“Now who could that be?” Aria wondered aloud. “I can’t imagine many people would be able to make it out here of all places.”

  A faint mana signature pulled her from her exploration of the Gila border gate, but as she ventured back into the snow, she sensed a second, more faint, signature. While distinct, Aria wasn’t sure where they’d come from or what they were doing so far north. The blizzard had reduced visibility so much she could barely see her hand in front of her face. Combined with the lack of sunlight, it was dangerous just to be outside.

  She shivered as the wind tore through the wintry hellscape, etching a semi-permanent chill into her bones. She wanted to turn around and explore the border gate some more; she’d found piles of firewood, neatly stacked against the wall, but whoever was approaching knew what they were doing; no one in their right mind would venture this far for nothing. The only reason she’d made it as far as she had, with Lacia in tow, was because of her own magic, but overestimating what mana she currently had left made for an unorthodox solution: drag Lacia inside the border gate with her and close the door.

  Log by log, she’d arranged the firewood into a small pile. The plan was to drag Lacia inside and out of the cold; the tent and sleeping bags were only a temporary fix, and they needed something to prepare food with, too. Cold, mushy meals sounded about as appealing as standing barefoot in the snow.

  Dimly lit and bitter cold, the border gate wasn’t an ideal shelter, but it beat the tent by miles, flapping in the howling wind, threatening to blow away with every gust. Besides, there was no wind inside the gate, and the only snow was piled near the entrance; it would melt once she lit the fire, something to warm both her and Lacia. Hopefully, it would ease the strain on Lacia’s body as she healed, but even that would take months, at the very least.

  “But before I do any of that, Let’s figure out who was dumb enough to come all the way out here. Although,” she posed, “they might actually know what they’re doing… Still, my mana levels are super low and so are Lacia’s. I can barely feel her mana myself…”

  Regardless, she wasn’t taking any chances. She spent the next several minutes casting a low-level warding, something to throw any potential pursuers off, but it was a chore. Under normal circumstances, it only took around an hour for Earth’s leylines to restore even the most depleted magic levels in humans. For Aria, It had taken several hours just to restore a small fraction of her own mana.

  “The problem is that I can’t restore my mana fast enough,” she gritted. “If I’m struggling, how in the world are you faring, even this well?” Aria stared at the tent for another minute. “Whatever. The warding is up. Weak, but it should be enough to fool most people.”

  Out of her peripherals, she watched as a dark shadow broke through the wall of blowing snow, followed by a second moments later. She closed her eyes, temporarily eliminating each of her five senses one by one as she entered a heightened state of consciousness. She could feel the crunching of snow underfoot two sets of feet, the moisture on their breath as it froze upon exhalation—even the beating of their hearts. What she didn’t sense surprised her more than what she did: there was no malicious intent.

  “There’s definitely two people. One male, one female, but their mana levels are also super low. Who would decide to waste all of their magic just to make the trip out here?” An idea sprang into Aria’s head. “The cool thing about telepathy is that its mana-usage is pretty low,” she mumbled. “Sadly, this really isn’t the time to learn something new. Still, if I can connect to whoever’s out there, this could be huge.”

  She took a deep breath, inhaling the freezing air as it filled her lungs. The cold air helped her concentrate, focusing her thoughts on the female; she wasn’t fond of poking around inside of a guy’s head. While telepathy was intermediate-level magic at best, for someone with no practice, it might as well have been an undecipherable spell meant only for the highest-skilled mages. If she missed her target, her consciousness would slingshot back at her like a rubber band; she’d be struck by debilitating migraines, rolling blackouts— She even ran the risk of permanent, irreparable, brain damage, and that was if she was lucky. The worst-case scenario: unpredictable seizures and possible death by stroke. Despite the risks, she concluded the potential reward outweighed the dangers of novice spellcasting.

  “My luck has been awful recently, so please let this work,” she panted. “If there’s a God out there, or some higher power, I beg of you to lend me your help just this once.”

  A growing ache etched its way across Mana’s forehead as her nerves tingled with numbness. She felt trapped between wake and sleep, consumed by fleeting moments of both. The border gate wasn’t far, but if her mana levels didn’t rebound, and soon, she’d be as lost in the snow as the absent daylight.

  “Brendan,” Licht warned, “her mana levels are not improving despite her not using any magic. The leylines around you should be working to replenish them but they just keep falling. She has used ninety-five percent of her mana since you started out.”

  Brendan cursed. “And I don’t have enough to get us back, either. Sure hope whoever is out here with us is friendly,” he joked.

  Mana lifted her head from Brendan’s shoulder; he’d joined her on the ground. “It’s ok,” she said woozily, “I’m good now.” She attempted to stand, squarely focused on the snowy ground. Her face was confronted in concentration.

  “Hey, before you get any further, look me in the eyes. Can you see me? Is your vision clear?”

  “Uh, yeah. I can see you,” she lied.

  “You’re staring straight past me, Mana. We can’t go any further with you like this. We’ll have to wait for my mana to replenish itself before we can make the trek back to Buunit.” She began to sway as the ensuing headache filled her ears with a static hum. “Yeah, this is not what I was hoping for,” Brendan admitted.

  “Am I going blind? Can’t think straight…” Her thoughts were muddled; anxiety crept into her veins like a neurotoxin. Unexpectedly, a voice shoved its way through the jumble of haywire thoughts and chaotic emotions.

  “No, but your mana levels are dangerously low,” a female voice replied.

  “There’s a voice in my head,” Mana giggled. “Huh? I laughed?” She felt her grip on reality loosen. With what coherency she still had left, she impulsively reached out, clutching Brendan’s pant leg before she lost consciousness.

  “Licht, did you hear anything? She just passed out but said something about a voice in her head.” He looked down at Mana, moving her face away from the snow.

  “No. I didn’t hear any—”

  Brendan held a hand up to the Leyliner. “Hold on. There is someone else here. I wasn’t sure at first,” he said softly, “but there’s definitely someone about a few hundred feet from us.” He tensed his muscles, consolidating what mana he could conjure. “This might be a stupid idea, but I’m going to send a quick mana pulse out.”

