Before either of the doubles could say anything, Hiral pulled them both in with Attraction and wrapped his arms tightly around them. The “what-ifs” of it not working finally got pushed out of his head as he squeezed his two friends close. The emptiness that’d been threatening to eat him from the inside out eased, and it felt like he could finally take a deep breath.

  A second later, two more sets of arms closed around the trio, with Yanily and Seena joining in. From the sounds of it, one of them was crying.

  Probably Yanily.

  The thought made him chuckle, the avoidance of loss filling him with giddy adrenaline. They’d still lost friends in the fight with the Raze, but at least this was two less. Hiral would take that as a win, at least for now.

  “It’s good to see you two,” Seena said. “Do you remember what happened?”

  “Through Hiral’s eyes,” Left said. “It’s strange. Since we didn’t recombine after that, I don’t remember making the choice myself. Just seeing it.”

  “Are you still you?” Yanily asked.

  Right answered the question by lifting a hand in the middle of the group-hug. Of course, that hand had a pastry in it. Which the double promptly took a large bite of, the results of which covered everybody in flakey fallout.

  “That’s definitely the same Right I remember,” Hiral said.

  “Feels like a bit of an upgrade to me,” Right said, shifting enough the hug broke up, then held his arms out to his sides. “I’ve got all the Meridian Lines now, as well as my own Solar Heart.”

  “And I, the tattoos,” Left said. “You made Foundational Split significantly better.”

  “I did,” Hiral said. “I won’t lose access to my runes if we combine anymore, and you don’t need to combine at all. You’re also no longer limited by a fraction of my solar energy total. We all have access to our full, SSS+Rank capacity now. Not just a percentage of it.”

  “Oh jeez,” Seena said. “I forgot you basically did everything with only a third of your total solar energy.”

  “Just how OP are you going to be now?” Yanily said with a good-hearted laugh.

  “We’ll find out when we track down some squids to punch,” Hiral said, then shared a fist-bump with Right. If there was punching involved, the double would be there.

  “Count me in,” Yanily said.

  “Are their storms going to come back?” Seena asked, looking around at the clear sky, though she did step in between Left and Right, then threw an arm around each of them.

  “Not like they were before,” Hiral said. “Part of the runic equations—thanks to Touch of Genesis—will make it much more difficult to enact that magic again. If we gave them enough time, the S-Rank squids might be able to overcome it, but…”

  “No way we’re giving them that much time,” Yanily said. “I’d say we’re kicking them off our planet, but that implies we’d let any of them live. No way in any of the Nine Hells are they getting away.”

  “Agreed,” Seena said. Then, she looked down at the raid party far below. Or, what was left of it. “Think we need a bit before that, though.”

  “And, the Raze?” Yanily asked. “I know there hasn’t been any sign of them, but what happened to them? Did they get left at the end of time?”

  “No,” Hiral said. “The only way it would work to get us back to now, er, here? Whatever. The only way it worked was if Terminus came with us.”

  “Why?” Seena asked bluntly. “The balance thing?”

  “Not… exactly,” Hiral said. “Genesis and Terminus are the same world, even though they come from different times. Different timelines? I don’t know how it works. All I know is the Raze used the Avatar of Time to pluck Genesis out of its time without breaking the future after it. Because of how it was done, the two worlds were connected. Irreparably.

  “I could no more separate them, than I could destroy the Raze with a broken spoon.”

  “What about a bucket?” Yanily asked with a chuckle.

  “Different story entirely,” Hiral said, then sobered up and continued his explanation. “Because of how the two worlds were connected, where one went, so did the other.”

  “Are you saying the Raze are close?” Seena said, eyes going to the moons dominating the sky.

  “Not at all,” Hiral said. “We all got pulled through the Black Gate, but the difference was the Urn of Ur’Thul. Only Genesis went into it, so it only it got spit out here. Thank you, guys, again, for what you did.” The last part was directed at the doubles.

  “Always here to protect you,” Left said.

  “Usually from yourself,” Right added. “And, we’re glad it worked out. Like Left said, we don’t remember making the choice, but it sounds like we really thought we were going to die. For good.”

  “If not for your unique situation,” Li’l Ur said. “You most definitely would have. The process would have even destroyed me.”

  “I think we can all agree we’re happy that wasn’t the case,” Seena said. “Back to the Raze? If they’re not here, where are they?”

  “The far end of the universe,” Hiral said. “As far from Genesis as I could put them.”

  Seena blew out a relieved sigh. “Which means they’re firmly a problem for another day.”

  “Yes,” Hiral said. “Though, they are still a problem we will need to address at some point. As far away as they are, they will remember everything that happened. I can’t imagine for a second they will just forgive what we did.”

  “Especially when they start craving their favorite drug again,” Yanily said.

