The night went on. It was amazing. Cass joined the party, too, with me conveying what she wanted to say. Somehow, all of them were so kind about it all. Accepting.

I felt at home.

We talked for a long, long while. I talked about Ivan again, how he was unavailable and Sarah a reflector. I almost panicked, when I finally got the words out, but the others calmed me down. We’d keep an eye out in Eden. Ivan was smart, too, much smarter than me, he could handle himself. Eventually, I calmed down enough again to genuinely, fully enjoy the night.

We went and did some other things, too, staying out even longer than yesterday.

Eventually, we went home. Parting. The others would head home in trains, tomorrow. That was fine; I said my goodbyes.

Matt stayed at my place another night and left in the morning.

I spent another day with Ann. Another night after that, too. Then another day, until she left in the evening.

A nighttime train was more convenient to catch, apparently, since she could sleep through the journey. She told me she’d dream of me, and it was adorable. I missed her warmth, but that was okay.

Without Matt and Ann, my flat was a little quiet, but it wasn’t lonely. I still smelled Ann on my pillow, for example. I was truly, truly happy.

On the day after Ann left, I met my parents one more time, both of them. I told them I’d be gone a while. I told Ivan, too, on a call. He was busy-busy with work, since he’d just come back from a short vacation, so he didn’t have time to meet.

Honestly, I was just glad. He was available. If he’d been to Eden, he made it back safe. His voice told me he wasn’t in too much trouble. It was fine, for now.

I masked my own coming absence as a longer trip. Dad was sad. Mom was a little disappointed. Beth seemed happy at the promise of some kind of souvenir. I’d find something.

Then, I went to bed one more time.

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The next day, I woke up.

Took a deep breath.

The air was okay, with the filtration machine.

I got up, and set about doing my morning routine.

Life was good.

I brushed my hair. It was a little longer now, maybe in need of a cut, and smooth, although its sheen made it look greasy sometimes. I haphazardly threw on some clothes. They mattered little for what the plan was today, so I went for a simple t-shirt and a pair of comfortable shorts. It was late fall, so I put on a pair of socks.

Then I ate breakfast with a cup of coffee. I had the drink rarely, but it somehow felt appropriate. I didn’t take a look at the newspaper, because I didn’t want to. After breakfast, I brushed my teeth.

It left me standing in the bathroom, in front of my full-height mirror. I breathed in deep, centered myself. Felt the knot of Qi in my chest. It was there. This was real.

Both knots of Qi were.

Knowing what my second core meant, I steeled myself. I felt my path, imprint, hum deep within me, resonating with this. I wouldn’t keep my eyes closed.

I stepped through the mirror.

The first time had been weird. Feeling the glass wrap around my chest, my arms, my face. I held my breath; getting a nose full of liquid portal glass had not been fun, neither the first time nor the fifth.

My eyes were open. The path in between wasn’t long, but it was different now. A thousand people like myself, watched over by a thousand thousand eyes. Malevolent eyes, their pupils replaced by mirrors, their irises too vibrant, too colourful and bright to look at.

So many were focused on me. Nearby ones moved over, staring at me with desire. Like hungry beasts. They wanted what was within my soul. They wished to reach out. Tear those shreds of glass out from under my skin, that core out from my soul, and leave me a dead husk in doing so.

Cass flexed her power. She was my keeper, not any of them.

I felt her, a radiant flame of power in a place that wasn’t quite inside of me at all, yet a part of me. It made me feel powerful, knowing I had her by my side.

Her spite kept the keepers at bay. Imprint hummed. We were defying the keepers, and we would do so. Over, and over, and over again. As many times as it took.

I knew they wouldn’t take it easily. I knew the usurpers wouldn’t, and I knew the divines maybe wouldn’t.

But regardless of all of their wishes, I was going to defy them all.

There was no compromising my freedom for anyone else. I would see Eden. I would see Neamhan. I was going to make a future on both of those worlds, with Ann, with my friends.

I would carve out my place in both those worlds.