A Dream Come True

"I can't believe it's really you. I missed you, Eralay," the boy said. He hugged her again. Her eyes shifted away and she forced out a smile. "Don't worry. I know it must all be so confusing. I will explain everything soon," said Roa as they floated back down onto the grated bridge, in the middle of the cheering crowd.

The people were jubilant. Their cruel rulers were dead, pulverized into the smoldering, glowing metal below. Someone gave the Sunflower some of their clothes. He buttoned the shirt up, but the thing tore as soon as he moved, forcing a loud laugh through the crowd. He looked ridiculous, but thanked the stranger nonetheless for their kindness.

"How the heck did you do that?" a short, stout woman from the crowd asked Eralay in an excited tone.

"I hit the Gate over the head, and sent him flying to his death. He must have grabbed the oligarch on his way down," the girl explained.

Roa's eyes lit up with pride. It felt like a dream come true.

"This is too good to be real," he thought.

When he saw the smiles on the people's faces, however, he decided to ignore the negative thoughts that were running through his tired mind, deciding to join the celebrations instead.

"Who's the girl?" asked Theya, her arms crossed and her eye scanning the newcomer from head to toe.

"She's my girl. She's the one I've been looking for this whole time," the Sunflower responded as he joined the others jumping up and down.

"Let's—get down from here, before this bridge collapses under our weight," Rosso waved everyone to move.

Back on the ground, Roa lifted the golden key up high, drawing cheers and applause from his friends and allies. The item glistened with an almost magical glow, sparkling as though it held its own light. Eralay's gaze locked onto it, unblinking, as if she were under its spell.

"This is the key that will lead us to the way out," he explained to her. "The door it opens has divided this place for more than 300 years. We helped free them from oppression. Now the people below will not drown as the waters rise," he placed his hand on Eralay's shoulder and smiled, his chest out and his head up. "We did it. We were finally part of the revolution we always talked about."

She tore her gaze from the key, her smile delayed.

Once they crossed to the far side of Ardor's Forge, they entered a smaller chamber dominated by a tall, looming throne at its center. Roa approached it, his steps hesitant, until he stood beside the ominous structure. It was a grotesque assembly of bones and twisted metal tubes reaching toward the ceiling, forming a jagged and unholy seat. Its surface was blackened with soot, its steps streaked with grime, and was surrounded by briefcases stuffed with cash, carelessly scattered like discarded relics of greed. Two little boys scrambled onto the throne, their laughter echoing in the chamber. Roa's sharp voice cut through the air like a whip.

"Get off!" he bellowed, his uncharacteristic fury freezing the group in place.

The laughter died instantly, replaced by a heavy silence as all eyes turned toward him in quiet surprise.

"Do not sit upon this profane seat. None of you," he shouted, pointing his finger at them, as he stared into their eyes with a burning look.

Even his closest friend, Rosso, stood frozen, surprised by his reaction.

"This was Lord Smog's chair. He sat here, deciding upon the destruction of Nature and the binding of Humanity—for the sake of greed and profit. Do not ever sit upon it," Roa paused, admonishing the others. "This is the Throne of Bones. It is a profane symbol of the errors of the past. It must be destroyed. Send a message to all corners of Existence. A better way forth is possible, and within reach. A message that we are ready to abandon the Old Order—and it starts with its dirty, fossil fuels."

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The group stood silent. Their eyes wide open as they listened. He grabbed a sledgehammer from the crowd, swinging the heavy thing as he grunted, warping the throne blow by blow. Others joined, pulling out pickaxes, saws, and anything they had on them. The clanks echoed for almost an hour, until nothing was left but a pile of shattered bone, metal and concrete.

"Listen to me, all of you. Listen to me well," the Sunflower looked around. "Upon the rubble of the Old Order, we shall plant the seeds of a greater, more just, and balanced future—together, as One," he said, as the others murmured the last words in unison.

The people nodded, staring at the boy with open eyes, and open hearts. Roa reached into his satchel, and threw onto the toxic ground the seeds Eralay, Vesper and the old lady from the desert had given him.

"But how will anything grow in this poisoned ground?" asked someone.

