Here we go, the last chapter for this ‘book’ so to speak. I’ve had a lot of fun writing this so far, and yes I do plan to continue, so without further blabbering on from me, here ya go!

-Tas

Part 15

Ilos, Day 26

The guard laughed, putting his hand on the top of my head and ruffling my hair. “Don’t you worry about the monsters little missy, you just leave that to us! Us watchmen will take care of it for you don’t you fret.” He leaned down to peer into my face. “Actually, you don’t look so well, are you alright? Where are your mother and father? Wouldn’t want a precious thing like you getting sick now would we?”

In a single movement I unlimbered my quarterstaff and swept his feet out from under him. “If you won’t listen I’ll go find someone who’s not as much of an idiot and can actually do their job instead of flirting with random passerby!” I snarled down at him before stalking off.

I knew that was cruel, the man was just concerned about me, but my fuse was so incredibly short lately. It’d been seventeen days since I’d destroyed Travant, and things had not been going well. The Ilosians were generally a kind and caring people, and, as predicted, would often refuse to send me on quests that would put me in harm’s way. It would have been kind of nice have all that goodwill directed towards me if it wasn’t so insulting and based almost solely on my appearance. I might be a girl of not exactly large physical standing, but that had little bearing on my combat prowess. Unfortunately, until I convinced them otherwise, the Ilosians didn’t share my view.

Having swapped sides, so to speak, no longer seemed off to me. I wasn't David or Cariss anymore, I was Aria, and try as I might I couldn’t convince myself otherwise after the messing around in my head that bastard mage did. Being referred to by female pronouns no longer bothered me, nor did my body for that matter, but what did was the change in my social status. Without Nameless traveling with me, I’d been treated like a young and beautiful woman of marriable age, or sometimes even a child, both of which got old unsurprisingly fast. I was constantly underestimated by just about everyone even when they knew I was a champion.

I can’t blame Nameless for leaving, but damn it I hate that guy! If he hadn’t left, Travant would never have happened, and I wouldn’t be this fucking tired and pissed off all the time!

The reactions in the first town I’d come across after Travant were mostly my fault. I was still wearing the black dress because it was easily the best light armor I’d ever seen, and fit to match me alone in as many ways as possible no less, however, it also made me look much more the damsel. It’d taken a lot of work to get them to even let me go outside the walls, much less go kill dangerous and hostile creatures for them. After that I’d taken to only wearing the thing when I was alone, either in my inn room or hunting. Despite the memories attached to it, I really liked that particular piece of clothing, it offered almost complete freedom of movement, was incredibly durable, blended in with the shadows, made no noise when I moved, and, well, it was really soft. So I was a sucker for soft things, sue me.

Honestly if that was all I had to deal with I’d have been alright. Once I made my combat prowess known to whatever town or village I was in, few of the people there gave me any trouble when it came to questing, and with the massive experience boost I had gotten from Travant, I didn’t have any issues clearing even the night quests and mini-bosses solo. The problem was the guilt that I felt over ending so many human lives, slaughtering hundreds of soldiers in my rage and essentially destroying the city single-handedly.

Or rather it was the guilt I didn’t feel.

Even the gardeners the mage sent to stop me, who had been completely innocent, only caused the slightest twinge on my conscience, no more than when I would tell my parents I’d brushed my teeth when I really hadn’t, and that bothered me. I knew I should care about taking that many lives, because Ilosians were just as alive as I was, but there was nothing. I'd even enjoyed killing those who’d been a part of such heinous acts! I didn’t know what exactly was happening to me, but it was another thing I really needed to find out.

The biggest issue though was the nightmares. Every single night, without fail, I woke up screaming or covered in cold sweat after only an hour or two. I could never remember what it was I dreamed about, but I could guess. If that mage had succeeded… just thinking about the result horrified me. If I were honest, I was just running from it, busying myself with questing rather than think about all that was wrong with me and the world, distracting myself from my vulnerability, falling asleep only when too tired to do otherwise.

I'd thought of quitting, of just going back to Ilos, maybe help out some of the less experienced players, but every time I woke up, I found myself pressing onwards, advancing at a furious pace. I had no one to go back to in Ilos, but more importantly, if I fell behind, what would stop a player from doing the same thing as that mage? People weren’t generally the most kindhearted of creatures, and while a lot of them were pretty dumb and therefore of little threat, there were also those who were not only smart, but saw others as tools to be used. There were bound to be a few that were that way, and if one of them gained enough power, there was nothing to stop them from doing whatever they wanted.

