John made his way back out of the building, down the stairs, and out the large white doors. He noticed the woman by the counter had disappeared somewhere, assuming it had something to do with the current emergency.

The guards outside greeted him as he left, but John merely nodded back, feeling a severe lack of energy threatening to put him on the ground.

‘I’ll return to the military facility; some beds should be available. Maybe the medical facility has a spot for me next to the others?’

Walking through the dim streets of Paris, looking at the unflattering tall buildings on every side, he again got the feeling of alienation. This world was so foreign to him, who had spent more time in the inverted world than Earth— that he knew of, at least.

It didn’t take him long to get back to the still-busy military base. The after-effects of the portal world collapsing could still be felt.

John entered without any issues, and after asking for the medical facility, a helpsome soldier escorted him. They walked through another cold and dreary hallway, making John wonder why they were so obsessed with making things ugly.

‘I understand that things needed to be built quickly when the portals appeared, but damn. Not a speck of artistry.’

“All survivors of the portal should be in here, Sir,” the soldier said as he gestured to a metal door. “Or, at least those needing medical assistance.”

“Thank you, soldier. I’ll be fine from here.”

When he entered the door, he was surprised to see a large area of beds and couches. Dennis, Carver, Ralf, and Isabella were lying in separate beds, still unconscious. John felt slightly worried, thinking they should have woken up by now.

About ten other people were also in the room, most of them unfamiliar to John. He noticed Hans sitting on a couch and sleeping, and Karin sitting by some other breakers, speaking quietly.

She noticed John as he entered and waved while signaling for him to be quiet. John walked over and stood by one of the couches, confident he would fall asleep if he sat down.

“Is everyone okay?” he whispered, looking at the people in the beds. Now he noticed the three people Hans had saved in the beds, looking quite battered.

“Seems like it,” Karin whispered back. “All vital signs are fine, so they should just need rest. How about you?”

“Yeah, I also need rest. Do I just take one of the beds?”

“Yeah, take your pick. We’ll all talk tomorrow, I guess.”

“Sounds like a plan,” John nodded, heading over to one of the beds. He was sure to fall into unconsciousness as soon as he hit the pillow.

----------------------------------------

Sure enough, the next thing he knew, twelve hours had passed—or two minutes. The analog clock on the wall made it hard to tell. He sat up, looking around for familiar faces, and found only one.

“Morning, Karin.”

“Morning, John. The others said you’d probably need the rest. Are you feeling better?”

“... Less tired, but not less terrible. As soon as my thoughts drift back to the portal, it… hits me. Hard… How many survived?”

“Sixteen people. Hans, me, your group, and nine others that Hans rescued. Dennis and the others are very curious about what happened, although they can guess parts of it.”

John shook his head, now also having to deal with his mistake in protecting Rain. He was wrong. They were right. It probably wouldn’t have ended any better if they did question her, though. It might even have made everything happen the day before instead.

He sighed, hoping his morning breath wasn’t too bad. “I should see them… tell them everything, if I can… Then I’ll go back home and rest. What are you going to do?”

Karin sat on the edge of the bed next to his. “Oh, I’m following you, of course. I also need to go back home, see my husband, and then… then I don’t know.”

“... We lost so many people… At least invoker Hans survived by some stroke of luck.”

Stolen novel; please report.

“Yeah, he and I were fortunate to land close to the portal.… I thought everyone would die.”

John got out of the bed, still in his armor. “I’ll make sure she gets what she deserves. And then I’ll bring Serah back.”

“She’s alive?” Karina asked, surprised. “I thought… Well, the planet is gone.”

John nodded, still struggling to put words on it. “She was taken somewhere else by… someone.”

Karin bit her lips, looking out into the room. “So it really was as they said? You were traveling together with a tyrant?”

“... Pretty much.”

“And you grew atta–”

“I’d rather not talk about it. Not yet.”

“... I understand. Let me take you to the others.”

Karin got up and walked through the doors to the long hallway, with John close behind.

Looking at her, he couldn’t help but wonder if she had grown at all. She seemed to be the same as the last time they met. “You didn’t get much training during all this, did you?”