  “Exactly. On the plus side, I was able to do a few other things. The big one being when we all got pulled back in time, it reset their power to whatever it would be now, not what it was at the end of time. It won’t be easy for them to get back to being as dangerous as they were.”

  “Doesn’t mean we can sit on our hands,” Seena said, though she shook her head. “Again, a problem for another day. Let’s get back down there to see how the others are doing. I can practically feel Seeyela glaring a hole in me. I’m sure she wants to get back to her daughter, if we’re sure there aren’t any immediate threats.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “There aren’t,” Hiral said. “Touch of Genesis confirms we’re back in the time we should be—though maybe we should double check with Seeyela and GG—and we’re not in a dungeon.”

  “Our ‘plan’,” Seena said, even using air quotes. “Didn’t go anywhere near where we expected it to, but, all things considered, this has to be considered a success. A shitty one, since we didn’t all make it back, but a success.”

  “More of us made it than we had any right to,” Hiral said quietly. “Losing Yully, Dole, and Ilrolik… it’s not good. But, let’s be honest, it could’ve been so much worse.”

  “Shows we still need to get stronger,” Yanily said, one fist tightening at his side.

  “And we will,” Seena said. “For now, let’s get back down to the others. They’ll be happy to see Left and Right too.”

  “Let’s,” Hiral agreed, grabbing his doubles with his scarves. Keeping pace with Thunderclaws and Vili wasn’t any problem, and within the minute, the group landed back with the others.

  “See?” Nivian said. “All you had to do was try.”

  “It wasn’t quite that easy,” Hiral said. “But, I see your point. Thank you for reminding me.”

  “What are friends for?” Nivian said at the same time he went over and gave Left and Right each a hug. “We all know what you two did for us. How you got us back. Saying we appreciate it doesn’t do it justice. I’m glad you’re both okay.”

  “He’s not the only one,” Seeyela said, coming over to join the Death Knight, though she had Sera—of all people—under one of her arms helping her walk. “I saw what happened with the Urn. Felt it too, when the Urn fell into my hands.” She turned to Hiral. “I tried to hold on to it, but as soon as we got to the exit, it just… went out of control. Spit Genesis out.

  “Then, when it went spiraling off through GG, I… I was worried we lost them. Worried I lost them.”

  “I don’t know if I could’ve even gotten them back out of the Urn,” Hiral said. “If there is one thing it’s very good at, it’s keeping souls inside of it. Besides, it all worked out in the end.”

  “Thankfully,” Seeyela said.

  “How about you?” Hiral said. “How are you doing?”

  “Getting better,” Seeyela said. “It felt a bit longer for me than the rest of you, and it bottomed me out on solar energy. Not to mention everything hurts.”

  “How much longer?” Hiral asked. Seeyela had confided in him it could feel like tens of thousands of years.

  “Just a few hours,” she said, instantly dismissing his worry. “A few hours that sucked, but nothing I couldn’t handle.”

  “Your solar energy?” Yanily said.

  “Returning slowly but surely,” Seeyela said.

  “Her body knows better than to suck it all up as fast as it can,” Laseen said. “Her channels are rubbed raw, and her PIM looks like it almost got shaken loose. She’ll recover, naturally, over time. No abilities or fighting for at least a few days. Weeks would be better.”

  “Probably the only reason she’s still here and hasn’t teleported back to Fallen Reach,” Wule said.

  “You bet your ass it is,” Seeyela said. “So, Mr. Raid Leader. Feel like fulfilling your promise and getting me back to my daughter?”

  “Soon,” Hiral promised, his eyes going to the others gathered around. Notably, Drahn wasn’t standing with the others, on account of not having any legs. His eyes had also changed, now swirls of blue and red, with the telltale tears of blue running straight down his cheeks. Hiral walked over to crouch next to the man. “Glad to see you’re still with us.”

  “Barely,” Drahn said.

  “You are too stubborn to die to something this minor,” Igwanda said, and Hiral noticed she wasn’t—for the first time he’d ever seen—holding her bow in one of her hands. In fact, both of her hands were wrapped tightly around one of Drahn’s, like she did not plan on letting go anytime soon.

  “Losing half my body isn’t what most would call minor,” Drahn said, though he was smiling at the Wight sitting protectively beside him.

  “I’ll grow it back after I have a chance to recover my own solar energy,” Wule said. “It won’t be a small process.”

  “He can’t do what Laseen does?” Seena asked.

  “He ain’t True-Blooded,” Laseen said. “It’s not something that awakens in vampires automatically. I needed Fenil’s help to get there.”

  “Ur, anything you can do?” Seena said. “You created vampires, after all.”