After over two weeks of dealing with all of it, I was completely exhausted. Even though as a champion I didn’t need much sleep to maintain my mental and physical health, one or two hours a night simply was not enough, and it was really starting to catch up with me now. My temper was barely better than a hair trigger, and it was getting more and more difficult to concentrate.

It was early morning in the town of Cirsir, and I’d just woken up screaming and frightened out of my wits yet again, so I wasn’t exactly in the best of moods, and had taken it out on that guard. I’d been planning to do some questing before the main event of the day to replenish my money a bit, but that had been the third watchman I'd tried to talk to, and the time and effort it would take to convince the entire town of my capability just wasn’t worth it. So rather than confronting the guardhouse, I headed towards the town gate. If everything went well, today would be the last day I spent in this place as well as on the mainland of Ilos.

Cirsir was about two thirds of the way to the edge of the mainland, and was the closest settlement to the northern Air Gate. In order to access the islands floating above Ilos, a player had to use teleporters known as Air Gates. Each Air Gate was a two way transport to or from a specific island and was locked until its guardian was killed. Such a boss was meant to be taken on by a group of people, but was possible to do alone, if with a lot more difficulty. The fight would take most of the day, but I could do it provided I stocked up on powerful healing potions at the market, and I had used almost all of my money to do so in the previous city.

If there was one place my appearance was a positive, it was the market. Most of the jobs in Ilos seemed to be male dominated, the exceptions being barmaids, innkeepers, cooks, maids, launderers, herbalists, and those in, ah, pleasure houses. That is to say most merchants were men, men that had a hard time focusing on bartering when their eyes were full of me, and I took advantage. I'd learned pretty quick that leaning over a table to get a better look at something also gave the man on the other side a better look at my own merchandise, so I started doing it on purpose, more the more they dropped their prices. I still felt like a fool every time, but I’d gotten stuff for cheaper than I'd ever thought I would, so I could deal with it. Besides, good quality potions were expensive, and I needed the best I could get my hands on for this fight. I might have gone to the market in this town to see what they had, but I'd hardly had enough money for an inn room and my normal bread and water this morning after stocking up on consumables for the boss fight ahead.

I could see the Air Gate the moment I walked through the open gates of Cirsir, a white gleaming archway made of that same mysterious material the plaza in the center of Ilos was made of. It sparkled in the morning sun as whatever was in the stone caught the light, throwing colors everywhere. Beside the glittering arch there was a tree that looked really out of place in the grasslands. Covered in vines and having large leaves on long branches, it wouldn't have been out of place in a jungle, but the Plantea was rather obvious on the surrounding plains.

The golden morning sun felt a little warmer today for some reason, pleasantly burning into my skin as I walked. A slight breeze rippled the knee high green grass and a couple puffy clouds drifted slowly across the clean blue sky. As the noise of the town faded behind me, I took the chance to just admire the beauty that was Ilos.

The sun rested at the top of the snowcapped mountains far to the east, making the clear streams of water that rolled down them sparkle like silver. Beyond those mountains floated the first island to the east, a stream of water falling from it until it dispersed enough that I couldn't see it from that distance. I supposed that it must be a magical sight close up if it was so beautiful from where I was. The grasslands and farms ended in a forest to the west, blocking my view of the rest of the landscape that direction and the island looked fairly flat on top, though I couldn't make out anything else about it. Above me and slightly ahead of me was my destination today: the first floating island of the north. On top of that rocky base was a green field filled with cows, none of which were aggressive. That boss was a large bull that would charge you and could knock you off the island if you weren't careful, all in all a nice break from what I'd dealt with so far.

Shaking my head, I checked over everything one more time as I approached the 'tree'. All my knives were in their places, my spell gem was filled with kasi, the six pouches I had attached to my belt were full of potions, the light armor I'd picked up two towns ago was in good condition as was my quarterstaff, and my hair was pinned back out of my face by my wolf head clip. I should have been wearing my dress, but I hadn't been planning on fighting this boss until later in the day, and I certainly wasn’t going to change out here in full view. Check complete, I cleared my mind of everything and floated in the Stillness.

