought Rain to Serah.

Hans handed the unconscious people over to another team of medics, and it seemed they were all alive. John got the impression Hans had been venturing into the portal as many times as he could to find people to bring back. And if so, he was a true hero.

The invoker walked over to John, getting down on one knee and grabbing his shoulder. “You feeling okay? I know it must have been hard.”

John chuckled lightly, shaking his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt worse, honestly. I don’t…” A lump in his throat suddenly made it hard for him to speak. “I don’t know what to do…”

He fought hard to stop the tears from falling, surprised by his sudden vulnerability. Maybe the respect he felt for the man in front of him made him sense a desire to ask for help. Or perhaps it was all just too much to take.

Either way, Hans looked at him with deep concern. “You survive, kid! You get back up, and you fight again! That’s how you grow, and that’s how we will win this war! The desire for survival, as long as it burns brighter than our suffering, we will keep fighting!”

John clenched his jaw, feeling his lips tighten. He had a lot to fight for. And he would have to survive to find Serah again. It was such a vague goal, but he knew Hans was right. Nothing would matter without surviving.

And humanity would get far stronger once his knowledge was shared. If they had been fighting on the backfoot all this time, now was the time for a frontal assault!

John inhaled sharply through his nose and nodded. “Thank you, Invoker Hans! I have a lot I need to do now, so please excuse me.”

Hans smiled and let go of his shoulder. “I think you’ll make an excellent tree, kid. To support humanity into the future. Good luck!”

John smiled, recalling the speech before they traveled through the portal. “I will do what I can, sir.”

Then he walked off, planning to visit his good friend. He had a lot of questions for that good friend, but nothing she wouldn’t be able to answer.

He had a feeling her ability to know the future was grossly underreported.