Austin soon found out that the battle had been a success. After he defeated Chet, the beasts seemed to realize instantly that their leader was killed. The beasts ran away but were quickly killed by the various squads. Even with only a few days left in the Survival Game, they did not want to worry about any further danger.

  The trip back to camp was mostly quiet and somber. James’s men did not walk in their usual dignified manner. Instead, they relaxed their bodies. It felt like a mix of exhaustion and sadness made them stop putting on a strong front. Austin may not have liked James much, but he still felt bad for them. He had been the person they looked up to in the Survival Game. His methods may not have been the best, but he provided them with some stability.

  While James’s men mourned him, Austin and his friends mourned Zack. Austin did not know Zack particularly well, but he did form a sort of bond with Zack, Sean, and Gavin. The three had worked together as a squad and invited Josh to join them. They were a close group, and Austin had become closer to them throughout his time in the camp. Zack was a major loss. He was a good guy with a lot of potential, and now he was just gone. It created a feeling of emptiness and guilt in Austin. He thought that maybe he could have done something to prevent it. If he were stronger, then he would not have had to leave Zack behind to fight.

  In the silence, Austin thought about his strength. He was not sure that he was ready to become Iron, but Grayson said that James was sure that he was ready. If he had ascended before the battle with Chet, maybe he could have prevented the losses. Even with that thought, Austin did not want to be rash. If he tried to become Iron too early, then he could really hurt his progress. When he got the chance, he would have to discuss the situation with Artas.

  It did not take long for the group to arrive back at the camp. The camp acted as usual. The only difference was the guards stationed on the outside. Luckily, there was no attack on the camp. Austin felt a sense of relief at that fact. He did not have to worry about any other people being lost.

  Beth and Mike met the group at the entrance of the camp. When seeing the group, they originally had smiles on their faces. Their happiness at the victory quickly turned as they looked closer at the group. Their expressions turned into deep frowns.

  “Where is Zack?” Mike was the one to speak up and ask. Beth seemed speechless, as if she did not ask, then the truth would not be real.

  “He…” Sean was the one to start talking, but he struggled to finish talking, as if something was stuck in his throat. Tears started to roll down his face. “Didn’t make it. He sacrificed himself for me.”

  Before anything else could be said, Mike grabbed Sean by the wrist and pulled him. Mike wrapped his arms around Sean. At first, Sean was stiff like he did not know how to respond, but then he accepted the hug and reciprocated.

  “I know it’s hard,” Mike said to Sean. “I’m so sorry. I know there is nothing I can say to make it better. I’m just so sorry.”

  “Thanks,” Sean said quietly as he embraced Mike a little tighter. Afterward, he let Mike go and wiped his face of the tears.

  “We’ll hold a burial for him,” Beth said. “I notice James isn’t here either. Did the same happen to him?”

  “Yes,” Grayson nodded with a quiet reply.

  “We will hold a burial for both of them then,” Beth said. “Without their sacrifice, who knows what would have happened?”

  “I agree,” Austin said. “I know it does not make it better, but they paved the way for all of us.”

  The group nodded in agreement. While no one was actually happy about the circumstances. They appreciated the willingness to respect Zack and James. The group then walked into camp to get some much-needed rest.

  Even though they needed to rest, Maya and Austin instantly went to Elliot. Ava was more than happy to watch over him, but they wanted to be with their son. The moment they saw Elliot, the two knelt down and embraced him in a hug. They were just so happy to have made it back to him.

  Seeing Elliot had slightly reinvigorated the couple. Instead of going to sleep, the couple decided to play with Elliot with their newfound energy. They played a simple game of tag with their son, but soon many others from the camp joined in. For the people of the camp, it was a way to wipe away the danger they had all faced throughout the day. Eventually, everyone grew tired and retired for the night. The day was hard, but the simple game had changed the spirits of the camp tremendously.

  ***

  The remaining few days of the Survival Game were mostly filled with relaxation. After the battle, many people did not want to think about fighting. So, many people did not spend the remaining days training. People spent most of the time socializing. Ever since James’s death, the camp became more welcoming to his former subordinates. While it had started as pity because of losing their leader, it eventually evolved into actual friendship. Many people in the camp had forgotten that everyone was just a person trying to survive the Survival Game.

  There was a small service for James and Zack. While Natasha held the service, no one spoke for them. This was not out of disrespect, though. Brian and Sean just seemed too torn up to talk. The two were an absolute mess at the service. Since they were the ones who knew James and Zack best, no one else wanted to speak out of respect for them.

  After the service, Austin planned to return to his family to spend some much-needed quality time together. Before he could reach his family, Austin was stopped by a group led by Brian and Grayson. While Grayson had a serious expression, Brian’s eyes were still red from tears.

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  “We would like to talk to you,” Grayson said to Austin.

  “What’s going on?” Austin asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “I know this is weird timing, but we are going to return to Earth any time now,” Grayson explained. “And we figured it would be best to discuss this before we returned.”

  “Okay? What’s so urgent?” Austin still felt confused by Grayson’s statement.