Like all bosses, this Plantea was not bound by a specific move set; it could use its body in any way it wanted. It was restricted to using only physical attacks however, Plantea couldn't use magic, so I didn't have to worry about it healing itself or hitting me with anything I didn't see coming. It had vines that could grab and whip, branches it could hit with, and roots that would usually try to entangle the feet and get its foe on the ground. That last one was by far the most dangerous to me because I was alone. It wouldn't be too big of a deal in a party where someone could protect me for the short time it would take to regain my feet, but alone I would almost certainly be killed in that brief span of vulnerability.

The Plantea began to subtly move as I came into aggro range, the roots creeping towards me under the cover of the grass, some of the longer vines uncurling from the trunk, a few branches moving even though there was no wind. I didn't give it the opportunity to strike first.

Drawing my long knives, I sprinted forwards. Searing light! Fassi! The thoughts overlapped as I cast the spell, my knives blazing with white light. I swung my blades in large arcs as I charged, my slashes carried forward by the light and burning into the Plantea before I was anywhere close to melee range. The plant let out a low pitched wail, and the ground came alive around me as the roots writhed in the creature's pain.

Vines lashed out at me, but were severed by the waves of light that came from my knives. I burned my way around the trunk, removing as many of the branches and vines as possible before they had a chance to do any damage. Of course, getting that close to an enemy that has so many limbs to hit you with isn't a good idea for very long, so I got out of short range and retreated back towards Cirsir and out of the reach of most of the boss' attacks, letting my fassi spell fade. As expected, the Plantea's vines lashed out, and I cut them down before they could land, shortening them and drawing more cries from the tree.

I was prepared for an extended fight. The Stillness would keep me focused as I slowly trimmed down the plant, preventing it from hitting me by staying out of reach of all but its longest attacks. If the Plantea were truly immobile this fight would be easy, but it could move slowly towards me with its roots, so I had to make sure to stay only in the range of attacks I could handle.

The sun steadily rose, morning transitioning into midday as the hours passed and I methodically ground away at the boss' limbs, occasionally moving away from dangerous looking groups of roots that kept trying to get near me. I was well into shaving away at the actual branches now, occasionally imbuing my knives with fassi and dealing damage to the trunk at range whenever my mana neared full.

Things were much more dangerous now. Some of the branches were thick enough that they took multiple cuts to get through, so I had to either get those attacks in before it hit me or dodge the swing, and had only a split second to decide which. Broken wood and severed vines marked a path from the Air Gate halfway back to Cirsir as I continued to slowly retreat.

A branch arced out and I split it with two quick slashes, revealing a second branch hidden by the first, following too closely for me to dodge and with both my knives out of position to attack. It's learning? I guess when it couldn't hit me with attacks at multiple heights it started trying other things. Well it's fairly injured by this point; I can take a few hits with the potions and healing magic I have prepared and still be safe. With nothing else I could do without expending more mana than it was worth, I mentally prepared myself to take the damage, twisting to make sure I wouldn't be knocked off my feet.

The branch hit partially, cutting into my skin at the shoulder, and there was pain. The Stillness, which might have buffered me a little, shattered in my shock, and without it my sleep deprived brain couldn't process what had happened in time to do anything about the next strike, which caught me full across the chest and sent me flying.

I hit the ground and rolled, letting out a shriek of agony as I tumbled away from the Plantea, coming to a rest twenty yards away. Nothing in all my life had prepared me for this agony. Lines of fire raced across my skin where I'd been cut through my armor, and my gasp brought new spikes of pain throughout my chest as I coughed up blood. Tears flooded my eyes as I sputtered out the one thing I knew would make the pain go away.

“Kasi.”

Light flared around me as my injuries vanished, my spell gem going dark as I used the stored spell. I breathed in tentatively, sighing in relief when there was no stab of pain. A whistling sound alerted me, and I rolled to the side just in time to avoid a two foot thick root that crashed into the ground where I’d been lying. I flowed to my feet, taking a few minor cuts from smaller branches before I could dance backwards, sending a few throwing daggers into the trunk of the Plantea to distract it from attacking while I got out of range. My first thought was to run away, but now that I had awoken the creature it could very well go and attack the town of Cirsir, and they stood next to no chance of defeating it. I had to take this thing down.

The small cuts I’d taken getting away stung as I tried to reassume the Stillness, but again and again questions and fear filled the forming bubble of calmness. Having gone with little to no sleep each night for two and a half weeks, I simply couldn’t concentrate enough to form the Stillness in the midst of battle, and all the things I was frustrated with came bubbling to the surface. Damn those nightmares for keeping me awake, and damn that mage for being the one to cause them, and damn that stupid Nameless for leaving and being the root cause of all of this!

