Georgie was glad things were finally okay.

Ever since the war ended and Dissonance returned to his usual behaviours, things had been... fine. Just like they were before everything went to hell after Tom arrived. The three went back to protecting the city with their potions, although they had to get Calogero to dig up the flower field and deliver the supply to them now, with Sapana making them instead of Taza. Of course, this took away some of his free time, but he didn't seem to mind. They had found time to do their hunts once more, with Dissonance training them in some new techniques he had picked up while they worked on the new flower field a month and a half back. Sure, Tom's death was unfortunate, but he brought it upon himself, did he not? He knew what he was getting into when he picked up his bow, turned his back and counted those ten paces. As far as Georgie was concerned, only one thing mattered – He finally had his friend back, and things were going back to normal.

"...Hey. Hey, Georgie?"

He looked up, having been busy with writing something down for the past half an hour or so. It was just general City of Dissonance-related work, writing down summaries of some of the resource trades he overlooked earlier that day. He looked up and found Dissonance, no mask and no hoodie on, just a loose white shirt and jeans.

"Oh. Hey Dissonance. What's up?"

The other man came closer, sat down at the edge of the desk and slumped. It was such a minor thing, him being so lazy and relaxed, but with how on edge he had been for the past few months, his friend was more than glad to see him like this. The man ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath.

"I know you've probably still got lots of work, but... the weather's really nice today. The stars are visible and all. And Kason is coming by in a while with some food..."

Georgie laughed.

"Are you asking me out on a date?", he joked, receiving an instant cackle as a response.

For a moment Dissonance tried to calm down, fixed up his hair and smiled;

"With Kason and Sapana there? No way. But maybe on another day, if you're nice."

He crossed his arms and sighed.

"I just... with everything happening, I'd be good to take a break and just-"

"Hang out. Yeah, sure."

Georgie shrugged.

"I'll get changed and we can go to the roof. The view is nice from up there. Remember when you went up there during a hunt and held out there for like... what was it, four hours? Or was it like... five?"

"Six hours... with you and Sapana struggling to get up the whole time."

Dissonance looked at his friend and grinned.

"And then... I ended up resorting to just throwing rocks at you... who knew there were that many rocks up there?"

Georgie cut in;

"And we never even finished that one! We all ended up passing out from not sleeping all that time and Burgess got Sot and Calogero and they carried us home."

Georgie leaned back and smiled.

"Yeah, that was fun.... I missed it."

He paused.

"I'm glad everything is back to normal now-"

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Dissonance was the first to react. He walked to the door and opened it, finding Peija on the other side. He was breathing heavily, bent over and gasping for air. Clearly, he ran a long way and did so quite quickly. He looked up, pulled the local leader closer and muttered something into his ear, earning an instant response. Dissonance's eyes went wide, he turned to the side, and grabbed his mask.

No wait no please-

He picked up a crossbow he kept nearby for emergencies.

Don't go back to it not now-

He slipped on his hoodie and a belt covered in potions.

I don't wanna lose my friend again.

"Come on, Georgie.", Dissonance said, slipping his gloves on.

"Something popped up. We need to go."

"What's going on?"

I don't care, I don't care, don't tell me it'll just hurt more.

"Tom's alive."

No not this again I'm begging.

"Let's end this. Once and for all."

"I'll go."

It should have ended a long time ago.

"But promise me it's the last time. For real."

Dissonance looked back, but he did not speak.

Promise me it's the last time.

Georgie's voice was echoing through his mind above all as he stood still, watching the boy in front of him. He could see the bandages showing under his shirt and jacket, both of which were torn and lazily stitched back together by someone who clearly had no idea what they were doing. Taza was standing at a distance, holding onto a horse by its reins. Dissonance could hear people whispering between each other as they watched the scene before them, holding their torches in ways that allowed them to see but obstructed their faces. Somehow, it was clear to everyone that whatever happened here, no one would want to admit to being witness to it. The look Tom had in his eyes felt so... intense. He wasn't sure what was motivating that boy, but whatever it was, it was far stronger than whatever energy he had in himself when he faced him in that duel.