  “I’ll handle it from here,” Brian said to Grayson with a slight crack in his voice. He turned to Austin. “In the case of his death, James ordered us to follow you directly, and we wanted to make that known to you.”

  “Oh, I see,” Austin nodded. “He did make it known to me that he thinks I’m the best to lead, but I’m not sure I agree. Natasha has done a fine job.”

  “Natasha does fine gathering people, but when it comes to actually protecting them, I think you are more suited,” Brian said.

  “We all agree, too,” Grayson added on. “This isn’t just James’s wish. This is how we feel, too.”

  “Let me think on it,” Austin said. “I also don’t want to cause any trouble with everyone else.”

  “That’s fine,” Brian nodded. “Even if you don’t take central leadership, we would like to work directly under you.”

  “As long as it doesn’t cause any problems, that’s fine,” Austin said.

  After the conversation, the group made their separate way from Austin. Austin joined up with Maya and Elliot. He was hoping to spend some time playing with Elliot. He was not sure what it would be like when they arrived back on Earth, and wanted to get as much time together with him as possible.

  “So, James’s former men came to me with something interesting,” Austin brought up to Maya after the two sat down from playing with Elliot.

  “Oh, what’s that?” Maya asked in feigned surprise. Grayson had already told her about their intentions, and she figured that was what they talked to Austin about.

  “They want me to be the leader of our little group,” Austin said. “And even if I don’t, they still want me to be the one who leads them.”

  “What do you think of that?” Maya asked.

  “I’m not really sure. I never thought of myself as the leader type. Before the battle, James had mentioned the same thing to me,” Austin said. “I don’t really see why I should be over Natasha. She has been doing a good job.”

  “I figured you would think that,” Maya nodded. “Personally, I agree with James and his men. Natasha was able to bring people together and help them survive. I think you can help them thrive. That’s the sort of thing we need when we get back to Earth. I also think there are plenty of people in the camp who would agree with me.”

  “So, what? I just take leadership? What about Natasha and everyone who is loyal to her?” Austin asked.

  “Things don’t have to change as much as you think,” Maya said. “I’m sure if you talk to Natasha, you could come up with a compromise. She could still even have a role in the leadership. Things can’t be run just by one person.”

  “You might be right,” Austin nodded. “She is better at talking than I am.”

  “Exactly,” Maya laughed. “Have a talk with her and see what she thinks.”

  “I’ll do that tomorrow. There is one last thing I want to do before bed,” Austin said.

  “What’s that?” Maya asked.

  “Talk to Artas,” Austin said as he pulled his amulet from within his clothes. “I have some questions.”

  As Maya and Elliot went to bed, Austin looked over the amulet. Artas had told him that the amulet could not always work, but he hoped that it would this time. Austin really felt like he needed some clarification. So, he poured his Essence into the enchantment on the amulet and hoped it would work.

  There was silence for a moment. Austin waited to see if Artas said anything before he started talking. He did not see a point in trying to talk until Artas did. Not to mention, Austin did not want to seem crazy.

  “Are you going to say anything?” A voice, Artas’s, came from the amulet. The amulet started to glow a faint green.

  “Oh, sorry, I wasn’t sure if it worked,” Austin said. “I was wondering if you had time to answer a question?”

  “My student, I have all the time in the world. You should be asking if I will answer a question,” Artas replied in a haughty tone.

  “Uh, will you answer a question?” Austin asked.

  “Of course, I think now is as good a time as any,” Artas said.

  “I guess I’ll just go ahead and ask directly then. Am I ready to become an Iron?”

  “Yes, you were ready before you left me, technically. You have had massive growth unlike many others, but I wanted you to wait for several reasons.”

  “Why is that? I’m sure if I were Iron, I could have done much more in my battle with Chet.”

  “Well, there are two major reasons. The first reason, I believe you needed to spend more time in Copper before you went to Iron. At Iron, you’ll start using other types of techniques. You need to be well acquainted with your current techniques before you ascend. The second and more important reason Iron comes with a much stronger backlash than Copper. You could be left out of commission for days or even a week. That’s not really suitable for the nature of the Survival Game. Instead of being stronger to fight Chet, you would not have been able to.”

  “Oh, so you didn’t tell me for the safety of myself and my family.” Austin’s tone grew soft. “Thank you.”

  “Of course, I would not steer you wrong,” Artas’s voice was cheery. “When you are settled on your home planet, you can begin the process.”

  “I appreciate it,” Austin said with a smile. “I’m going to get some rest, now.”

  “Of course, you have a big day tomorrow. You’ll be back on your planet,” Artas said. “Once you are settled, I will open up a chance for you to come back to my realm. I miss my student.”

  “Oh, thank you. I’m sure that will be very helpful.”

  “Of course, I get lonely. I’m just a simple, lonely elf here. I need some company. I’ll talk to you again soon.”

  The glow of the amulet dimmed as Artas stopped talking. Austin stuffed it back into his shirt and walked back to Maya and Elliot. For a moment, he watched the two of them as they lay in peace. Then, he joined Maya and closed his eyes. They were almost home.