I readied my knives, gritting my teeth and glaring at the plant. “I will take you down you stupid plant. Let’s do this.”

Seconds passed, then minutes, then hours, and I fought a losing battle. Without the Stillness I was always a half step late, a fraction of a second too slow, and I’d gone through my potions and mana at an astonishing rate just to keep myself alive, but now I was all out of options. The Plantea was almost dead, most of its limbs missing, its vines severed, its roots cut to bits, and its trunk riddled with daggers, but I was down to only my quarterstaff, even my long knives having been thrown to give me precious seconds to heal. I'd taken cuts everywhere, and pain lanced through me with every step, every breath. I refused to fall, even exhausted and in agony; I wouldn't lose to this, not after coming so far. I was close to the city now, and though I'd hoped they'd give me aid, they had instead closed their gates and barred them.

The roots under my feet suddenly coiled, grabbing at my ankles. I tried to jump out of them, but my legs simply wouldn't move quickly enough, too weak to dodge with any speed. The attack took my feet out from under me, a pained gasp involuntarily escaping my lips as the shock sent another jolt of pain through me and my quarterstaff bounced out of my hand. The world blurred in my sight, bits of light sparking in my eyes, and when I could focus again I saw the killing blow, a gnarled root two feet thick coming down at me just like before, but this time I was too weak to move. I snarled in the face of death, denying its power, struggling to do something, anything. Then I felt something, something deep inside me for the briefest of moments, and then a shadow fell across my eyes, a pair of swords blocking the blow meant for me, staggering slightly but sending the branch to the ground beside me. There was a silhouette of a man there above me, blocking out the afternoon sun as he straightened to face the Plantea, and a familiar voice spoke in a slightly amused tone.

"Were you always this weak Masso? Surely when I left you this weed would not have given you so much trouble."

-----

With the sun a couple heights above the horizon, the nameless man shielded his eyes against the light, just able to make out his objective in the distance. Cirsir stood just a large dot in the distance, miles away, and beyond it the first Air Gate. He knew Gate bosses could be soloed, though it was very difficult, and intended to do so in order to gain access to the network of floating islands above Ilos. Knowing it would take most of the day to travel to the city, he took his time, arriving at Cirsir in the late afternoon when the sun had begun its decent but the sky had not darkened significantly. An eyebrow rose slightly as he found the closest gate locked, noticing a large number of NPCs gathered on the wall of the city and looking towards the Air Gate that was just a short mile walk from the gates. The guardhouse was located just inside the main gate anyway, so he headed around the wall in that direction to see what the commotion was all about. As the Air Gate in the distance came into view, a small figure fighting the boss just outside the city also entered his vision, and as he came closer the figure resolved into the diminutive form of Aria.

The main gates to the city were closed, and when he tried knocking on them the guard there notified him in no uncertain terms that they couldn’t risk opening the gate while the large creature was just outside the city. From where he stood at the gate, he could see that the battle between the small girl and the boss monster, a large Plantea easily between fifteen and twenty feet tall, had indeed drawn very close to the city. He studied the fight for a moment, considering.

Aria looked ragged, with bloodshot eyes and heavy circles under them, and her movements, while still graceful, didn't have the snap he remembered seeing. The Plantea was riddled with throwing daggers and was heavily wounded, but Aria also had numerous bleeding cuts and nasty bruises. Her Spell Gem was dark and the pouches on her belt that he assumed once held potions swayed emptily with her movements. Even the sheathes at the small of her back that he remembered having long knives were empty.

“She’s been fighting that thing since this morning.” The guard told him through the small window in the gate. “I have no idea how she’s still going.”

The nameless man watched, analyzing the situation. The boss would be valuable to help kill, but having an encounter with Aria would be almost unavoidable unless she died. As he attempted to take the time to consider his options, he noticed that Aria was being pushed back.

The roots at her feet suddenly struck out, and while she started to jump to avoid them, she was simply too wounded or exhausted to move fast enough. The attack swept her legs out from under her and she landed hard on her back, a pained gasp escaping her lips and her quarterstaff bouncing away from her hand. The Plantea wasted no time in starting a finishing blow with a knotted root around two feet thick.

With a heavy sigh he leapt forward to shield the attack. You weren't supposed to get attached. You weren't, but it's too late now. The blow struck hard but off the mark, clearly having not been intended for him. He staggered but stood up straight to face the monster, his back to Aria.