  “Like magical sonar?” Licht replied. “If you die, I’ll construct a shrine in my future apartment for you two.”

  Brendan chuckled. “Maybe don’t be so hasty there, pal.” He sent a weak pulse of mana through the air as the outline of a person revealed itself through the snowstorm. Staggering through the snow, a grainy outline revealed itself to him. “I think it’s a woman,” he said, noting the slim figure and what he assumed was long hair, “and it seems there’s a small mana-disruption field nearby, too.”

  “You don’t think they’re lost, do you?” Licht questioned. “If there’s a mana-disruption field, even a small one, then we know there’s another magic-user nearby, but when you say the field is weak, it makes me think they could be just as low on mana as you are. But why are the leylines not replenishing anyone’s mana?”

  “Good question, and one I wish I knew the answer to. Still, the way they’re walking doesn’t seem threatening. In fact, I’d almost say they look… hurt.” A small tug at his pant leg returned his attention to Mana. “She’s awake again?”

  “Go to her,” Mana groaned, one hand pressed against her forehead, the other clutching Brendan’s pant leg.

  “If you’re slipping between states of consciousness like this, we’re in more danger than I thought,” Brendan affirmed. “If you can sleep, just—”

  “That woman— Lacia—” She passed out again before she could finish.

  His expression changed to an aslant frown. “Alright, so who are you?” he muttered, staring into the snowy void. The outline had faded.

  Aria tightened the laces on her boots as they compacted the snow beneath them with every step, uncertainty laid out before her.

  “Hang tight, Lacia,” she gritted. “We’re all going to make it out of here. Alive.” She stared into the indomitable, wintry void. “I’m not doing this for myself,” she paused, “I’m doing this for you.” She threw the hood of her coat over her head and stepped out of the tent. “Black tights and a white coat. God, I look like a walking snowman.”

  Brendan was bent over Mana, shielding her from the wind. “Man, this sucks,” he said through chattering teeth. “It’s so damn cold out here, and it won’t stop snowing!”

  The Leyliner floated around to face Brendan. “The leylines that flow through here are rich in mana,” Licht explained. “You should have enough to get to the border gate before long, but I still can’t figure out why your Mana’s levels aren’t being replenished yet…”

  Riding the wind, a strong magical presence roared through the encroaching darkness; there was no masking its powerful presence. The Leyliner chirped and spun as Brendan’s mana collided with the approaching stranger’s. Snow whipped into whirlwinds. The hair on Brendan’s arms resembled needles. The two mana fields were distinct but uniquely complimentary, like the sun and the moon.

  “Did you just sense that through the Leyliner? Seriously? Now that’s wild.”

  “Uhh, yeah,” Licht replied, shocked. “Wow! I was saving the mana-detection feature for version 1.1. There must be a bug in the programming that inadvertently added the feature early.”

  “As comedic as ever,” Brendan said, rolling his eyes.

  He picked Mana up from the ground, holding her in his arms. They’d come this far; it was the least he could do while she was in such a vulnerable state. Math wasn’t his strong suit, but he calculated there was a fifty-fifty chance that whoever was approaching was friendly.

  “Who are you?” Brendan demanded. “Are you a snow…woman?” He looked away, trying to hide his laughter.

  A girl, about Brendan’s age, emerged from the darkness as she threw the hood of her coat off, revealing snow-covered eyebrows and red, flushed cheeks. Her choice of waterproof gloves, and thick coat acted as makeshift camouflage; her black tights juxtaposed the wall of white behind her.

  “What a way to greet the girl who saved your friend from being consumed by a devil,” she said, hurt. “Whatever… That girl you’re holding, let me see her.”

  “Excuse me? You want me to just… hand her over?” He shook his head. “Better question. You know Lacia? Wait, wait, wait. How do you know who we are?”

  “I don’t know who you are, but what other reason would you have for coming all the way out here? Besides, I dug around in your friend’s head a little which is how I actually know what you’re after,” she grumbled. “I’d say you can trust me, but literally every villain ever says that, so—” She walked over to Brendan as he took a step back. “You pinged me with your magic earlier, did you not? If you still don’t trust me, you can check my mana levels for yourself.” She winced as she moved a hand to her stomach. “And I’m still not fully healed yet, either…”

  Brendan halted his backwards approach. “What do you mean you’re not fully healed, though? I can’t get all three of us out of here myself, so please don’t need my help. We’re tapped, as is.”

  “Will you just let me see her?” the girl asked, impatient. “She’s ill. That’s why her mana can’t restore itself. You let her overexert herself.”

  “How do you know all of that, and what are you doing out here?” A million-and-one more questions poured into his mind. “Can you at least tell me your name, and how did you find us?”

  “I’ll explain on the way.”

  “The way to where?!”

  “The Gila Border Gate first, then the person you’ve been looking for this whole time.” She turned her back to Brendan, motioning for him to follow. “Oh, and I guess I can give you my name. It’s Aria. Nice to, uh, meet you, I guess.”

  “Uh, yeah. Likewise. Name’s Brendan.”

  “I know,” Aria said, nonchalant.

  “But you just said you didn’t—”

  “Correct.”

  Brendan sighed. “Let’s just the hell out of the snow.”

  A large pile of tattered clothing, wooden torch hilts, and broken twigs littered the entryway to the Gila border gate, all separated into neat piles. It was almost as if someone had been foraging for materials before abruptly leaving the job unfinished. Had Aria been trying to build a fire?

  “Doubt whoever was here was looking for a real thrilling camping experience,” Brendan mumbled. “What is this place?”

  “Some of those piles are my doing. We need warmth, and I think I have enough mana enough to start one. More importantly,” Aria answered, “this is the inside of the Gila Border Gate.” She brushed her fingers through her hair, the white snow reminding Brendan of marshmallows in a cup of hot chocolate. “Leave your friend here for a moment and help me gather this junk into a big pile so I can light it. I promise, she’ll be safer anywhere than out there.” She stared into the howling snowstorm.

  “Uh, yeah,” Brendan said, leaning Mana against the wall. “So, explain to me: where is Lacia, exactly? And how did you get so far in this storm?”