Dissonance, first of all, looked down at the discs the other had dropped on the floor. The bag was wide open, and all three discs could be seen. The small labels on them were admittedly peeling off, but apart from that, they were the very same discs Tom always carried around. No way for them to be fakes – He studied them closely enough when he had them in his possession for that short while. Of course, he was interested in getting them. They were the ultimate sign of his victory over this kid – Taking away the thing he cared about most and having it handed to him. He could wave that over his head for years to come... and if ever in need of anything, offer them back. Or better – Threaten to destroy them. But he could just take them and break the deal, could he not? Turn this on this child and take everything while he got nothing. But he knew that was not the solution he could afford to go with – In the corner of his eye, he could see them.

He could see Georgie and Sapana, and that was enough.

Promise me it's the last time. He never responded, but he knew with the way they looked at each other a deal was struck. A deal to never, ever go back to that state they all pushed themselves into during that war. Promise me it's the last time. It wasn't about the discs that Tom brought. It wasn't about Lasenberg or how ridiculous its whole existence was. Promise me it's the last time. He knew, deep inside, whatever he did here, whatever his next move was, was about how much he truly cared about the two men standing by his side. It was about how much he valued spending that evening looking at the stars, it was about how much he wanted to laugh about all the stupid things they did during their infamous hunts. Promise me it's the last time. As he looked at Tom, he knew that flame in his eyes wouldn't die out. And as he looked at his bandages and with how much ease he stood tall despite having been pierced by an arrow only a month and a half prior, he knew the vessel in which that flame burned could not be destroyed, either. Promise me it's the last time. And looking at those discs, he knew there was still a way he could spin this into a victory in the public eye, while remaining with those he cared for. And wasn't that enough?

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

It would have been a lot easier if the kid just died.

But alas, here they were.

And so went his response;

"Independence... for three discs?"

Dissonance knelt down, picked up the bag and watched Tom flinch as he did. Taza came closer and grabbed his hand – But didn't say anything else. That one, Dissonance knew, was always good at staying quiet when it benefited him most. If only all of those revolutionaries were like that. If only Tom never got there, if only Will never woke up, if only none of this ever happened and spiralled this much out of his control.

"...It seems like such a stupid deal to make...", he continued speaking, inspecting the contents of the bag.

Maybe if he had committed in the Final Authority Room and finished the four off, granting Errett that title he loved so much and moving along with his day he wouldn't have been forced to stand there, so conflicted. Maybe if he just blew up Lasenberg the first chance he got, and not at a point where it didn't even have meaning any more, he wouldn't be in that situation.

"But it's also... incredibly tempting..."

He watched as Tom's eyes widened in anticipation. Those discs would hang on his wall, forever, and remind him of the mistakes he made that got them there in the first place. But maybe, just maybe, they could remind him of who he made those mistakes for, and why he made such a stupid deal in the first place. The discs would remind him that he gave up everything so that he still had them by his side.

He looked back at Sapana and Georgie.

He looked at the discs once more.

He spoke knowing the whole city was listening;

"...It's a deal."

I promised this would be the last time.

Will, Nat and Fonda got there the next morning. Tom knew why – Walking that distance through the woods at night would have been a death wish. That was okay, though. Burgess was kind enough to let the two boys stay the night at his and Sot's under Dissonance's nose – And at the break of dawn, they made their way to whatever was left of Lasenberg. Scorched soil, rubble scattered about that was once the great wall, and the old flag, still somehow there. Half-burned, covered in dirt and trampled on the ground, but still, there in Lasenberg where it belonged. Tom picked it up when they got there – For a moment, he just looked. It wasn't long before he was interrupted.

"Tom! Taza! What the hell happened last night?"

It was the President that spoke to them. He walked over some of the black bricks that once made up the wall, with Nat and Fonda following behind. The two boys looked back, Taza still holding onto their horse. Tom didn't even want to look the man in the eyes – But this wasn't about him. This was about the whole nation, so as little as he wanted to do it, the Vice-President spoke;

"Mr. President, I've secured our independence."

Mr. President. Not Will. Not even Willz. He was speaking to the President and no one else. He walked up to him in silence, handed him the torn flag and passed him, eventually stopping and taking a seat on top of the remains of what had once been the caravan they were all forced to share, in a memory so distant it felt like a dream. The President looked down at the flag, and then back at the boy.

"What? How? Tom, what did you-"

He cut himself off. He knew he wouldn't respond.

"Mr. Vice-President, what did you do to secure our independence?"

The blonde waited. He wasn't sure why, but after everything he did the night previous, he found himself lost for the right words.

"I gave him the discs.", he hesitated, his voice quivering.

It hurt to even admit it. Not having them nearby for the first time in his life felt unnatural.