  “Did he, though?” Finotol asked. “In our cycle, sure, he did, but if the same thing happened after every reset…”

  “Evidence suggests that while our cycle contained many of the same story beats as previous cycles,” Sera said. “It was, in fact, also unique. Though the Progenitors filled the role of creators, they were, themselves, not present to such a degree in previous cycles. While we cannot truly confirm things one way or another, it is my personal belief that everything that happened… happened.

  “Genesis was trapped within a dungeon that had entrances accidentally opening throughout time and space. The things we saw and experienced—like those Tomorrow showed us with the other worlds—they’re all out there somewhere. They touched the dungeon, interacted with it, and were perhaps, in their own ways, influenced by it.

  “Even now, the lost Urn of Ur’Thul is likely out there. Somewhere.

  “All that is to say, it is very possible that Ur’Thul’s creations are indeed the Undead out there in the wider universe.”

  “So, what do you say, Ur, can you do something for Drahn?” Seena said.

  The little lich on her shoulder shook his head. “Fenil—Tomorrow—didn’t enable Laseen’s bloodline. Just gave her an opportunity to do it herself. Becoming True-Blooded requires a kind of acceptance that cannot be forced. It’s something Drahn will need to do himself.”

  “Like I said,” Wule piped up. “I’ll regrow them later. If there was one thing I’ve learned as part of this raid group, it’s how to regrow feet and…”

  The Grower trailed off as everybody turned to where Devison sat, his back against a stone wall, and his arms wrapped around his knees. By the empty look on his face, he hadn’t even heard the comment.

  “He hasn’t said anything since we got back,” Nivian said quietly.

  “And Loan?” Hiral said, changing the subject, and his gaze moving to the big Shaper laying unmoving on his stomach with his eyes closed nearby. Just looking at the man’s back—somebody Hiral both respected and liked tremendously—hurt. Loan had always been… unstoppable. Even when he was “only” B-Rank, he’d been like a force of nature. If push came to shove, Hiral would’ve always bet on Loan being the one left standing at the end.

  “His injuries are bad,” Wule said. “Laseen and I have done what we can, here, but it’s far from being superficial damage. His PIM is a mess, and the tattoos are actually interfering with our healing. They won’t let the flesh and muscle regrow properly without the tattoos reforming at the same time.

  “Sera mentioned this happens sometimes with Shaper injuries, and she’s helped where she can, but I think we need a Maker healer who has experience dealing with this kind of thing. Even then, the PIM recovery won’t be quick. But… he’s alive. And that’s a miracle itself. The damage, it…”

  “It would’ve killed almost anybody else,” Nivian said. “Maybe even me or Romin. That he stood up to it as long as he did… to call it impressive doesn’t even do it justice.”

  “Legendary,” Hiral said.

  “In this case, I believe that fits,” Nivian said.

  “Is that why his health is so low in the Raid Interface?” Hiral said, looking at the entries for both Loan and Drahn. The archer’s health bar looked stuck at around half, while Loan’s was even lower. Closer to forty percent.”

  “It’s similar to the endurance effect of Supremacy,” Laseen said, then shared that part of the ability as a reminder.

  End—All offensive abilities reduce the maximum health of the target by a proportion of the damage done, by preventing healing beyond that new, lower threshold. All defensive and supportive abilities grant the target increased maximum health.

  “It’s not exactly a debuff,” Wule added. “The damage is being listed as an injury—like we couldn’t figure that out—and has reduced their maximum health until we completely heal the underlying cause.”

  “Now that I think about it,” Hiral said. “Pretty sure the same thing happened to me when somebody punched out my spine.”

  “Our PIMs are such a part of us now,” Laseen said. “Damage to them is just as serious as to our bodies, and harder to heal if serious enough.”

  “You’ll be able to… fix them, though, right?” Hiral said.

  “Fixed yourself, didn’t you?” Laseen said. “We’ll get them back on their feet. After we regrow a few of them.” She added the last part quietly, making sure Devison wouldn’t hear, even if was listening.

  True as the comment was, it brought on a few seconds of awkward silence before one of the twins changed the subject.

  “It’s good you managed to bring back Left and Right,” Wule said. “Losing them along with Yully, Dole, and Ilrolik would’ve been too much. But, if that’s done, we need to get the injured somewhere they can get the help they need. Maybe pick up Osteo if we can. And, even the non-injured, I think they need a minute that isn’t a crisis.”

  “It’s all a lot to process,” Hiral said. “It’ll hit us all differently. For now, though, let’s… let’s get everybody—like you said—somewhere safe.”

  “Where to first?” Yanily asked.

  “Does anybody even know where we are?” Laseen said with her trademark cackle, though it was reserved. Forced.

  In answer, Hiral pointed up to the cloudless sky, and the true stars above Genesis put on display for the first time to their eyes.

  “Home,” Hiral said simply.

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