The air in the interrogation room was dense. Armed officers lined the walls, rigid and tense, each watching Caelan like he was an unexploded bomb. No one dared breathe out of place. A finger twitched here, a boot squeaked there—but no one dared blink unless Caelan did first.

  Fiona broke the standoff, her curiosity breaking through the tension. “So… how do her eyes sparkle?”

  Mark sat twiddling his thumbs, deep in thought. When he finally turned to look at her, disbelief was written all over his face. “That’s your takeaway? Out of all this?”

  Fiona grinned, unbothered. “It sounds cool. Don’t pretend you’re not wondering too.”

  Mark’s sigh was the only release of tension he had felt all night. Caelan’s lips twitched, but there was a chill to his amusement now. “They do, like, actually sparkle. But trust me—don’t call her ‘Sparkles’. She hates that with a passion, and hell, I would know.”

  Mark pressed forward, all business. “Alright, Caelan—what is this Revolutionary Army that you command? Are you monster hunters, or is this the start of some sort of invasion?”

  For the first time, Caelan shifted. The smile dropped, his posture straightened. When he looked at Mark, there was a quiet gravity—something that made even the armed officers shrink without knowing why. The strip lights seemed to grow dimmer, the air colder.

  “There’s only so much I’m allowed to say,” he answered, his voice steady, unwavering. “But you want the truth? The Revolutionary Army exists because someone has to do what no one else is willing to. We’re not the threat. We’re the line between this world and what’s coming next. When the impossible shows up at your door, we’ll be the ones standing in front of it. And if we fall, trust me—life as you know it is over. We’re the best and only shot you’ll ever get.”

  Fiona let out a breathy laugh, masking nerves. “You almost had me with the hero speech. But hell, if you’re just spinning stories, you should write novels.”

  Mark didn’t flinch. “And what if the world doesn’t want you? What if humanity says no?”

  Caelan’s eyes never left his. “That isn’t how this works. I’m not here for permission. Who’s going to stop me?”

  Mark’s chin lifted, but a touch uncertain now. “Push people hard enough, and we fight back. Humanity’s always found a way to beat the odds.”

  Caelan leaned forward, and the room somehow felt even smaller. His words cut like winter steel. “You talk about odds? You can’t even imagine what’s coming—what I’ve seen. I could disarm every nation on this planet in an hour if I had to. Don’t make the mistake of thinking I want that. But don’t dare me, either. That’s not a line you want crossed. Also, for the record, I grew up in these streets just as much as anyone else. Don’t dare think I won’t defend my home.”

  For a heartbeat, no one moved. The tension in the room was a living thing—every officer’s hand hovering closer to their holster, eyes flicking to Fiona for a cue, to Mark for strength.

  Finally, Fiona let out a slow whistle. “That’s the most honest threat I’ve heard all week.”

  Suddenly, as if flipping a switch, Caelan’s whole mood changed. The legend was gone, replaced by a boyish excitement as he clapped his hands together. “Aww, she’ll be here soon enough! Ohhh, I can’t wait to see her.”

  Mark blinked, taken aback. “What are you talking about?”

  All smiles now, Caelan beamed. “Can we get another chair? My little sis is on her way—aww, I’ve missed her so damn much. It’s been, what, a week for me since I last saw her?”

  Fiona, puzzled, glanced between them. “Wait… Keira? From the story?”

  Caelan nodded, eyes alight. “Yeah, she’s from Ohio—but she had a few things to finish for me first. Damn, I’d better get a move on. Back in the day, things were wild, but honestly, looking back, it doesn’t even seem that rough now.”

  Mark frowned. “Hold on, I’ve still got questions—”

  Caelan grinned, rocking back in his chair. “Aww, they can wait. Trust me, you’ll have a hundred more after this. I’m only jumping ahead by, what, six months this time?”

  Mark huffed, but gave in. “Fine, fine—just hurry it up. But you’re answering everything before you leave here. Understood?”

  Caelan just stretched, leaning back with a satisfied sigh. “Deal. So… six months since Solara joined our group…”

  Commanders remaining: 1,776,454,933,576

  Followers remaining: 58,007,836,993

  Days elapsed: 5,542

  Eliminated: 12,758,986,675

  It was a lovely, warm day—one of those usual, perfect noons the war had to offer. The squad was strung out along the sunlit path, all their gear slung over tired shoulders, boots scuffing through dappled patches of light. Solara led the way, arms folded, posture regal and utterly unimpressed. Just behind her, two steps back and hunched in twin defeat, trudged Caelan and Keira, their expressions the picture of guilty children caught in the act.