"All three of them."

The President, alongside his son, gasped. Even Nat, who had only been told about the discs by Taza, seemed shocked.

"All of them? But... why? Don't they... don't they mean everything to you?"

Tom looked up, the flame in his eyes long gone. The man in front of him didn't even have the courtesy to acknowledge their fight. Not enough respect to apologize. Yet still, the teenager answered;

"It's okay, Mr. President."

He stood up, looking him right in the eyes. It was hard to read what he saw in them – There was some guilt and regret, sure. But he had far too much pride to make that sort of thing visible. Tom shrugged and turned his focus to something else.

"They don't have as much meaning as they used to any more."

The President didn't try to stop him as he walked away. He didn't try to speak or apologize. He knew that right now, that was not the right thing to do. His words were far too hurtful to go away after a messy 'I'm sorry'. He knew he would have to do something else, and right now, he did not have the strength to do it. He gathered everyone around the ruined flag, which he hung on an old piece of wood he managed to recover from the ruins. He propped it up in one of the piles of rubble, letting it flutter in the wind. Next, he asked Nat for a piece of paper and a quill – They were lucky the woman had a habit of mapping the forest, and had more than enough writing materials to spare. Just as he did almost three months ago now, he laid it out in front of everyone and spoke aloud as he wrote the decree... this time, without the signature of a traitor and with independence on the side of their nation.

THE DECREE OF INDEPENDENCE

As we roam our eyes upon the swaths of redwood trees, the pronounced hills to our south and the walls that have sheltered us, I, as the now President of Lasenberg hereby proclaim;

This nation stands united, independent and free of despotism. We stand sturdily, we stand free, and we stand together side by side.

A promise was made and a promise was fulfilled.

From Lasenberg we have prevailed.

He moved his quill away. Somehow, finishing this document felt more bitter-sweet than victorious.

"I sign this Decree first as President, showing all that we are now free.", he started, just as he did all those months ago.

It now felt unreal – If he didn't know any better, he would mistake it for one of his dreams. His quill moved slowly and his hand was trembling – The whole situation was still settling in with him. President Will Ash.

"I sign it second as Vice-President, showing all we stand together.", Tom spoke without his flame, without his motivation.

He snatched the quill out of the other's hand forcefully and wrote his name down with a single, vicious movement. His writing was unclear and messy, a contrast to how carefully he had signed the initial document. Vice-President Thomas 'Tom Indeo' Sabuta.

"I sign it third, showing all we are free."

Fonda stepped up, his movements around Tom far more careful and gentle than usual. He kept giving his father nervous and somewhat angry side-glances, clearly showing he was not happy with him. He played with the quill in his hand for a moment before he actually committed to writing. Flurry 'Fonda' Ash.

"I sign it fourth, showing our bond is unbroken."

Taza stepped up, clearly with a different attitude to everyone else. From the way he looked at everyone it was clear he hated seeing them like this – So torn, so separated. Even his words backed it up – He simply wanted things to be back to normal. He wrote his name down swiftly; Toby 'Taza' Smith.

Finally, all eyes set onto Nat. She stepped up, hesitant.

"…I sign it fifth.", she started, grabbing the quill.

She gave everyone a good look – She truly picked a turbulent time to join this nation, did she not? She wondered if The Blade could see her right now... knowing him, he was watching from somewhere nearby. She smiled – She hoped he was proud of her.

"...Showing no matter what we face, we will stand, unbroken. We will rise from the ashes and we will fight forever."

She put down her name; Nikita 'Natalie'.

The document was raised – And even with all of their anger, it still managed to bring hope.

They knew things would be difficult from here. Tom and Will would take a long time to repair their relationship – But hopefully, it wasn't too far gone to save. Fonda would struggle with his father's, often unintentional, negligence, but hopefully, finally being able to contribute to building Lasenberg far more than he did initially because of his injury would allow him to put his focus somewhere else. Taza would wish for things to finally calm down and return to normal – he would still walk to the burned flower field whenever he felt like he couldn't ignore his feelings any more. But hopefully, with time, his wounds would heal, and another field could grow in its place. And of course, Nat would struggle with the loss of her friend – She would look into the forest and hope to see him one more time, say her goodbyes. But hopefully, eventually, she would move on and try to focus on her present, believing he understood her decisions.

This conclusion to their war was not perfect – Will knew. But he didn't mind it.

He believed that from here, they would finally start moving up.

Hopefully.