Half an hour later, they crested a tall hill. When he reached the top and peered down, Nick found himself looking at their destination.

After weeks of crossing the marsh, they had finally reached the Tower of Rizzen. The place where the fate of the Earth and all creatures who called her home would be determined.

He set his gaze upon the immense black pillar dominating the center of the bog, able to see the structure’s base at last. They stood there in a companionable silence, taking in the impossible image. Darkstone Tower was so tall that it boggled his mind, even after watching it draw closer for days.

The base was wider than four city blocks and stretched up for miles and miles. Able to get a sense of the tower’s true scale for the first time since he had viewed it from orbit, the sight explained why Nick had kept expecting that they would arrive any moment. An illusion that had persisted throughout yesterday afternoon and into the early hours of the evening.

Finally, he ran his eyes across the immense edifice, then lowered his gaze to examine the base. What he saw brought a smile to his face and tears to his eyes, his relief so intense that it hit him like a blow. He was able to set aside all the worry, the fear, that he’d been carrying on his back like a millstone. Breathe easy for the first time in weeks, ever since the global events had begun.

With Sophia at his side, Nick let out a long sigh as she draped one arm across his shoulder. He could feel joy radiating from her like a stove, mirroring his own rising delight. The reason why was simple. In a wonderous refutation of their darkest fears, he could see what appeared to be hundreds… no thousands of people walking around the foundation.

More people had survived the blackmist and the chittering horde than he’d dared to hope. Better still, rather than heading into the tower and triggering the next ordeal in the escalating series of global events, they were waiting for everyone to arrive before entering together, just like Nick had planned.

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Better still, their delay meant that even more people were still crossing the marsh. On their way to join the other members of team Earth, like Nick and Sophia were doing. In fact, he could hear some of them now. “Something isn’t right,” Sophia said, turning to face the sound.

His smile vanished when he realized that it wasn’t idle chatter reaching his ears, but panicked voices calling for help. They were so close to the tower that a part of him wanted to round up some backup before charging to the rescue. With their destination in sight, part of him was reluctant to take any more risks. To face danger once again when there was an army within his view.

It was clear that Sophia felt no such dilemma. She went running in their direction with no hesitation whatsoever.

You’re right, Nick fell in beside her. We might not be able to make it back in time. They followed the fearful cries down the hillside and into a section of the bog where long fingers of land and water intertwined to form a labyrinthine mesh. His eyes were drawn to motion ahead, and his gaze landed on a narrow peninsula, where three people were in the midst of a desperate battle.

At the moment, they were trying to hold back a pair of beasts that looked like weasels the size of lions. Nick began analyzing the battlefield, trying to figure out how he wanted to join the fight. As he ran, he took in the image of two women fighting side-by-side. A warrior clad in chain who was holding a broad sword and a round shield, and another in robes wielding a long spear.

The man stood behind them, doing something that Nick couldn’t make out until he changed the angle of his view. That guy must be a ranged specialist, he judged by their formation. Sure enough, Nick spotted a crossbow in his hands, as the man struggled to reload the weapon before the beasts could break through.

At first, Nick was surprised that they were having such a hard time, as their movements were crisp and confident. They’re decently leveled and have clearly fought together before. But then the crossbowman gestured, and the head of his cocked bolt burst into flame. At his signal, the women stepped back and opened a gap between them.

A narrow space through which the man fired without hesitation.