  Solara’s tone was pure frost. “I honestly can’t believe you two thought, in a million years, it was a good idea to goddamn wreck the entire market.”

  Caelan didn’t even try to look contrite. “It was fine! You know Keira wouldn’t miss her target anyway.”

  Solara didn’t miss a step, but turned her head just enough for her glare to cut back over her shoulder. “Well, when the target is an overly entertained moron with more power and speed than sense…”

  Keira piped up, her best innocent voice in place. “But no one got hurt.”

  Solara spun, pinning Keira with a death glare. “No one got hurt, but the whole damn place was wrecked! Not a single shop or stall was left standing. And let’s not forget—that’s only two weeks after you drunkenly destroyed the only bar in town.”

  Caelan seized the moment. “Yeah, Keira!”

  Solara stopped dead in her tracks, whirling around to face them both. “One hundred extra hours of training. Both of you. I want it done in one month, or I’ll work you until your bodies break.”

  Keira collapsed to her knees, moaning, “But I still owe two hundred and forty hours before that! Does she do nothing but train? She’s going to kill us, I swear she’s always been the true monster of the war.”

  Caelan only grinned, perking right up. “Pfft. Only a hundred? That’s easy enough!” He started whistling as if nothing in the world could bother him.

  Milo came barreling up the path, out of breath but grinning. “Solara, since you broke sis, can we stop for lunch now, please?”

  Aidan chimed in, nodding toward Keira, who was still dramatically slumped. “Yeah, it might be for the best. When sis breaks like this, usually the only thing that snaps her out of it is drink or food, even if it does taste like cardboard.”

  Caelan, ever the opportunist, brightened and pulled his sword with a smile stretching ear to ear. “Come on, Solara, let’s bash out an hour or so while they eat.”

  Braen lumbered up behind him and thumped Caelan on the top of the head, grinning. “Don’t be mean, Captain. Little Solara needs to grow up big and strong like me. It’s time to eat.”

  Veyra rolled her eyes. “We’ve been over this, Braen. Not all of us grow to be what, eight-foot-five? How many people have you actually met that tall?”

  Braen shrugged, unbothered. “Believe it or not, I was the little one in my family. We never really left the mountain much, so I wouldn’t know.”

  Veyra diverted her attention just in time to catch Milo and Aidan already sitting on their packs and trying to sneak a bite. In a flash, she had them both dangling by their ears. She spoke through a half-broken laugh, “I know for a fact you two weren’t about to start eating before we’d even set up a blanket. I know you two aren’t that dumb.”

  Aidan squirmed and put on his best innocent face. “We were just about to set up, we promise! We would never think of doing something so silly, Auntie Veyra.”

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  Milo, all smiles, laughed. “What do we need to set up for? We can just eat. Hurry, before Takeshi eats all the food again!”

  From the back, Takeshi shouted, “I heard that! I’ll have you know I’ve lost weight since I met this party of animals. And let’s not forget it was you two who ate everything after your last drinking contest. Funny how you always forget that part!”

  Solara nodded, voice resigned but not unkind. “Fine. Lunch now—and no, Caelan, we are not spending the hour sparring.”

  Caelan sheathed his sword with a pout. “Aww, no fair…”

  “But let’s not waste too much time,” Solara continued, glancing at the sun. “At this pace, we’ve still got two or three days to go.”

  Keira was still slumped, mumbling in existential despair. “Ten hours a day for five weeks… then four hours a day… and what if the monster hears me swear? This is it. I must be in hell. None of this is real.”

  Solara, a little surprised, sighed and knelt down in front of Keira. “I’ll make you a deal, Keira. Two weeks of fourteen-hour days when we get there, and I’ll give you a week off—where I’ll help you hunt down that hot-whatever-chocolate you keep talking about.”

  Keira’s head snapped up, teary-eyed. “You really mean it?”

  Solara nodded, smiling gently. “If you help your brothers set up for lunch, it’s a deal.”

  In a flash, chaos erupted—blanket spread, food unpacked, and Keira already on her feet. Caelan started setting up a battered pot over the fire, grinning at the group. “So, I’ve been working on something, and this time I think I’ve finally solved the whole ‘wanting to throw up’ problem with it.”

  Solara tutted, folding her arms. “I don’t know what you all complain about. The food’s perfectly acceptable. We waste time three times a day on this cooking ritual when we could just eat it raw.”

  Veyra put an arm around Solara, grinning widely. “You know what I love about you since you joined? Watching you keep these chaos monsters in some kind of order. But also—you’re a goddamn freak, Solara.”

  Solara blinked. “Ehh… what?”