"Were you always this weak Masso? Surely when I left you this weed would not have given you so much trouble."

Without waiting for a reply, he sprinted towards the Plantea, dodging or cutting through any branches that tried to block his path to the main body of the monster. Reaching the boss, he struck powerfully once, twice, three times, carving deeply into its already burned and severely damaged surface. The creature let out an unnaturally loud shriek of pain and began to collapse in upon itself, waving its branches and roots around weakly. Not one to leave something unfinished, the nameless man attacked again and again, cutting through till he reached the center of the trunk and severed the Heartwood that was the life source of all Plantea. He ripped it from the hollow it rested in and cut it open to reveal the rewards from defeating the boss, a pair of Nature Gems and four Nature Stones, which he placed in his inventory.

As the monster went limp, he walked back to Aria, who was in terrible shape and still lying on the ground. Most of her armor was ripped to shreds, and while she was not indecent, it was a very close thing. What little clothing she retained was completely soaked in blood from the huge number of cuts she had sustained, particularly on her legs. Her quarterstaff was a few feet away and in similar shape, very likely unsalvageable.

She was breathing raggedly and staring into the sky, but she had a small feral grin on her face. When he entered her field of vision her golden eyes tracked him, but it took a few seconds for them to focus on his face. She was obviously at the edge of consciousness, her eyelids flickering as she forced them to remain open. “Way to-- take him down-- you fucking-- bastard.” She gasped out, struggling to breathe. Tears dripped from the corners of her eyes as she endeavored to keep them focused on him.

"Ha, save your insults. You chose to follow me after I made it very clear I didn't want to be followed." He pulled a healing potion from one of his pouches and poured a little into his hand, the liquid quickly solidifying into a creamy paste which he spread on some of her more serious injuries, preventing her from bleeding out but nothing more. "Look where you are now girl, the person you chose to follow abandoned you as you should have known that he would, and in order to not be left behind you rushed blindly forward to certain death. I have healed you enough to avert that certainty but I do it so you can hear not due to some foolish fondness." I will sever ties. I will not be attached. I will kill her if it means she will no longer follow me. “Do not attempt to follow me again Masso. Find friends, find people to rely on, but do not find me for I am as likely to kill you as that weed." He backed away from her and turned toward the Air Gate, beginning a slow stride ridden with the guilt over what had befallen her.

“Damn you-- for a fool! You can’t-- do this-- solo-- and neither-- can I! Not anymore! Things are-- changing!” He heard a slow shifting and a groan of effort.

A sharp impact hit the back of his head, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass and the sudden uncomfortable feeling that was associated with injury. A wetness flowed down his back, and he saw the remnants of a weak health potion splash around him.

"Wasteful." He shook his head and turned to face her.

Aria was somehow on her feet, her face bruised and cut and streaked with tears, her clothes in ribbons, her skin and hair covered in dirt and dry blood, and she had wounds that were still bleeding. Her teeth were gritted and she was still breathing raggedly, but her eyes were clear and glaring at him. The sun was at the right angle that it caught her eyes, making the gold of her irises look as if they were on fire. Her inventory window was open, and she dismissed it with a slight wave of her shaking hand.

She shouldn't be standing; she could kill herself if she pushes too hard. "The world IS changing, I agree, but I will not face it with you nor anyone else. Find others if you don’t wish to face it alone, but don't force your own failings on me! I will be fine on my own." He turned back towards the Air Gate and again began to stride forwards, this time a more frustrated march rather than a trek full of guilt.

The anger faded a bit from her voice, joined by surprise. “That-- didn’t hurt you-- then? You didn’t-- feel any pain?”

The nameless man paused for a moment, rolling her words in his head. Does anyone feel pain here? He turned and gave her a questioning look, the kind one gives to someone who said something foolish but asked it in seriousness. "No?"

Looking her up and down, He noticed that she had been acting strangely. Through all the time spent in beta he had only come so close to death a few times without actually dying. Never once had he acted as she did; shaking, shivering almost, and having a hard time mustering words off her tongue. He may have had a hard time standing, but that was just the world simulating his weak state, and maybe his voice wasn't as loud as it could be, but never did it seem hard to speak. She was... strange.

Her angry expression faded into one of confusion, or even despair, and her legs gave out from under her. Collapsing to her knees, she managed to keep from falling completely to the ground, but it was a close thing. Tears began anew in her eyes, leaving clean streaks in the blood and dirt covering her face. “Is it-- only me then?” She whispered in a vulnerable voice.