“None at all. I killed two monsters on my way back, but for the most part, I just ran. I didn’t even get to claim one of them.”

“... Are you going to keep training?”

“Mmmh, I don’t know yet. This was an unusual situation, but there’s no guarantee I’ll survive the next round either way. I might just… put my spear on the shelf.”

“Yeah, I might have done the same... But now, I will never stop.”

Karin glanced back at him with furrowed brows. “I almost envy you that resolve. The choice would be much easier if everyone I cared for didn’t live back home… Do you think I could do it?”

“Do what?”

“Become an aspecter, grow strong enough to make a difference… Save people…”

“You’ve already saved people, haven’t you? I don’t want to convince you to keep going, though. If you end up dying, I’ll feel awful.”

She looked down, nodding slightly before responding. “You’re right. Whatever I choose, it’s my own choice... This is it,” she said, gesturing to a door to their right.

They both stopped, allowing John to take a breath before entering. He wanted to avoid confronting what had happened, still feeling himself freeze whenever he neared the subject, but he needed to talk to them.

The door opened to a small lounge where the group sat, resting. Dennis stared at the ceiling, looking morose, while the others sat together, discussing something. They all looked at John as he entered, staying quiet.

John was glad to see them all looking okay, although part of him was irked by the memories. He had no memories with Dennis that weren’t related to Rain.

“Hey, everyone. I’m glad you’re all okay. And…” He bowed to them, biting his lips. “I’m sorry. I was wrong about her.”

Carver spoke up first, smiling politely. “Don’t worry about it, John. There wasn’t much we could do either way. Rain was beyond all of us.”

Ralf and Isabella both nodded, but Dennis remained still.

Karin entered behind him, bumping John’s shoulder. “You should tell them that Serah is alive, dummy.”

The room changed immediately, with everyone standing up and staring wide-eyed at John. “Is that true?!” Carver asked urgently.

“Yes,” John replied. “She took her away through a portal before sending us here. And I’m going to find her.”

“Through a portal?” Isabella asked. “But how would we ever…”

“I’ll find a way,” John said, trying to sound confident. “Serah asked me to find her again, so that’s what I’ll do.”

“Maybe you should have stopped Rain from taking her instead,” Dennis remarked, looking at John with more than a little bit of judgment.

“You… don’t think I tried?!” John yelled back, louder than intended. “I used everything I had! My aspect, the black essence, the vestige, everything!”

He summoned the mess of metal pieces that was the greatshield in front of them, letting it spread out on the floor.

“But I was powerless! I couldn’t even move! I just had to watch.” His voice disappeared, turning into a whisper by the end. The feeling of helplessness, despite all his rage and effort, brought him to his knees. “And Serah did nothing to stop her… She went willingly, knowing it would happen.”

Dennis seemed slightly less judgemental now, staring at John with some empathy. “I guess you’re simply stupid, then.”

“... Yeah, I guess I am.”

“... I thought she might have influenced your mind. She seemed connected to you somehow, knowing whether you were dead or alive. And she always knew exactly where you were.”

John thought back, trying to find any hints that Rain had influenced him. But with her essence sealed, there shouldn’t have been much she could have done.

She was his only companion for a while, someone he felt he needed to protect and who saved his life at one point. Her gradual mastery of English and charming behavior seemed so natural that he struggled to believe she was acting.

She had simply lured her way close to his heart by acting like herself. Which only made everything so much more confusing.

‘What… is there anything that could justify her actions? If she spoke honestly about giving me her life, it had to be something way more important, right? For someone that strong to waste a month in a weakened state just to get Serah back… Is she fighting fate itself?’

“John?” Dennis asked, making John realize he had been silent for a while.

“Oh, sorry,” he replied, trying to clear his head. “No, I think our bond was natural. I just don’t understand why… why she did what she did.”

Dennis shook his head. “Why would you try to find excuses for her?”

“... I guess I’d feel better if I knew. The feeling of betrayal won’t go away, but I would love to be less confused about it.”

‘... She looked so heartbroken when I tried to use the black essence on her.‘