Two days of walking.
Two days of thinking, processing, wrestling with everything Aric had told me. Someone who loved the first immortal. Someone whose love could undo him. The thought circled endlessly, never settling, never finding purchase.
The bond hummed constantly now—Mei Lian's presence a warm thread pulling me home. She knew I was close. She was counting hours, minutes, seconds.
I walked faster.
---
The Academy Gates
They appeared mid-afternoon, familiar and welcoming.
Same stone walls. Same arched entrance. Same students hurrying between classes, oblivious to the weight I carried. But something felt different now. This place, which had once been my whole world, now felt like a waystation. A rest stop on a much longer journey.
Mei Lian waited at the gates.
She stood alone—no Darius, no Lyra, no crowd. Just her, in simple clothes, hair loose, eyes fixed on the road. When she saw me, she didn't move. Didn't run. Just stood there, drinking me in.
I walked to her. Stopped inches away.
"I'm sorry," I said. "I'm sorry for every moment of worry, every sleepless night, every time the bond couldn't give you enough. I'm sorry I was gone longer than I said. I'm sorry—"
She kissed me.
Fierce. Desperate. Loving. Her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me close, and I felt everything through the bond—the fear, the relief, the joy, the love. All of it. All her.
When she finally pulled back, her eyes were wet.
"You're an idiot."
"I know."
"A wonderful, impossible, infuriating idiot."
"I know that too."
She laughed—wet, shaky, beautiful—and hugged me again. "Don't ever do that again."
"I can't promise that."
"I know. But I'll keep saying it anyway."
We stood there, holding each other, while students streamed past and the sun sank toward evening. For one perfect moment, nothing else mattered.
---
The Team
They found us in our quarters an hour later.
Darius burst through the door first. "You're back! Finally! Do you know how boring it's been without you?"
Lyra followed more calmly, but her eyes were bright. "Welcome home. We have much to discuss."
Vera came last, silent as always, but she hugged me—brief, fierce, unexpected. "Don't scare us like that again."
"I'll try."
"Try harder."
Sarah appeared through a screen—she'd been monitoring from Earth, unable to wait for a portal. "Ren! You're alive! Tell me everything!"
I looked at my team. My family. The people who'd held things together while I was gone.
"I will. But first—" I held up a hand. "—I need to apologize. Officially."
Darius raised an eyebrow. "For what?"
"For leaving. For being gone longer than I said. For making you all worry." I met each of their eyes. "You're my family. My team. My responsibility. And I put you through hell."
Lyra shook her head. "You put yourself through hell. We just waited."
"Waiting is its own kind of hell."
"True." She smiled. "But we'd do it again. Because you're worth waiting for."
Darius clapped my shoulder. "Stop being dramatic. Tell us about the goddess."
I laughed—actually laughed—and sat down.
---
The Story
I told them everything.
Mira's true nature. The history of the gods. The first immortal's plan. The three temples I'd visited—Valdur, Lira, Aric. The blessings I'd gathered. And finally, the impossible task Aric had given me.
"Someone who loves the first immortal," Lyra repeated. "That's... that's insane."
"Probably. But it's also the only way."
Vera frowned. "Who could possibly love that monster? After everything he's done?"
"I don't know. But Aric seemed certain the person exists. And that I already know them."
Silence settled over the room.
Darius broke it. "Well, that's terrifying. What's next?"
"I need to visit more temples. More gods. There are others still hiding—I felt them during my journey. They need to know they're not alone. They need hope."
"More walking?"
"More walking. But first—" I looked at Mei Lian. "—a few days of rest. With my family."
She squeezed my hand. "Good answer."
---
The Map
That night, Lyra spread a new map across the table.
"While you were gone, I did some research. Using the Curator's archives, Voss's books, and some... creative hacking of Network communications."
Darius snorted. "Hacking?"
"I have skills." She pointed at the map. "There are at least seven more active temples. Hidden. Scattered. But alive."
I studied the marks. Mountains. Deserts. Islands. Forests. Each one a god clinging to existence.
"Who are they?"
"Unknown. The records are old, fragmented. But the energy signatures are clear." She looked at me. "If you visit them—if you share Mira's blessing, give them hope—they might join us. Fight with us."
"That many gods? Against the first immortal?"
"Maybe. If they believe. If they trust you."
I nodded slowly. "Then that's what I'll do. After we rest."
---
Valdur's Gift
Before bed, Valdur's blessing pulsed.
Not painfully—warmly. Like a memory surfacing. I closed my eyes and saw him—the mountain god, standing in his cave, looking directly at me across impossible distance.
"You did well, little one. The others felt your visit. Felt your hope. More will trust you now."
"Thank you."
"Thank me by surviving. By winning. By reminding the universe that gods and mortals can stand together." He smiled—fierce and warm. "Now rest. You'll need it."
The vision faded.
Mei Lian touched my arm. "What was that?"
"Valdur. Checking in." I smiled. "Gods are chatty, apparently."
She laughed. Pulled me toward bed. "Then let's give them something to chat about."
---
Night
We lay together, the bond humming soft and content.
"I felt you," she whispered. "Every day. Every night. Even when you were far, I felt you."
"I felt you too. It's what kept me going."
She traced patterns on my chest. "What's next? After you visit the other temples?"
"I don't know. Fight the first immortal, I guess. Save the universe. Standard hero stuff."
She laughed. "Standard hero stuff. You're ridiculous."
"I know."
She kissed me. "I love you."
"I love you too."
"Don't forget that. Ever."
"Never."