As her anger faded, she seemed to lose some of her lucidity and sat slumped and shaking with tears streaming down her face. The nameless man noticed some of the townspeople heading towards him and the girl with concerned looks on their faces.

Aria squeezed her eyes shut and grits her teeth, then looked up at him again, pain and determination etched in her face. “Go. You obviously don’t like me or want my company, so go.” She motioned with her eyes towards the now active Air Gate behind him. “Don’t worry about me; I can take care of myself.”

He sensed she was holding on to consciousness with pure will at this point, but with the townspeople coming he certainly didn’t need to worry about her safety even if she did pass out.

"I have nothing against you nor anything against anyone Masso. I'm merely a solo player and you a girl who forced herself upon me." He paused for a moment then shook his head and let out a long sigh. "Rest, I'll take you to an inn."

He moved forwards, gently taking her up in his arms. Her golden eyes stared up into his uncertainly for a moment before flickering closed, her small body going limp in his arms. The nameless man strode through the crowds that had come out now that the Plantea was dead, ignoring them completely until he got to an inn. He rented a single room, then carried Aria up to it, laying her down softly on the bed. There he waited until her breaths were even and stable in her slumber and he knew her remaining injuries would heal naturally. She was safe, and he could leave.

Ilos, Day 27

I woke to the warmth of the morning sun on my face and a distinct lack of pain. Turning my head to look out the window, I admired the sunrise as it crested the mountains to the east for just a moment. I’m not dead. I sat up slowly, noting that I was still pretty hurt and my armor was completely unsalvageable, little more than tatters over my completely unharmed underwear.

Kasi.

Light suffused the wounds that hadn’t healed overnight, mending them in an instant and leaving me with my soft skin completely unharmed. I was alone in what looked to be an inn room in Cirsir. My boots were on the floor beside the bed with my socks, and there was a note on the table along with a few small items.

Discarding my broken armor, I pulled out my dress and slipped it on, then walked over to the table bare footed to see what was there. Two Nature Gems and three Nature Stones glittered at me from where they sat on a folded piece of parchment, the rewards from killing the boss, though one of the Stones was missing. I suppose that was his price for helping me. I mused as I scooped the incredibly valuable items into my inventory, then, curious, opened the letter.

Masso,

I feel some guilt over what has happened but as you said this world is changing and I cannot let myself fall behind. Maybe you were right about me not being able to do everything alone, but I am and always have been a solo player, and that is unlikely to change. You are strong and do not need me to carry on, simply take care of yourself and no weed nor any other monster should trouble you. Also don't trouble yourself over feeling pain. Again the world is changing, and nothing is as anyone had once expected. I have often thought this world might as well be the real one, being that we are unable to leave and have the constant worry of death around our next turn. Perhaps everyone will feel pain after a certain point. Perhaps we'll even have to worry about thirst and hunger being life threatening conditions as they are back home, but for now it would be best not to worry. That all said I write this letter for more than just to comfort you. I'll give you a chance. If you truly are as stubborn as I believe you to be, try to catch up with me, and if you do I swear I will never sneak off in the dead of night nor try to lose you in a rough patch of wilderness. I may even call you by your actual name though I'm long attached to calling you Masso. Rest well and don't get yourself killed.

- Solventus Gale

“Solventus Gale, huh?” I felt a small smile form on my face as a warm feeling suffused my chest. “You’ll see me again, but I’m not going to kill myself to catch up to you, so you’ll just have to wait.”

I slipped on my socks and boots, placing the note in my inventory before heading out. There were still my knives I needed to collect, and I needed a new quarterstaff, but I walked with confidence in my step.

No matter how hard it may seem, I’ve just dealt with what should have been my death and pushed through the most painful agony I’ve ever experienced. I’m not the only one struggling, but I do have the strength to carry on. I will not let the fear of what could be torment my soul. There’s someone out there I can call an ally, and I know I am not alone.

The Air Gate stood in front of me now, sparkling with an infinite rainbow of colors that filled the arch, the portal to the beginning of my journey. I glanced back, taking in the landscape again and feeling at peace for the first time since I was ripped from my friends’ side. If there were people who thought I couldn’t do things because of my appearance, I’d set them straight right quick. There were so many questions that I needed answered, but everything would become clear in time, and I’d see my friends again. For now, there was adventuring to do.

A smile boomed on my face as I turned and strode into the rainbow light. “Ilos? I’m home.”