The afternoon skies above Caldera were crystal clear, a deep, vivid green that seemed almost surreal. There was not a cloud in sight, and the only hint of imperfection was the slightest haze to the west, over the forest, which suggested rain there, and probably a storm.

It was a perfect day, the first sunny day in a century, and the citizens of Caldera were enjoying every moment of it. Children ran through the streets, laughing and playing, whilst the adults stared at the sky like it was an omen of better times to come.

There was a celebration underway, a festival to mark the return of the sun, and the people were in high spirits. Banners hung from the windows of the city, and musicians played merry tunes as people danced in the streets.

Whilst everyone else celebrated, Eliaria stood by the window, watching Miko's Magic Emporium sign slowly creak in the wind. The store had been closed for days, ever since the incident with the Black Briar and the kidnapped children. Miko was still gone, and no one had seen her since.

Eliaria looked tired, her usually flawless skin was pale, and her eyes were red from crying. She'd barely spoken a word since the events in the dungeon, it was still hard to wrap her head around what had happened. One moment Bastion was there, young, strong and brave, the next he was gone, ripped away by Tiamara's wrath.

She knew that she shouldn't blame herself, he had died saving her life, and he would have done the same thing even if he knew the consequences, but the guilt was still there, a sharp pain in her chest.

She was the healer, she had failed him. For days now she had doubted him, distrusted him, and treated him like a criminal. Now he was gone, and all she had left were regrets and a hollow feeling inside her heart.

A knock came at the door, startling her. She'd been standing at the window for hours, and the sun was beginning to set. Maybe Miko was back from her errand, she thought, she hadn't seen the card trader since the night they'd rescued the children.

"Who is it?" she called out.

There was no reply, just the sound of footsteps, then the door swung open, and Bastion stepped into the shop.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she had to grip the windowsill to steady herself.

"Bastion..."

She stared at him, not quite believing her eyes.

"In the flesh," he said, he looked relieved to see her, like she had been the one who had remained in that hellhole.

She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder.

"I thought you were dead," she whispered, tears streaming down her face.

He returned the hug, his arms feeling strong and reassuring.

"I'm not," he said.

"How... what..." she trailed off, her mind reeling.

"It's a long story," he said.

She pulled back, taking in the sight of him. Apart from a coat he had wrapped around his waist, he was naked, but there were no burn marks on his skin, no cuts, and not a trace of dragon fire to be seen.

"How?" she breathed.

"I'll explain everything, I promise," he said. He looked around the room, searching for something. "Where's Flint?"

Her face darkened, and the pain returned.

"I tried to heal his wounds, but I couldn't," she said, her voice catching.

Bastion's face fell.

"Flint is alive?" he asked.

Eliaria looked up at him, tears staining her cheeks. She felt like a failure, healing was her thing, and once again she had failed.

Bastion took a deep breath, and pushed past her and disappeared up the stairs.

Eliaria watched him go, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She followed Bastion up the stairs, into the bedroom.

Flint lay on the bed, unmoving, the left side of his face scarred and burnt. His eyes were closed, and he looked peaceful.

Bastion sat down next to him, reaching out to touch his shoulder, "It's my fault," he said. "I should have been faster, I should have been stronger."

Flint groaned, his eyes fluttering open.

"Took you long enough," Flint croaked.

"You're alive?" Bastion asked, his voice breaking. "I thought you'd died, you bastard!"

"You're one to talk," Flint replied, a small smile creeping onto his face.

"I've done everything I can," Eliaria said, "but I can't heal the scars, I'm so sorry. I failed."

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Flint shook his head, "I don't know what you are talking about," he said, his voice a hoarse whisper, "girls love scars and this one will give me some serious street cred."

"If you're all healed, why are you lying in bed like a useless lump," Bastion laughed, a broad smile on his face.

"Just following the healer's orders," Flint retorted, sitting up.

"Miko and the kids we rescued?" Bastion asked.

Flint and Bastion exchanged a glance, and Eliaria saw a flicker of fear in Bastion's eyes.

"Have seen her since that night," Flint said, his voice grim. "Hope she wasn't the chosen one."

Bastion nodded, a worried look on his face.

"So..." Flint said, changing the subject, "please tell me you are wearing underwear under that cloak."

As the two friends laughed and joked, Eliaria grew more and more frustrated. It was all so strange. Flint hadn't even asked how Bastion had survived the magma. They seemed more concerned about Miko, and what was all that about a chosen one?

"What's going on here?" she said, finally snapping. "Are you not even going to ask how he survived without getting a single bruise on his body?"

Flint and Bastion fell silent, exchanging a worried look.

"Eliaria," Bastion said, "there are some things that we can't tell you."