  “She’s in our tent, a few hundred feet from the border gate. Before the freeze overtook the ship, she managed to break her foot, but she needs a doctor. I can’t heal her,” Aria explained, adding a handful of twigs to the growing pile of kindling. “The sooner we can make this fire, the sooner I can go and grab her.”

  A loud snap bounced off the concrete walls as a quick burst of heat and light melted the cold darkness from Brendan and Aria’s bones. The flickering firelight chased the shadows away, clambering back into their musky corners. Dark circles cast their own shadows beneath Aria’s eyes, an unintended consequence of the now hearty fire. Her skin looked clammy, and dried blood lined the corners of her mouth.

  “You’re in no shape to go back out there,” Brendan declared. “If the tent is the bright orange thing I saw from way out, I’ll get her. Not to rain on your parade or any moral code you’re operating under, but you look like hell. Stay here, rest, and I’ll be back with Lacia.”

  Aria sighed. “If you wouldn’t mind. Fighting devils takes a lot out of a girl, you know? When you get back, I’ll explain more, including about your friend.” She gave a weary smile.

  “You’re injured, too. Give me a few hours and I might be able to patch you up some,” Brendan said as he stood up. “Alright. I’ll be right back with Lacia. Just try to keep warm, and don’t murder my friend or something weird.”

  She frowned.

  “She has Mana-Contraction Syndrome, or MCS for short,” Aria explained. “I can help her, but it’ll have to wait until morning. I haven’t slept, well, in days. Oh, and speaking of sleeping,” she inquired, “why hasn’t the sun risen? Is it not, like, midday?”

  Brendan scratched his head. “I was hoping you’d have the answer to that one,” he said. “Look, there’s a lot going on out there right now. This is way bigger than you or me, but you already know that, don't you?”

  Aria stared into the fire. “I’m going to go slow for you, then. How familiar are you with devils?

  “…Huh? Are you being genuine or is this, like, a joke or something? I’m not the religious type, if that’s what you’re asking. Angels, gods, devils— I have no reason to believe any of it.” Brendan returned to his place by the fire. “When you first mentioned fighting a devil, I legit thought you were joking. You are just kidding, right?”

  She leaned back until she was level with the floor, arms at her sides. “I wish I was joking, Brendan. These things—devils—are real, and I won’t be able to defeat another one. Not alone.” She lifted her head up, catching his gaze. “This is me asking you for help. I’m spent, Lacia is critically wounded, and your friend is going to be out of commission for a while, too.”

  Brendan folded his arms. “If what you’re saying is true, I have a friend who just might have a little more information. Assuming I believe you, what is it you’re wanting from me?”

  She stretched her hands toward the ceiling. “When I first met Lacia… err, met her for the second time, she was like a stranger to me. I didn’t know who she was, I didn’t recognize her face—nothing about her was familiar. Why?” She recalled the early days of their technical reunion. “After I walked into her nightmare and met Lucifero, something happened—some kind of weird reaction. After I defeated him, I remembered my past, and some of the most precious times I’d spent with Lacia.”

  “Okay. Stop there. You ‘walked’ into a nightmare?” Brendan shook his head. “More to the point, you and Lacia have a history? Now that’s—”

  “I’m not proud of what I did, Brendan. Don’t call it interesting. It makes me sick to my stomach to think about how I treated her the last couple of weeks or however long it’s been— God! I don’t even know anymore! Does it matter?”

  He threw up his hands. “Hey, now. It’s okay! Look, the fact of the matter is, everything you just told me changes things. If you’re not my enemy but friends with Lacia, I think that makes us allies.” He scratched his head. “At least, I think that’s how most war novels go, anyways.”

  Aria chuckled. “There’s no reason you should trust me, though. I treated her like dirt, stuck her with a tracker—I even hit her, but that last one was a freebie since she elbowed me in the head,” she mumbled. “Like, I don’t know how to explain it, but it didn’t feel like me.”

  Brendan walked over to Aria, sitting a few feet in front of her. “I appreciate your honesty, but you obviously feel some kind of guilt and regret, right? You saved her from a, uh, devil, and brought her all the way out here, coincidence or not that we all met.” He held out a hand. “So, are we good? I think we could make for a pretty good team, you know?”

  She struggled to find the words to say. “I— Yeah… I think this is the right thing to do,” she said, grabbing Brendan’s hand. “I’d be happy to ally with you and, uhh… What’s your friend’s name…? Sorry. I only poked around enough to figure yours out.”

  Brendan grinned. “That’s Mana. She’s known Lacia since they were kids. Without her, this journey would have been impossible. Still, she put herself in danger to get us this far. I think that should give you a pretty good feel for her determination.” He pulled Aria into a sitting position. “By the way, there’s one more person I want to introduce you to. Licht, you still chilling?”

  The Leyliner suddenly whirred to life, revealing itself to Aria as it hovered next to Brendan. Aria raised an eyebrow, unsure what to make of the strange, cube-shaped device. She wondered if she’d just allied herself with a technological genius or some kind of super nerd. Either way, she was both confused and thoroughly intrigued.

  “I presume you’re Aria,” the Leyliner chimed. Aria quickly distanced herself from the device. “My name is Licht, and this thing I’m talking through is called a Leyliner. I promise I’m not some kind of advanced artificially intelligent program from centuries in the future,” he laughed. “I guess I could have worked on my introduction first, though,” he said, pensively.

  “Okay then… Well, it’s nice to meet you, Licht, but if I may, might I ask why you aren’t here now? In person?” She crawled back to her place near the fire, examining the Leyliner like a child’s toy.

  “I’m not magically adept in offense or defense, but the little magic I can use I’m able to infuse into this device I’m speaking through. I’d only be a liability, otherwise. This is the best way for me to support Brendan and Mana, and, of course, you and Lacia as well, now.”

  Brendan added onto Licht’s introduction. “You see, he’s also a history buff. Not only that, as you can see, he’s also really good with technology and programming. As for myself,” he said, “should I let you do the honors, buddy?”

