Doublerift arranged for 52 passengers to board the train back to Earth. There'd be 25 people in the first cabin and 25 in the second cabin. In the third cabin, Doublerift seated just Hei and me.

52 returnees was the maximum that this world, the Boundary of Miracles, could fuel naturally in a year. After this trip, no one else would be able to return to Earth for another 365 days, at least not normally.

Doublerift intended to break that rule, by breaking the Boundary itself. He'd siphon this world's energy to fuel additional transportations back to Earth, and in doing so, cause this world to wilt and disappear. Everything that had happened here, all that we had seen – with the death of the world, we could bury it all.

I sat next to Hei on the train. It was just the two of us in the cabin. The upholstered seat was soft enough to sink into, and I had grown tired. But I was awake as ever, my heart thumping. I settled my weight on Hei's shoulder for comfort. He allowed it, and wrapped an arm around me.

We were finally here.

There was nothing outside the windows of the train, nor was there any ground or rails under it. Beyond the cabin of the train, there was only pure darkness. But we knew that in a matter of minutes, we'd arrive back on Earth.

"What will you do when you get back?" I asked him.

Hei faced forward, his gaze empty and still.

"I never really thought about it," he said.

"You were gonna go to college, right?"

"I was. I'm not sure anymore."

His hands, both his own and his prosthetic one, were clenched into fists. I gave them a quick pat.

"Lighten up," I told him. "You don't have to be so tense anymore. Can't make friends acting like that in college, you know?"

The vibration of the floorboards accompanied the monotonous humming of the train's engine. The harsh, artificial light flickered every now and then. Hei leaned back in his seat with a thin exhale. And he smiled.

"You're right," he said. "This is what we've always wanted. You, me…we've made it, haven't we?"

I nodded.

"We've won," he said.

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I rubbed my head against Hei's shoulder, taking in his warmth. "You know, Tanin once told me something. This is a death game, and the victors are simply those that live."

"Yeah."

"Are the victors simply those that live?" I questioned. "Did we win? What have we gained?"

"We've survived," Hei said. "And we've saved all the people here."

"That's not winning," I told him. "We haven't been playing to win. We've only played to lose as little as possible."

Outside the window, a spot of light manifested in the empty void. The train veered towards it. As we approached, I made out the spot of light to be a portal. On the other side was a sprawl of rolling hills, shrouded in mist, and a large red bridge behind them. I recognized it; we were heading towards Earth, towards San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. We would be home soon.

"Hei, I want you to go back to your family," I said, and I echoed his smile from earlier. "Your mom and dad, and your brother. And say hi to my parents for me. Tell them to wait for me."

"Sophia…what are you talking about?"

"I'm going back to Platinum," I murmured. "I'm going to take control of the world and make things right."

My voice trembled, like that of someone who was afraid. But despite the lump in my throat, despite the forming tears, I gave him the biggest, bravest smile ever.

"Hei, I'm going back to win," I said.

His mouth hung open.

"Sophia, please…"

His voice cut through me, sharp and desperate.

"It'll be OK," I promised.

"We can go home," he said to me. "We can already go home, right now."

"I know," I managed to say in a whisper. My chest felt like it was going to collapse in. "And you should go home. You've earned it. I want you to go back, and wait for me. Even if you'll miss me."

His tenseness made me think he'd fight back. But to my surprise, he gave a slow, shallow nod.

"What will you do here?" he asked.

"I'll make this world the best thing it can be. I'll make it a place where people can be happy. I'll let them choose if they want to go back or stay. I'll still need to figure out how to do it. But I'm gonna do it." I swallowed, and I looked straight at him. "Do you trust me?"

"I do," he said. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "And I want to help you do it. I want to stay here. With you."

I chuckled. Hei, you little rascal. After all our efforts, I couldn't even send you back home. Not without going against the dreams I just told you about.

I held him in a hug. I squeezed him so, so tight.

"Thank you for everything," I said.

I still had a Cold Grenade in the destroyed city of Platinum, the one I conjured during my brief fight with Dionysus. I detonated it. In the corner of my mind, I sensed it hitting the building it was next to. With gritted teeth, I activated my Ring of Pursuit.

"Here goes nothing," I told Hei.

[RING OF PURSUIT:

Special ability: Riftchase – You open a portal leading to a target you've damaged within the last minute. 10 minute cooldown.]

A portal opened, and I dove in.

The train continued on to Earth without us.