The room stayed silent for a while as everyone sat back down again, leaving John kneeling on the ground and Karin standing behind him.

Carver rubbed his face, looking like he was trying to clear his head. “At least Serah’s still alive. Do you have any idea where you’re going to look for her, John?”

“None,” John replied, sighing deeply. But then he reconsidered. “Well, there is… one possibility. But I think I’d be stupid to use it.”

“What’s that?”

John put his hand down the neck of his armor and fished out the antler point Rain had given him. It was barely the size of a pinky, but felt considerably heavy. “She broke part of her antler off and gave it to me, saying it contained her power of guidance.”

Dennis stared at the bone while Carver sat up on the couch. “You mean that power she used to find us? The one we hoped to find the portal with?”

“Yeah… She said it would guide me to whatever is most important. And if she’s telling the truth…”

“Does she have a reason to trick you anymore?” Dennis asked, tilting his head to the side.

“... I guess, probably not?” John replied, looking at Dennis with a hint of surprise. “I didn’t think you would be fine with me using it.”

Dennis shrugged. “The universe is big. If you want to find a needle in a planet-sized haystack, you might as well listen when someone tells you to look at a specific spot. Unless you have a better method?”

John thought about it, looking at the bone. He was hesitant, not wanting to accept help from someone he felt so betrayed by.

‘But does that matter if it’s the best way? The choice is obvious, as long as it allows me to find Serah again. Or even if it just gives me a chance to do so. And especially now that I know Rania can’t help me…’

He took a deep breath while rubbing his forehead, then he nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right... How would I use it, though?” The bone simply lay quietly in his hand, not moving at all. “Do I infuse it with essence?”

None in the room seemed to have any ideas, all staying quiet.

“... Guess I’ll try that, then.”

His essence moved from his core and out to his hand, flowing into the white bone. A faint glow started spreading from it, and then John could feel it trying to point somewhere, moving in his hand.

“Oh! I think it’s working! It’s pointing that way,” John said, pointing at the wall behind Isabella. “What direction is that?”

Everyone looked at Karin, the only person who knew the area somewhat. “Ehh, I think that’s to the east. I’m not confident, though.”

“East,” John repeated, trying to remember the geography he knew. The bone pointed relatively parallel to the ground, so the destination wouldn’t be too far away. “Is it back in Berlin? That’s perfect!”

“Oh, right, that’s where you came from. Headed back home, then?” Dennis asked, looking a bit sad.

“Yeah, looks like it. And if that’s not the right direction, I can triangulate it after traveling for a while.” He looked at Dennis, feeling a goodbye coming. “What are you planning to do now?”

“Yeah…” He leaned back on the sofa, looking up at the ceiling again. “That’s what I’ve been thinking about. I was honestly just wasting time on that outpost, trying to find some purpose… I’ll just ask where I’m needed, I guess.”

“... You can come with us if you want,” John suggested. He felt bothered by Dennis’ lack of purpose, but he could understand it. After he lost his wife, who sacrificed herself for him, it was no wonder he felt lost.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

But Dennis shook his head. “I had enough of being a burden during our trip, John. And now that you know about as much as me, I’m no longer needed.”

“... Hey, that’s not fair. Crossing the desert without you and Kerchak would have been a pain, and I might never have become an aspecter without you.”

Despite John’s attempt, Dennis seemed far from convinced. “You had to go through the mist because of me. And you had to fight a horror because of me.”

“The horror was just as much my fault. I was the one who let Karchak go. And without you, Rai–”

The word got stuck in John’s throat, stopping him from talking. Then he realized how stupid his following words would have been. How Dennis had saved Rain while he fought the horror, which wasn’t the case at all.

Then he realized what really happened during his fight, and how little he mattered to Rain. “... She didn’t even reveal her powers to save me.”

“Oh, right! I’m pretty sure she was about to,” Dennis said, like he just realized. “She asked me if I thought you would save many lives in the future, and she looked extremely conflicted.”

“Really?” John asked, furrowing his brows. He didn’t think Rain would have risked her mission for his sake, but perhaps he was wrong. If she had used her powers to save him, it would likely have significantly damaged the planet.

“Well, it’s hard to say what she would have done. Either way, though… I’m happy staying behind. Maybe I’ll grow into an invoker and replace one of the ones who died one day.”

A feeling of melancholy spread in John’s chest. He figured they wouldn’t have any reason to group up again in the future.

He rose from the ground with a heavy step and put a hand on his hip. “I guess this is goodbye for now. But if you ever need anything, I’ll do what I can to help.”

Dennis got out of the couch and smiled. “Same to you, John. I’ll see you later.”

John reached his hand out, and Dennis shook it firmly.

“You’ve already done a lot for humanity, John, but I think there are far greater contributions in your future. Stay alive, alright?”

“Heh, I’m not so easily killed. But I think the same can be said for you, Dennis. Your aspect is still one of the strongest ones I’ve seen, and it will only get stronger as you level up. Imagine a horror fighting on our side, and two invocations working at the same time!”

Dennis gave a crooked smile. “I think it will have to stay in our imagination for now. But who knows?”

John suddenly had the idea of asking Rania to help Dennis grow. He wasn’t sure it would work, but considering what she had done for John, it probably wouldn’t hurt.

“Exactly. And if the weavers manage to beat the tyrants gathering in China, we will all have some time to collect ourselves.”

“What’s that? Tyrants in China?” Carver suddenly asked from the other couch.

John wasn’t sure if the info was classified to prevent panic or anything, but he felt he could trust these guys to keep it a secret. He hadn’t been told to stay quiet, at least.

“Yeah, all the tyrants on the planet are heading for a new portal there. So humanity is in grave danger.”

He spoke somberly, giving the situation the weight it deserved. The coming days might very well decide the fate of humanity. On Earth, at least.

Everyone stared at him with wide eyes. Carver was the first to speak, sounding urgent. “But you told them about the essence, right? They’re much stronger now?”

John nodded, trying to calm them a bit. “Of course! I didn’t get to see the results of their trials, but all the weavers know about the other forms now. So all we can do is put our faith in them.”

The room remained very quiet, with everyone looking to be deep in thought.

John turned to Karin, who seemed just as lost as the others. “Let’s head out, shall we? I think the first train will leave soon.”

Karin started nodding slowly, but her eyes remained focused on the ground. “Uhm… yes, in about half an hour. We should go.”

John turned to the others in the room and waved, figuring this would be the last time he saw Ralf and Isabelle at least. Unless Ralf could have his hand back, he would likely stay a breaker for the rest of his life. And Isabelle didn’t seem like the type to grow in strength from the little time he had spent with her.

He didn’t quite know how he should say farewell in this situation. He barely knew the three besides Dennis, but they had gone through a lot despite that.

“Bye, everyone!”

That would do.

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

John stared at the train for a while once he entered the station. So much had happened since he walked out of it, it felt like years had passed. But in reality, it had barely been a month.

“You ready, John?” Karin asked, looking at him from the side. She was carrying a bag of stuff she had bought in the city, mostly filled with clothes and some type of hard candy she "had to bring home."

He turned to her, seeing her worried expression. “Yeah, I’m very ready. Let’s go home.”