"Most of these seeds will not make it—but, if even one seedling does, it will be one more, defiant, proof that life will return—that Nature, and Humanity will heal at last," he explained.

The people's faces lit up, as smiles and chants filled the chamber, the celebrations continuing.

Roa turned to his red-cloaked friend and said to him in a soft tone, "something in me is beginning to wake up. I realized something big today," he said as he smiled.

"Yeah?"

"I realized that every time I lose, I fall, I get hurt—that things might just be over, after all. There have been so many times that I just wanted to give up. It's just so unbearable."

"Yeah—it's a lot of suffering. I get it..." he said with a resigned tone as he looked down.

"The thing is, however—each time I get over it, when I decide to keep going, to fight on somehow—I grow stronger. Each time I get out of that hole, I realize what immense strength I have inside." He stared at his clenched fist as he raised it near his face. "Each time, I am surprised to find even more of this strength. Until today, it dawned on me—I asked myself—just how deep does this strength really go inside?"

Rosso stared without saying anything.

"This is not just about me, anymore. This is about us—all of us." He paused, lost in thought as he put his fist down. "I noticed another glowing tattoo on my skin."

"What did it say?" asked his friend.

The boy traced his index finger with a gentle movement where the tattoo must have been.

"The Free and Righteous few—shall then become the many," he said as his fiery gaze met his friend's eyes.

Rosso didn't say anything at first, then stared in the distance, his mind wandering. He responded with a hint of resignation in his voice.

"We're not that many, though. I doubt a few hundred people will ever be able to change the way things work."

The Sunflower smiled.

"Even the largest of forests at one point were just a few, tiny seeds. Right?" he said, patting him on the back. "Believe, and it will be so one day. Together, we can do anything—look at what we have achieved already—but first, we must believe—that the seeds will become a forest one day." He placed his hand on his shoulder. "If not, we might as well just accept living in a barren, treeless desert."

The people cheered and laughed. The instruments came out and the music started flowing, as did the singing, dancing and the shenanigans.

"I understand that it was guarded, but—why didn't anyone try to just—destroy the locked door of the chokepoint at some point, even from the other side?" C-Saw asked Doctor K.

"The Palace walls are indestructible, along with its doors, floors, and anything that makes up its structure. No being, no matter how strong, has ever been able to alter them. The labyrinth moves and changes on its own, and only on its own," the doctor explained.

A large, ornate fountain became a pool as the crowd jumped in, splashing around in its waters. Roa wanted to join the festivities, after all, he had come so far to see this moment. Something occupied his mind with worry, however. His lover stood silent next to him. He glanced at her. His eyebrows knit together, drawing low and close over his eyes, forming shallow furrows across his brow, as if the weight of his thoughts pressed them inward.

"I know it's a lot to take in," he said in a soft tone, without receiving a response. "By the way, you were amazing there. How in the world did you learn how to use your aura like that? And Pan's Gift—I've struggled with it from the start," he smiled.

"It's been a long day. I'll tell you all about my journey later. Can we just—have a moment to ourselves?" she asked, looking down.

They separated from the group and strolled for some time, until they walked into a smaller room. Neither said a word the whole time. Dust covered its surfaces, as if no one had moved anything in ages. It was small, and its domed ceiling was adorned with gorgeous frescos. In the middle was an altar with a large, broken mirror hung behind it. In that silence, Roa found the peace and courage to speak.

"What's going on? You seem strange. What happened that day we got separated? Where did you go?" he asked, as she glanced at the floor without speaking. "I have so much to tell you!" he smiled again, trying to lift the mood. "I have learned so much in these months. I saw many worlds, you wouldn't even believe what exists out there—and wonderful and interesting people, so many, and very strange creatures, too. I almost lost my life a few times!" A hint of unease laced his voice, even as his smile stayed intact.

"Do you have the key?" she said in a serious tone, forcing his smile to waver.

With a confused look on his face, the boy reached into his pocket.

"The one that was around the Gate's neck?" he asked, showing it to her.

Eralay paused, then a smirk grew on her face.

"Good..." she said.

Roa froze. Cold metal pressed against the soft, warm skin of his neck. He looked down—and saw a blade.

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