  “Don’t mind if I do!” Licht said. “Brendan and I have known each other since at least high school, but we might go further back than that, even. My brain’s a bit cooked at the moment. Anyways,” he continued, “Brendan also has a huge heart, and he’s good with magic. Uhh… He likes night drives, his favorite ice cream flavor is peanut butter, when he’s not—”

  “O~kay,” Brendan said, cutting Licht off, “I think that’s enough. I don’t think she particularly cares what kind of ice cream I like,” he laughed. “Well, with introductions out of the way now, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

  Aria pointed at herself. “Me? What is it you want to know? If it has anything to do with your poor fashion sense, I’m afraid you’re too far gone for my help,” she teased.

  “Hurtful, but no. That’s not what I wanted to ask.” He gestured with his hand, opening his palm. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard of a certain Alurian myth, have you?”

  “There are a few I was told as a little girl, but— Wait…Considering what I just told you, you’re not referring to the one about the Reverse World, are you?”

  “Think about it, Aria,” Licht said. “Lucifero attacked Lacia in her dreams because he was after something. From what Mana and Brendan have both told me, she was taken by some strange man who just appeared out of nowhere.” The Leyliner whirred over to Aria. “If we connect the dots, all three things are related in some way. In fact, the involvement of the devil, Lucifero, adds weight to another ancient Alurian story.”

  “There’s more to all of this, including the second story Licht just mentioned. I think I may be able to offer a few more bits and pieces to the puzzle, but did Lucifero tell you anything else? Anything at all?”

  Aria shifted her eyes to the side wall and back. “I don’t like where this is going so far,” she pouted, “but he did tell me he was the third ranked of the Reverse Royalty. Before you ask, yes, I’m absolutely certain I defeated him.”

  “Ok,” Brendan said. “At this point, the rest of the Reverse Royalty probably knows of Lucifero’s defeat. Like you said, you can’t fight another devil alone and we wouldn’t let you, anyway,” he added. “The next fights won’t be so simple—especially against any devils of similar or higher rank to Lucifero. So, the question begs: how do we deal with something that powerful?”

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  “There’s more to that second story that I think will help, like Brendan said, “Licht offered, “but I also think it would be best if we waited for Lacia and Mana to regain consciousness first, seeing as this involves them, too. The way I see it, you’re both exhausted and your mana levels are about as barren as my alcohol cabinet,” he joked. “I need to make some software updates anyways, and conversation will distract me from my work, so why don’t you two try to get some sleep?”

  “Licht’s right,” Brendan said. “I can heal your stomach wounds once I get some mana back, then we can focus on fixing Mana up. We’ll plan our next move after that. Besides, it’s not like there’s an on-demand movie streaming service out here.”

  Aria was hesitant to agree, but she didn’t argue. She was exhausted; in her current state, she wasn’t of much use to anyone, much less herself. With the addition of Licht, Brendan, and Mana, she felt like the hope she’d abandoned had been rekindled, but life wasn’t so simple, and she knew that. Hope would be the one thing that got her killed if she wasn’t careful.

  “Alright, fine,” she caved. “Don’t let me sleep too long, and if you have any weird dreams, tell me.”

  “Weird dreams?” Licht and Brendan echoed.

  “You’ll know if you have any,” Aria said, closing her eyes.

  Sleep would be a welcome relief, but Lucifero’s interference with Lacia’s unconscious mind wasn’t something she’d been able to wrap her mind around yet. What was it that he wanted, and why?

  “Perhaps it has something to do with that other world her mind subconsciously escaped to, but that doesn’t explain why our wounds are following us between realms,” she puzzled. “This feels way too much like some kind of twisted alter-fiction…”

  Brendan was the first to stir, stretching out across the concrete floor. He felt strangely rested. He looked over to the fire, now a pile of ashes and smoldering embers, then at Aria, several feet from the edge of their makeshift fire pit. The dimly lit coals embellished the border gate in a warm, orange glow. Thankfully, the smoke had managed to find a way to filter out.

  “She must’ve gotten too warm laying by the fire and all,” Brendan mumbled. Her breathing was ragged and inconsistent before it steadied itself a moment later. He heaved a sigh of relief. “I’m just glad she’s hanging in there… This whole journey has been rough on everyone. That being said, I guess I better check on the Leyliner, too.”

  The device gave a low hum as he approached. It reminded him of an oversized plastic building block, like the ones he used to play with as a child. He tapped the top of the device with his finger, initiating a holographic text box that popped out in front of his face: Software Update Commenced.

  “Software update, huh? He must’ve been busy.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Can’t say I blame ya, buddy. Trying to find your own ways to support us out here…” He looked towards the far wall where Lacia and Mana rested. “Huh? Now I know she wasn’t like that before I fell asleep,” he chuckled. Mana’s head must have fallen into Lacia’s lap at some point. “Maybe she woke up and saw Lacia was here, too. Hmm.”

  “Their resolve is strong. They will be just fine,” a disembodied voice came. “You, however, I am quite curious about. “What is it that motivates you, Brendan Greyriter?” The voice was strangely… comforting.

  “Apparently, it’s my turn to hear voices in my head. That’s wild.”

  “Ahh. You have a sense of humor. I like that,” the voice said. “I have already paid Mana multiple visits. Her heart has been battered and bruised, but her motivations are clear. However, I have yet to determine what drives you. What is it you seek to gain?”

  Brendan wracked his brain. “A strange voice, and one that claims to have visited Mana several times already… Are you who she’s been calling Omnis?”

  The embers suddenly began to smoke, smothering the room in thick, white smoke. “What—? Where is this coming from? We didn’t burn anything that would turn the smoke white, and the fire isn’t even lit!” he coughed, eyes watering.

  He took a deep breath, expecting to inhale a plume of smoke, only to find the air was clear. Opening his eyes, he couldn’t believe what he saw. The border gate was nowhere to be seen. Instead, an ethereal, white room had taken its place. No… it was more akin to that of a large hall, nestled inside an alternate plane of reality: time didn’t flow, and space was stagnant. He was hesitant to even call it a room as the space expanded into infinity. Aside from the trickle of water that fell from the vaulted ceiling, everything was still. Only the reverberations of the water droplets seemed to obey the laws of physics.