  Veyra’s eyes narrowed playfully. “One thing I’ll never argue about with these idiots: the Captain makes the pitiful, horrible, monstrous food here almost edible. If I hear one more word about Cap not cooking, well, I might just make a stone in the road go missing—if you catch my drift.”

  Solara gulped. “Message received, Veyra.”

  Milo and Aidan burst out laughing. “Damn, finally it’s not either of us!” Milo cheered.

  Aidan grinned. “Honestly, I thought she was going to eat Solara there for a second. Finally, something she’ll moan about that isn’t us.”

  Veyra glared at them, mock-scolding. “Shut up and eat, you damn idiots.”

  Takeshi piped up, glancing at Solara. “So you said this place had over 10,000 in one zone?”

  Solara poured tea into her favourite cup, always kept close at hand. “That’s the rumour. Apparently, it’s nothing like a normal zone—supposedly, they rebuilt the whole place from the ground up. I’ve not seen it myself yet; it’s where I was headed the day I met you lot.”

  Takeshi started muttering to himself, quick and jittery. “It’ll be so much easier… no more waiting on supplies from that robbing bastard at the market. They all thought I was mad. Mad? Me? Never mad—they’re the mad ones! I’ll show them…”

  He began to laugh, just a little too loud. Caelan looked over from his pot. “Is he alright?”

  Braen wandered over and bonked Takeshi on the head with a massive hand, smiling. “That should fix it. Isn’t that what you always say, Takeshi—off and on again?”

  Takeshi nursed his head, scowling. “Damn it, that isn’t what I meant, and you know it.”

  The entire group burst out laughing, the air light and bright as the noon sun.

  Before anyone could say another word, everyone went still, as if something impossibly heavy pressed down from above. The sky began to shimmer, a cascade of gold light sparkling through the treetops. High overhead, a voice echoed through a golden figure in the sky.

  “Hear me, chosen souls—your fates are now intertwined in what is known as the Immortal Emperor War…”

  But the cadence faltered. The Goddess cleared her throat, her voice losing some of its divine edge as she seemingly began to wing it.

  “Right, um… so! A few quick updates. First—immortals, yeah, you can’t have kids. It’s just… not possible, sorry. Second—monsters drop their bars, which you have all given some colourful names, but please ensure you follow the guidelines that were posted on the notice boards. Oh, and please, please stop building upwards—there’s a height limit in this reality, five miles high. If you go over, you’ll be instantly eliminated. Don’t ask why. It’s a whole thing with the structure here.”

  There was an awkward silence. Caelan sucked air through his teeth, glancing at the others.

  “Damn, this is awkward as hell. Also, she didn’t post crap about the bars on the board. Oh shit, it can’t be.”

  Solara agreed, deadpan:

  “I thought a god was meant to be the perfect being. Damn, this is like watching Keira explain why she sleeps in for training every day—bad.”

  The whole squad broke with laughter, but the Goddess seemed oblivious. She went off topic, voice growing warmer.

  “Aww, I’ve actually been working on something. I’ve heard your complaints, and your goddess has listened!”

  For a split second, hope flared in the team:

  Caelan perked up. “Good food?” Keira shouted, “Hot chocolate?” Milo and Aidan together: “Pizza?!”

  The Goddess rambled on, already distracted by her own excitement.

  “Er—so, yes! Seasons. And definitely look forward to the snow—I made sure it’ll be the soft, perfect kind, not the miserable wet stuff. It’s going to be so much fun. Anyway, oh right, the script, for those who will rise to become legends, remember: this war will forge the stories of the future. To be a legend, you must conquer legendary feats. Fight well, my children—I’ll be waiting for you at the end of your journey.”

  Her voice faded out, the gold light dissolving as suddenly as it had appeared. For a moment, everyone sat in silence, only the sound of a light breeze moving through the trees.

  Caelan finally muttered, “Who the fuck asked for snow?”

  Keira instantly got worked up, wrapping both arms around Caelan’s and shouting, “Hold me back, big bro! If that bitch thinks she’s going to give us snow but not hot chocolate—I’m so done with her shit. Come on, hold me back, I’m not done with you here yet. I’ll end this right now!”

  Braen, cheerful as always, broke the tension. “Why, little ones, what’s the issue with snow? In my world, we had a holiday every time it snowed. We can have so much fun!”

  Takeshi, shaking his head, replied, “You know these two—both one-track minds over the dumbest rubbish you’ve ever seen.”

  Veyra muttered to herself, “But I don’t have anything that’ll look cute in the snow… what am I going to do? I need new clothes now, but maybe…” She brightened and turned to Milo and Aidan, a mischievous grin on her face. “Aww, do you boys want to go looking for cute outfits for the snow with your big sister?”

