“Fantastic idea, put us up against the people who fought against the tyrants, you know, the ones that no one else had defeated.” Dante said.

“Well, there are only two of them, and four of us.” Hudson responded.

“Why do I feel like it’s not going to make a difference?” Dante said, drawing his katana and taking a ready stance.

“You never know.” Haile said.

“You should probably take this.” Jocelyn said, handing a dagger to Haile, “If the legends are true, you aren’t going to be able to land an arrow on them.”

“Oh that’s definitely a confidence booster.” Dante said.

“Dante, are you fine taking one on your own?” Hudson asked.

“Oh gosh no, I can try and hold one off though.”

“That’s fine, Jocelyn and I will take Serena, you hold off Sylvanus. We’ll join you if we can.” Hudson responded.

“I’ll poke in if I’m needed, but I’ll most likely sit back here.” Haile said.

Dante called out to his opponents, “I am Dante, these are my friends, and we will defeat you!” He then muttered under his breath “This sucks, we’re gonna lose!”

“Well then, Dante, let us see your strength.” Sylvanus called back.

“It’s now or never.” Dante said, “Let’s go!”

Dante, Hudson, and Jocelyn rushed forward, Sylvanus and Serena meeting them halfway. Dante knew they were in trouble, but he did not know how much; he found out quickly. Dante swung to hit the back of Sylvanus’s knee, but a sword seemed to materialize out of nowhere, blocking his attack. Dante pulled back, they were so fast, how could he hope to land a strike on them? He moved in to attack again, only for his attacks to once again be blocked.

Hudson and Jocelyn pushed in, each swing was blocked with ease. Serena began to swipe back at them. They were able to pull back enough that they only suffered minor cuts. Serena blocked strike after strike, poking and prodding at her enemies in between. She didn’t want to end this quickly, she would put thousands of tiny cuts across their bodies before she revealed their Threads.

Sylvanus kept blocking, standing motionless until the last moment before he needed to block. Who was this kid? He fought like he had something to prove - no, something to protect. He looked to the young woman, still at the doorway, he had deflected a few of her arrows at this point. He blocked another strike before running to the young woman.

Haile kept firing to help Dante, but each arrow was deflected, and going wide. She drew back to line up another shot, when Sylvanus appeared in front of her.

“He really must love you, I’m sorry.” he said, raising his sword into the air.

Haile let her arrow fly, hoping it would protect her. Sylvanus swung his sword down, almost instantly. Haile fell backwards, the cut ran deep. She lay on the ground breathing sharply. Three Threads appeared, connecting her and her friends.

Dante turned around just in time to watch. Before he could even call out, Sylvanus was back upon him. “You may never understand this, but it is necessary.”

Dante looked up to meet his gaze, “That was a mistake.” Dante began to attack again. He slowly pushed Sylvanus back, he was on the offence.

Hudson and Haile kept up their attacks, never making any progress. Serena looked over at Haile, crumpled on the floor, “Oh, is that how we’re doing this, Sylvanus?”

Sylvanus kept blocking, taking a step back, “It’s how I’m doing it, whether you wish to match me or not is your decision.”

Serena ducked under a slice from Hudson, and drove her sword into his chest. She twisted her balde before kicking Hudson off of it. Hudson rolled onto the ground, laying there in pain. Causing his remaining Threads appear.

Serena mimicked her attack on Jocelyn as well, kicking her not far from where Hudson lay. Her Threads flew to her friends.

“You. Will not. HURT THEM!” Dante called out, slicing harder, and faster. He pushed Sylvanus further and further back. Serena approached from behind and drove her sword across Dante’s back.

Dante yelled out in pain, and fell to the ground. Sylvanus kicked him, sending him twenty feet away. The last of the Threads now visible.

Haile worked her way to her feet. Drawing another arrow.

Sylvanus walked towards her, “Do you still think you can win? How adorable.” He picked her up by the neck, and threw her across the room.

“Did you really believe you could break the golden Thread?” Serena called out to them.

Haile pushed herself to her knees, she coughed, blood flying from her mouth, “No, we didn’t.”

“Then why try?” Sylvanus asked.

“What other option do we have?”

Sylvanus stood over her, he let out a sigh, and drove his sword through her back.

A moment passed, Sylvanus and Serena moved to the middle of the room, waiting. A minute passed, nothing. Two minutes. Three minutes.