  “Or maybe not,” he said, watching as the water droplets dripped in reverse, splashing onto the ceiling rather than the floor. “Where in the world am I?”

  “Allow me to show you something,” the voice said.

  A bubble of shifting colors drifted into the palms of his hands. “If emotions could take corporeal form, this bubble would definitely be the manifestation of it. Man, this place just gets weirder and weirder. What a trip!”

  “That bubble is the culmination of the heart of someone who cares for you very deeply. It yearns for the one thing that can fill that which consumes it. Can you feel the tears that have been shed? The uncertainty and fear that comprise every drop?” The room began to shift in color before rectifying into a fiery, sunset-orange. The voice ebbed with a heavenly aura. “Now, let those emotions imbue themselves into your heart, Brendan Greyriter.”

  The colors shifted again, this time into a mixture of orange, silver, and blue. Brendan felt as if he were being transported through space-time itself. Colors congealed into a whirlwind of emotions he never even knew existed. Tears began to form in the corners of his eyes until they streamed down his face in torrents as his heart paraded in his chest. Every heartbeat brought about a new flood of emotions that tore through him like a meteor blazing through the atmosphere. The emotional scars that had hidden themselves away in his heart began to resurface; he had forced them into submission before locking them away, afraid to face the past he’d chosen to forget.

  “Brendan?” a female voice called. “Brendan, are you ok?” He opened his eyes to find a girl standing before him. “It took you long enough,” she said, voice quivering.

  The sun had reemerged as it began to set. Grass sprouted through the rocks that littered the ground, eroding as time passed, back into the Earth’s loamy soil. An expanse laid out before him: an open field. Wet blades of grass grazed his fingers as he balled his fists into the cool earth. His tears turned the soil into dark shades of brown, dirt smearing his shirt as he clutched his chest. A warm breeze transformed his hair into streams of gold in the setting sun.

  Brendan lifted his head up to find a younger version of himself standing before him. The girl from earlier had suddenly disappeared. He dried his eyes, new emotions lining up one by one as if they were preparing an assault on his heart. Steadying his breathing, he watched as a scene from his childhood played out before him.

  “Young master, please come back inside,” a weary voice called out. “You’ll catch cold!”

  Brendan hadn’t noticed the downpour at first, but he also hadn’t felt the rain on his skin until now. The exchange between his younger self and what looked to be a well-dressed, older gentleman resumed, but something about the exchange felt vaguely familiar. Regardless, he surmised that the scene playing out before him had to have taken place at least a decade earlier.

  “I told her I would wait for her to come back home like she promised she would. This is something I have to do,” Brendan’s younger self shouted through the pouring rain.

  He stared down an empty road as if he were expecting the arrival of someone important at any moment. The rain had turned the pavement to glass, reflecting the canvas of solid gray clouds overhead—a reflection of the turmoil in his heart.

  “Your mother and father would have my head if you caught cold on my watch. Come inside. I’ll draw you a hot bath and—”

  “No. I told her I would wait. I’ll stand here like I promised I would. They can’t take her away…” He balled his fists in frustration as he turned to face the man before falling to his knees, slamming the ground. “Tell me they can’t take her, Hobson! Tell me!”

  “What is this?” Brendan questioned as he watched the dramatics unfold before his eyes. “Why don’t I remember any of this? And who was I talking about?”

  “Young master, I understand your frustrations, but there’s nothing we will be able to do if you continue to stand in this rainstorm. Aria will be alright. She is going to be with her new family now, and we have to accept that. Someday you, too, will find the perfect home, but until then,” Hobson crouched beside Brendan, holding an umbrella over the two, “please come back inside.”

  A thick mist began to crawl across the ground, raindrops quickly cooling the sun-scorched pavement. Brendan felt as uncertain as the growing haze, unable to establish what he was feeling, where he was, or what he was witnessing. The little boy was definitely him, but he didn’t recognize the man he had called Hobson. To make matters worse, the way he’d name-dropped Aria… It was as if he’d known her all his life even though they had only met for the first time less than a day ago. Before he could manifest even the semblance of an explanation, the scene shimmered and melted away like chalk in the summer rain.

  Emotions were his friend, and he made sure everyone knew, but these emotions… They were more than just everyday feelings; these were far stronger and more volatile. He felt as if someone had unleashed a torrent of unregulated emotions, forcing him to submit to the very same forces he’d tried so hard to imprison. They consumed him as colors pulsated and morphed into new images. For a moment, Brendan thought he’d caught a glimpse of the border gate, but it was well-lit and bustling with life—a complete one-eighty. It must have been his imagination.

  The scene transformed again, shimmering like ripples in water. To his surprise, he did find himself back at the Gila border gate. Aria was where he had left her, and Mana was still curled up next to Lacia, asleep. He smiled. Lacia’s return was a welcome surprise, but her abduction had blindsided him. Everything had happened so quickly: the weird weather, Lacia’s strange wounds and subsequent disappearance, and Mana’s meetings with the so-called Omnis. He was glad to have her back. With the group being as jumbled as it was, her return was a highly welcome commodity. Even so, her disappearance still didn’t explain all of the crazy things that had happened since. He cared for her—for all of his friends—but he felt like a pawn in a game of chess. Where would he be moved to next, and how would it affect the outcome of the match?

  “There is one more thing you need to see,” the voice came again as the image of the border gate rippled away.

  “Wait,” Brendan shouted, “what is it you’re trying to tell me? And what are these emotions?”

  “You will understand in time.”

  Colors congealed into a messy blur, kaleidoscopic patterns swirling through the void. Random memory bubbles whisked by him as a set of translucent stairs manifested themselves before him, spiraling into eternity. He placed a foot on the first step. The tap of the sole of his shoe pierced the silence as visible sound waves emanated outwards from the impact.

  Clearly, something was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, but what? He placed another foot on the step, illuminating the entire staircase in a flood of yellow light. Each subsequent step reverberated through the emptiness, but instead of dissipating, their unique waveforms seemed to resonate with one another.

