The four warmths pulled on him, trying to pull him up from the dark. Rick felt tears he didn't know he could cry in this empty space running down his nonexistent face.
"But what if I let you down?" Rick's voice broke. "What if everything I do isn't good enough?"
"What if you all die because I wasn't smart, strong, or fast enough?"
"Then we die knowing we fought next to someone we could trust," Carmilla said firmly. "But we're still alive."
"We are fighting for you right now."
"Sylvia, Zara, and Liora are out there buying you time."
"Are you really going to let us down?"
Natasha added, "The only way you really let us down is if you give up."
"Failing in battle is okay, but it's not okay to give up before the battle is over."
"Rick," Liora said in a soft but firm voice. "You're not the same person who died there."
"You've gotten better, and what's best for you now is that you are different from before."
"You've helped many people and saved many lives."