  Both looked at her in horror and disgust. “Why would we want to go clothes shopping for an old woman, Auntie Veyra?” Milo said, snickering. “Yeah, Auntie Veyra, you want to wear dumb clothes? Maybe if it was something cool looking now and again, but you dress like an old lady.”

  Veyra grabbed them both by the ears, glaring. “Will it kill you two idiots to call me ‘big sis’ for once in your lives?”

  In perfect harmony, Milo and Aidan cried, “Sorry, Auntie Veyra!” She dropped them, pouting as she flopped onto the ground. “I’m not even that much older than both of you…”

  Solara, looking genuinely puzzled, glanced at the group. “What is snow?”

  The whole squad turned to stare at her.

  Keira, exasperated, blurted, “Are you kidding me, Solara? You know—the cold white stuff that covers the ground, you make snowmen and stuff?”

  Solara shook her head. “No, Vertrá only had one type of weather: dry and hot. That was it.”

  Veyra rushed over and hugged Solara. “Aww, you poor thing, you’re going to love the snow! But can we please find some cute outfits? I promise it’ll be amazing.”

  Solara relented, “We can get outfits, but I’m not dressing in what you call cute.” She lifted her chin, declaring, “Some of us understand the priorities of practical clothing.”

  Veyra pouted again. “No one here ever cares about looking cute…”

  Keira, only half listening, finally asked, “So… what was that whole thing about legends again?”

  A thunderous sound crashed over them, the trees barely able to withstand the pressure. In stunned silence, the squad looked around in every direction as golden lights shot from the ground, rising into the sky. Before any of them could move, another beam erupted just a few hundred feet away, shaking the ground with a force that made the entire war move.

  Takeshi muttered, “Way to go, Keira—open your mouth, and this happens.”

  Keira shot him a glare. “Shut it, asshole! How’s this my fault? Blame the hot chocolate–hoarding bitch, not me!”

  Solara, right behind Keira, smacked her on the head. “Swearing again. That’s three today, Keira. What was it—340 hours? Make it 341 now.”

  Keira was about to argue when Caelan tossed a cooking spoon back to Solara. She caught it just as he shrugged on his barely-holding-together duster and stood up.

  Keira yelled, “Where do you think you’re going?”

  Caelan just laughed, drawing his sword. “Solara, my dear, be a sweetheart and handle lunch. I’m off for a bit of fun.”

  Keira double-kicked him in the back. “Not without me, asshole!”

  Caelan grinned back at her. “Obviously. Wait, what do you think of the goddess? Wasn’t she…”

  Keira laughed. “Shut up, mister, I’m always right—yeah, complete fucking idiot.”

  Solara sighed. “Guess lunch can wait—I’m on babysitting duty to make sure you two don’t destroy another town. And Keira, that’s 343 now.”

  The rest of the squad scrambled to their feet:

  Takeshi grumbled, “Well, I knew what I was signing up for when I met you all.”

  Veyra smirked, “Maybe we’ll get something cuter than just random scrap bars this time. Mama needs a new winter dress.”

  Aidan called, “Captain, I know you like to do dumb things, but maybe we should scout first?”

  Milo slung an arm around his brother. “Aw, stop being boring. You know Cap and Sis are going—what, you planning to wait here by yourself?”

  Aidan groaned. “Why am I always the think-it-over guy? Whatever. Let’s all go get eliminated together.”

  Braen wrapped both brothers in a bear hug. “Don’t be scared. I won’t let anything happen to my two little cute men. Come on!”

  The whole team started after the nearest beam of light. Solara looked sideways at Caelan. “What the hell is that smile?”

  Keira chimed in, “Oh yeah, Captain only gets that smile when he’s actually excited.”

  Caelan turned, flashing the most terrifying grin imaginable. “What smile?”

  Solara frowned. “That smile is weird as hell—wait, you had that look the night we fought the White Death. Is this going to be a regular thing?”

  But Caelan and Keira were already skipping ahead together, humming in sync.

  Solara rolled her eyes. “Guess I’m talking to myself again. All right, everyone—let’s go see what’s out there and get lunch before I pass out.”

  As Caelan and Keira skipped ahead, Caelan shouted back over his shoulder, “Will yous hurry the hell up before we kill the thing?”

  Keira chimed in, “Yeah, like you have a chance of beating me to the punch!” Then she spun to the others and yelled, “Come on, move it, assholes!”

  Solara didn’t miss a beat, raising her voice, “343 now, Langston!”

  The rest of the squad fell in behind, chasing after Caelan and Keira as they skipped toward the danger.