  “I feel so light… I should be able to just… kind of hop down there.” He took a small hop where he stood. “So that’s it, huh? I thought gravity seemed a little broken when I saw the water droplets earlier, but this definitely confirms it. Guess I’d better go see what’s waiting for me now.”

  He leapt down the stairs, sailing through the low-gravity emptiness as memories continued to fly past him. Some, he genuinely remembered. Others, he questioned their origin. Regardless, they seemed to attach themselves to an invisible wall as if they were pinning themselves to an art board. He turned around, fascinated by the changing scenery as he continued to fly down the stairs.

  A minute later, his feet hit the final step, a melodic ping concluding the minor symphony. What seemed to be the last of the memory bubbles sorted themselves into the makeshift wall, completing the composition. The sound of large, metal gears bounded through the strange void as a red door appeared in front of him. Something compelled him to enter.

  Turning the knob, he walked through the entryway, finding himself in the same earthy plane as before. The sun hadn’t moved from its earlier position in the sky, and the dirt had retained the impressions from his fists—even the tear stains were still visible. Time wasn’t flowing, after all—a frozen spacetime where he could spend eternity in a single moment.

  Suddenly, a sweet scent wafted into his nose. It was familiar, but he couldn’t place why he knew the aroma. A brief gust of wind carried the scent into his nose again, stronger this time, as it triggered a series of long-forgotten memories, but one in particular stood out:

  It was a dark, rainy night in April. He was on his way to the mall to meet up with a friend—a girl he had known since elementary school. Neon lights painted the town in a fluorescent glow as rain plastered the roads and sidewalks, creating artificial mirrors. It was as if the town were looking back at its own reflection. Tires splashed through puddles in the road, dousing anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves caught in the wake. It was the kind of night Brendan loved most.

  Upon arrival, he shot a quick text and walked inside, the glass doors reflecting the roadway: “Where are you?”

  Finding a table inside the food court, Brendan took a seat under the skylight as he kicked his feet up in an empty chair, perfectly relaxed. He felt great—the best he had in a long time. Fifteen seemed like a huge milestone, despite only having been a teenager for the last three years. Tonight, though, he was content with just spending his birthday evening in the presence of his favorite person.

  His phone buzzed on the table, startling him as he checked the notification. It was a text message: “I’m inside Azalea’s Apparel. Come meet me inside!”

  “As much as I’d rather not walk into a women’s clothing store, if I don’t pull her out of there, she’ll spend her entire allowance,” Brendan half-joked.

  ***

  Twenty minutes later, he’d managed to drag himself and his favorite spender out of the store. The damage had been done, but she was thrilled to death. Shopping bags filled his hands as he gave a defeated sigh.

  “Come back anytime, Miss! We appreciate your patronage,” the store manager called out, “and don’t forget—tomorrow is BOGO!”

  “Aria… Listen to me very carefully… You have enough clothes to last you three lifetimes, and if my math is correct, your allowance for the month is almost gone. I’m not sure you need anything more,” Brendan said warily, knowing how easy it was to suck her in and how difficult it was to drag her back out.

  “I’ll for sure be back tomorrow,” Aria shouted through the closing door. “You can count on my patronage!”

  Brendan sighed. She was a handful, but he loved her. The enthusiastic faces she would make and the way her entire body seemed to radiate with energy—all of it. He loved everything about her. He couldn’t imagine spending time with anyone other than her. Even the way her hair bounced when she walked was unique.

  “Sorry for dragging you back into Azalea’s again,” Aria said half-apologetically. “On the bright side, we have the rest of the night to do whatever else now!” She tilted her head, hair falling to the side as she gave Brendan a pearly smile. The night was theirs.

  “There’s somewhere I’d like to go, actually. How does a late dinner in the Nebula sound?” Brendan asked.

  He wanted the big announcement he had planned to be something neither of them would ever forget. Their feelings for each other were mutual; they’d been friends since before they even knew what the word “friend” meant, and Brendan had made an honest effort through the years to understand what made Aria tick. A dinner under the stars sounded like the perfect opportunity to prove it.

  “That telescope-restaurant-thing, right? Where you can sit underneath an actual nebula of stars?” Aria began to imagine the menu, her mouth watering. “I’ve heard the food is really good!”

  “Yep! Let’s hurry, though. They added some new items, so there’s probably a huge wait list.”

  “Mm! Ok!”

  The wait was shorter than expected. They were seated within fifteen minutes and were able to order a few short minutes after that. The rain must have thinned out the evening crowd. Even so, the Nebula’s stellar extravagance shined on. Mirroring intergalactic space, a camera panned across the display, revealing star-filled nebulas, gaseous quasars, even planetary ring systems. Vibrant reds and oranges, sometimes even deep, midnight blues, engulfed the restaurant in a galactic glow before the camera panned onto something new.

  “So, what do you think? Beautiful, isn’t it? There’s not another place on Earth like this, and being here with you makes it even better,” Brendan said, gazing up at the ceiling.

  “Yeah. It’s amazing,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” She leaned back in her seat, thinking about the latter half of what he’d said. “That sounded like a confession of his feelings. Wait! Was him taking me here his way of asking me out on a date?” She felt the blood rush to her cheeks as her ears grew warm. Had the restaurant not relied upon blacklights for the additional ambiance, her face would have been as red as the nebulas overhead.

  Suddenly, her phone rang in her handbag, snapping her out of her daze. The call was from a number she didn’t recognize. Something told her it was important, but why so late at night? She quickly looked at the time before answering, shocked it was already after 9:00 p.m.

  “Hello? This is Aria Miruna,” she answered. Brendan watched as the life in her eyes vanished, color draining from her face. She gripped the side of the table to steady herself. “Ok. Thank you, but please stop doing that.” She hung up the phone.

  “Who was it?” Brendan asked concernedly, careful not to pry too much. “Is everything ok?”

  “Huh? Oh, no. It’s nothing to worry about,” she said reassuringly. “Elena just watched the latest episode of that new foreign drama series everyone is raving about right now, and she spoiled it for me.” Aria rolled her eyes as she placed the phone back in her bag. “Ughh. These weekly episodes give me emotional damage, I swear. Elena, too, if she doesn’t stop changing her number. I’m sorry to have worried you, though.”