"Why not?" she demanded.

Flint shrugged, "Just tell her already, you know I'm no good with secrets."

Bastion hesitated, clearly reluctant to reveal the truth.

"I wanted to tell you sooner, but..." he trailed off, his eyes filled with sorrow. "I just didn't want things to change between us."

Eliaria frowned, "What are you talking about?"

Bastion took a deep breath, "I'm basically immortal," he said, his words so matter of fact that it took her a moment to realize what he had just said.

She blinked, the words still not making any sense.

"But there's a cost," he continued, "someone has to die in my place."

She stared at him, her mind spinning.

"Are you telling me you kill people to stay alive?" she said, her voice a mixture of anger and disbelief.

"Basically, yeah," Bastion said. "But I don't choose who dies, the Tower or the Maker does. It just happens."

She shook her head, not wanting to believe what she was hearing.

"How many people have you killed?" she asked, her voice shaking.

Bastion's face was haunted, and she saw the guilt and pain that was weighing on him.

"Too many," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Almost my entire village."

Her mouth fell open, her eyes widening in shock.

"My mother died, Flint's father, the Protector of our village," he said, "all because of me."

"Why are you telling me this now?" she said.

"Because you are one of us," Bastion said, his eyes meeting hers. "You are family."

She was overwhelmed by emotions, a thousand questions swirling in her mind.

Bastion continued talking, he told her about the first time he'd died, about meeting Patches and receiving the cursed foundation card. About how he'd come back to find his village destroyed, and Patches tearing a spell card that could summon a god out of their Protector's soul.

It was a lot to take in, but as Bastion spoke, the fear and shock began to fade, and she started to understand. Bastion wasn't a monster, he was a victim. Someone had used him, tricked him into taking a dark path.

But it wasn't too late for him. He had saved those children, he had protected them from the Briar. He had risked his life to save hers, and she would be forever grateful.

When he was finished speaking, Eliaria met his gaze.

"So all this," she said, "everything you have done, it's to save your village?"

He nodded, his expression grim. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kept it a secret. It was selfish, but I couldn't stand the thought of you seeing me differently."

"What about me?" she asked, still not quite sure how she fit into all of this.

Bastion gave her a sad smile, "At first we wanted you to come along as a healer, but things changed. You became one of us, a friend— no family. We can't do this without you, and even if we could, I wouldn't want to."

Flint nodded, "What he said."

Eliaria smiled, warmth flooding through her. It felt good to hear someone say that they needed her.

"What exactly are we doing?" she asked.

Bastion's expression turned serious, "We're going to ascend the Tower, claim the wish card and fix everything."

"And then we will deal with Patches," Flint added, a determined look in his eyes.

Bastion's face paled at the mention of the name, "Speaking of which, things have changed," he said.

Eliaria and Flint exchanged a confused glance.

"Things have become bigger than we first thought," Bastion continued.

"What are you talking about?" Flint asked.

"Patches was behind the child sacrifices, he set Tiamara free."

Eliaria's heart sank, she had never seen the man they called Patches, but from the way the two boys talked about him, she knew that he was dangerous.

"How do you know?" she asked.

"One of his minions was there, in the cavern," Bastion said. "He was talking to Tiamara and Lunaris. I don't know the details, I just heard snippets, but he's up to something big. I can feel it. The minion said something about Patches heading to Kel'Veth village. Whatever is there, it has to be important."

Eliaria frowned, her brow creasing. "I know that name," she said, "Where have I heard it before?"

Flint shrugged, "Never heard of it."

"Wait, I think I know where I saw the name," she said, her eyes lighting up. She reached into her robe and pulled out a scroll, unrolling it.

"This is the achievements scroll we got from Rakanar," she said, handing the scroll to Bastion. "Read the last entry."

Bastion's eyes widened, "Defend Kel'Veth village against the waves of demons."

Eliaria nodded, "I thought it sounded familiar. That has to be where Patches is going."

Flint shook his head, "Should we really be chasing after him? He's a monster."

"What else is there to do?" Bastion asked. "We aren't powerful enough to defeat the floor boss, we need to get stronger, and now we have this lead. It can't be a coincidence."

Flint frowned, "You're saying this is meant to be, like some bloody prophecy?"

Bastion shrugged, "Who knows. Maybe the Maker is finally doing something to help."

"Either way," Eliaria said, "we need to find Miko and see if she is still alive. Then we can gear up and head for Kel'Veth village. Who knows, maybe we will be able to save the villagers and take out Patches at the same time."

Flint grinned, "Defeat the waves and get paid, sounds alright to me."

"Ok," Bastion said, clapping his hands together. "Now that's settled, I need some pants. This cloak is breezy as hell."

***