  Brendan let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness,” he said. “I’ve been watching a lot of gaming streams lately so I can’t relate, but I’m glad it wasn’t something super serious.”

  “Yeah, I’m sorry. I just really wanted to see the episode while it was airing,” she laughed, twirling her hair around her finger, “but spending the evening with you, on your birthday night no less, is infinitely better,” she teased.

  “Still, I’m going to need you to stop scaring me like that,” Brendan chuckled. “You’ve always done that, but I still love that side of you, regardless.”

  There it was again, another confessionary statement. “I swear. If this boy doesn’t ask me to be his girlfriend tonight, I’ll do it for him.”

  Brendan paid the bill, tipping the waiter generously. He wanted to spread his joy with others tonight. Settling for anything less-than-perfect would be a sin. He was feeling great, and the food was just as superb: creamy soup, soft three-cheese grilled cheese sandwiches filled with layers of lettuce, tomato, and turkey alongside a colorful medley of herbs, shrimp, and penne pasta all tossed in parmesan with a hint of black pepper for the main course.

  Aria and Brendan walked into the restaurant’s viewing room, allowing their meals to digest before walking around the mall again. This room was different from the main one, however. Instead of a slow pan-across, the viewing room focused on two sections of the sky, and tonight’s showing were the constellations of Aquila and Lyra.

  “Do you know the story behind the brightest stars in these constellations?” Brendan asked. “I promise I didn’t call ahead and tell them to show these specific ones tonight,” he joked.

  “I’m not very good at constellations, but are they Altair and Vega? Aside from the Big Dipper, those are, like, the only constellations I know,” she confessed.

  Brendan chuckled. “Close. Altair is a part of the constellation Aquila, and Vega is a part of Lyra. The story goes that Altair and Vega were a weaver girl and a poor shepherd boy, but they were separated by a river, carved out by the gods. Or, at least,” he admitted, “that’s one version of the story.”

  “Forbidden lovers, huh?” Aria stared up at the ceiling. “Meant to be together but kept forever apart… It’s such a beautiful, sad story.”

  “It really is, but you know… I never thought I would get to do something like this with you. Being here with you, right here, right now— It’s all I could ever dream about. When they took you away five years ago,” Brendan said softly, gazing at the stars, “I would stand in the road for hours every day, hoping that you’d come back. I was so heartbroken and totally devastated. You were my best friend, and to have something like that taken away from you… It almost feels like a real-life Altair and Vega.”

  Aria grabbed his hand and held it in hers. She could feel the beat of his heart in his wrist, almost as if she were clasping their emotions together. She felt guilty, but she never had a say in the matter. Her mother had said it was because she retained a special gift, and in order to use it properly, she would have to attend a school for gifted children. When the news broke that she would have to leave Brendan, she attempted to run away but was caught within minutes after stumbling into a glass vase in the dark.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t stay,” she said. “I’m so sorry you had to suffer like that.” She looked him in the eyes. A small smile forced its way onto her face. “I swear I’ll tell you everything, but I don’t want to ruin your special night, so let’s save it. ‘K?”

  “Aria—”

  She shook her head, putting a finger to her lips. Her face flushed as she closed her eyes. Her heart pounded against her chest, battering her ribcage with fervent feelings. She’d tried hard not to blush, but she could feel herself becoming absorbed in the moment. She leaned in until she could whisper in his ear.

  “I’m in love with this feeling, Brendan. I’m…” she paused, “I’m in love with you.”

  Brendan’s entire world erupted into a supernova of enamored passion and desire. Everything he thought he knew vanished into the emptiness of the cosmos above him as the stars gleamed in ecstatic magnitude. There was one side to Aria that Brendan didn’t know about, and it was this one: her long, silky-brown hair tucked behind one ear as she leaned in, the moisture on her breath against his ear, the feeling of her lips against his.

  “I remember now… The same girl who used to love everything to do with azaleas,” he said, fresh tears falling from his cheeks.

  He looked up, eyes no longer transfixed on the dark spots in the dirt, but someone had been watching, waiting patiently. The sweet aroma of azaleas filled his nostrils again followed by a soft shuffling of feet. There was only one person in the world who loved azaleas so much.

  “And that perfume… So it was you…”

  “Looks like I’m not the only one who forgot,” Aria said shyly. She held her hands behind her back. “Long time no see, my little Altair.” The wind swirled around her, scattering a consortium of red and purple flower petals into the air. The orange sun transformed her hair into golden strands as it fluttered beneath her straw sunhat, locks transient in the breeze. Like her hair, even her skin glowed with an amber-like essence. “I remember now, too,” she said.

  Brendan did a complete one-eighty, locking eyes with Aria, the Aria he’d always known, for the first time in years. She was beautiful, engulfed in the fiery grace of the setting sun as she dug her toes into the soft soil beneath her feet. A shimmering white sundress, held together by an ornate, oversized bow in the back, whipped around in the wind; it was as if nature itself understood the enthusiasm in her heart, but she was hesitant to admit what she felt. She curled her toes. Tension stiffened her muscles.

  Brendan wasn’t sure what to feel. How was he supposed to describe the elation he felt alongside the overwhelming sense of lost time that hung over him like a cloud? The return of his lost and broken memories and Aria’s unexpected appearance sent his heart into an unabated flurry. He felt as if he’d been caught in a sudden rainstorm; the spontaneity and mood were there. Like raindrops in a puddle, waves of emotions rippled through him, relentless and oftentimes unforgiving.

  “Aria, I—”

  She shook her head. “Let me explain. I’m not who I used to be. I’m not like the girl in your memories. Not anymore.” She averted her gaze.

  An intense sadness filled her eyes—a sadness exacerbated by feelings of insurmountable guilt and regret. A small glint rose from their corners, barely-noticeable slits. She was the final piece to the puzzle she’d been trying to piece together since her reunion with Lacia, but figuring out how she fit into everything remained elusive. Regret filled her with guilt, the kind of guilt that made her question if she even deserved forgiveness.

  “That night at the mall, after my parents picked me up, something terrible happened. It broke me, and I hated the world for it. I became someone I never wanted to be.” Tears began to well in her eyes.

  Brendan noticed she looked thinner compared to the memory of her on his fifteenth birthday. Had it really been six years? Not even her eyes held the same light they used to, dark circles still evident despite all of the creams he was sure she’d likely tried. Regardless, nothing would ever change the way he felt, even if they had forgotten each other.

  “That night, our car was hit by a drunk driver that swerved into our lane. Mom and dad were killed upon impact and I— I just sat there in the back seat,” her voice shook, “covered in their blood and broken glass.” She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. “Brendan, I hated everyone and everything. I was so mad that I left town without a word. I fell so far,” she whispered. “The world was my enemy, and when I stumbled upon a series of essays claiming that it was possible to theoretically rewrite it, well… Life meant absolutely nothing to me, as you can see. I wasn’t afraid to exploit anyone so long as I stood to gain from it.”

  She walked down a set of nearby train tracks hidden beneath the overgrowth of grass and weeds. The rusted steel had turned dark brown and orange. Gravel crunched underneath the blocky heel of her sandals as she trudged forward, hands carelessly swaying at her sides. Brendan could tell she was crying even though her back was turned. She just didn’t want him to see.

  “God, I even aided in the kidnapping of Lacia,” she said exasperated. “What was I thinking? How could anyone love a monster like—”

  Brendan moved to wrap his arms around her. “Aria. You are not a monster. What you did is not for me or anyone else to judge. I don’t know what the past six years have been like for you. I’m sure there’s a reason, and we’ll deal with that later. But if there’s a God out there or some twist of fate is to decide your destiny,” he paused, “they’ll have to go through me first.”

  Aria fell to her knees as she slipped through Brendan’s arms, allowing gravity to win her over instead. Her legs plowed into the cool dirt. Dark splotches splattered her dress, salty tears glistening in the setting sun as they cascaded down her cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to tell him she still had feelings for him, despite their time apart, but she didn’t even know where to begin. His words echoed inside of her mind as she desperately tried to uncover their meaning. What did she want more? Time to figure herself out, or just someone to love her, to tell her it will all be okay in the end?

  “He’s probably already scouted Mana, Lacia especially,” she thought. “How can he say he’d fight gods when he doesn’t even know me anymore? He can’t expect me to just stand here and smile, can he?”

  “Aria,” he said softly, “we all have regrets. We’ve all done things we’re not proud of, and I know you know that better than anyone.” He knelt down beside her. “I don’t expect you to act like anyone other than yourself—no one other than the girl I fell in love with that night at the mall.” He smiled, holding back his own tears of reminiscence.

  “I— I just want to learn how to live without all of these regrets, Brendan.” Aria clutched her chest. “My heart hurts. My soul is screaming at me. I can hear the voices in my head telling me how awful I am—”

  She broke into a cacophony of sobs, more tear-sized dark spots joining its companions in her lap. Tears splashed off the backs of her hands while others were absorbed into the soil. Her emotions ebbed and flowed; she was unable to manage the onslaught of guilt, pain, and heartbreak. It would take more than a confession of love to mend her wounded heart.

  The colors shifted in the evening sky as the stars began their routine shimmer; deep purples, reds, and dark blues heralded the budding starlight of the night.

  “We may never know where the world and heaven end, but I know that, with you by my side,” Brendan grabbed her tear-soaked hands, “everything will fall into place.”

  Aria’s heart raced. Her eyes shone in the gleaming starlight, wet with tears as she removed her gaze from her lap. Her heart collided with a wall of mixed emotions; she had forgotten what it was like to have someone care for her. She took shallow breaths between sobs, realizing she’d been staggering her breathing the entire time.

  The flickering dream she’d always longed for had been right in front of her from the start. With Brendan’s hands still in hers, she brought them to her cheeks, tears caressing his soft fingers before dripping off. It wasn’t a perfect dream, but it was her dream. Fear edged into her mind, afraid that if she let go, she would have to face the reality of losing him all over again.

  “This isn’t the person I ever wanted to become. I hate myself. I’ve caused so much grief.”

  She scolded herself, not for her misplaced memories and misguided morality, but her failures as a friend, a romantic partner, and, most of all, a human being. She wanted to believe everything would be okay in the end, but what exactly was the end? Was she willing to wait that long? She’d just betrayed the last six years of her life, devoted to some strange man who babbled about nonsense all the time, and for what?

  “No… What I want,” she said, stumbling to her feet, “is to believe in myself again. I want to feel—”

  Brendan wrapped his arms around her again, tighter this time. He was warm, body pressed against hers. Her body had missed his soft touch, but her mind was a jungle gym of complex emotions that only added to her discomfort. She eked out a small squeal, trying to push him off. She felt embarrassed, awkward. “This really isn’t the time,” she wanted to shout, but decided it wasn’t worth the effort to fight him. She let her arms fall to her sides. “Fine,” she thought, “I guess this isn’t so terrible, after all.”

  “You can cry too, you know? You don’t have to be strong all the time,” she said through choked tears as they continued their descent, mixing and spilling with Brendan’s from earlier “Don’t make this all about me,” she mumbled into his shoulder.

  “Yeah, I know,” he said, “but I think I’ve got things under control.” His voice was shaky, and watching Aria cry pained him. “Just another side to you I’ve yet to see, despite thinking I had you all figured out.” He chuckled. “If it’s not about you though, then who else do I get to share this moment with?”

  Aria groaned. “Why do you always have to trouble my heart like this?” she said between sobs. “I hate you when you do this to me, but I feel like I’m alive for the first time in years. I haven’t felt emotions like this in so long… I forgot what it was like to cry, to have someone care about you without ever asking for such kindness…”

  The last of the sky’s color faded away, revealing the full luster of the night sky as Aria’s belief in her dreams rose higher than the stars themselves. This time, she wouldn’t let Brendan go, no matter what it took to make that reality hers.