Haile felt a faint warmth on her chest, a blue glow lighting up the ground around her. She climbed onto her knees, her necklace fell from under her hoodie. She looked to her friends, all of them laying in defeat.

“I will fight you if I must do it myself.” She said quietly.

“What was that, you need to speak up.” Sylvanus said, tauntingly.

“I said: I will fight you, to my last breath!” She drew the dagger, and took a ready position.

“Then to your last breath it is.” he responded. He pulled his sword up, and made another large slice.

Haile watched the blade, and dodged out of the way.

Sylvanus looked confused, and swung at her again. Haile pulled back, dodging again. Haile moved in once the sword was out of her way, and plunged the dagger into Sylvanus’s chest. He kicked her away.

“Foolish girl! Do you know who I am?!”

“Yes, but that doesn’t matter, I’ll end you.”

“SILENCE!” He picked her up and threw her across the room.

Dante pulled himself to his knees, “That was your second mistake.” He stood up, his whole body shaking.

“You will not tell us what you think is a mistake.” Serean said, she walked forward and pushed to drive her sword into him. Dante parried to the side, then drove his sword down onto her hand. Serena pulled back and drove into Dante’s side.

“Oi loser, leave him alone.” Hudson called out, he and Jocelyn now stood at the ready.

Haile stood up as well. The necklace pulled into the air, and shattered. Hudson, Dante, Jocelyn, and Haile all took a deep breath in, and instantly their wounds were healed.

A bright light filled the chamber, everyone covered their eyes. When the light finally faded, everyone looked around. Where the Threads between Hudson, Haile, Dante, Jocelyn once stood there were instead Threads of gold. A red Thread, dull by comparison, now connected Serena and Sylvanus.

“WHAT DID YOU DO?!” Sylvanus yelled out.

“We did what we came here to do: change our fates.” Hudson said.

“You will regret this.” Serena said.

“What are you going to do, cut the golden Thread?” Jocelyn asked.

Dante began walking forward, his katana sheathed at his side. Sylvanus rushed towards him and began to attack. Dante dodged each swipe, quickly stepping to the side. The attacks became faster, and more frantic. Dante watched a large, overhead strike move towards his head, he drew his katana and blocked the strike.

Hudson and Jocelyn rushed to face Serena. She tried to hold both of them off, but was quickly subdued. In a moment, she was struck to the ground, where she lay in defeat.

Dante pushed Sylvanus’s sword away, and swung down across his chest, returning the wound he gave to Haile.

Haile stood between the fallen champions, her knife placed on the Thread, “Give me one reason I shouldn’t cut this.”

Sylvanus crawled up, “There is no good reason, if you wish to show us mercy, that is your decision.”

Haile made eye contact with each of her friends, she sighed, “I’ve always been told ‘two wrongs don’t make a right.’ I will show you mercy”

“We are grateful for your gift.” Serena said, unable to stand.

A doorway on the far side of the room flew open. Haile began to walk towards it. Dante caught up with Haile, walking a little behind her.

“Two wrongs don’t make a right, but three lefts do.” he said.

She snickered, “Gosh darn it Dante, this was supposed to be a hero moment.”

Hudson and Jocelyn joined them, “I’m excited,” Jocelyn said, “after all this time, I finally get to go home.”

“I’m excited, and it hasn’t even been that long.” Haile said.

The doorway led them into another massive hallway, they followed it for a few minutes, before a familiar voice joined them again.

“Well done, my challenge is now complete, the time is near when you go home. I wish to show you some things before you go.”

Their vision flashed, they now watched over the very first town they visited. They were pulled down through the streets, into the town hall. Through a door on the right side, down a staircase, and into the second room on the left. Ludinus sat there, just as Dante left him, sorting through papers. Jocelyn gasped, Ludinus looked up having heard her. Joelyn appeared in the room, tears began to form in her eyes.

“Jocelyn?” Ludinus stood in disbelief. He jumped over his desk and gave her a massive hug. “I thought you went home, what happened?”

“I’m going home, the Thread-weaver decided to bring me here before I left.”

“That’s fantastic!” He paused as a sober look came across his face, “I hope you understand this, but I’d like to stay here. Things are better here than they were at home, I don’t want to go back.”

“That’s okay, I hope you find good fortune here.”

“Thank you.” He gave her another hug.

Their vision was pulled away once again, they flashed to a forest at twilight. A brook flowed gently, with a broken bridge crossing it. They all felt their feet hit the soft ground.

“I guess we have to fix it.” Dante said, nudging Haile.

Rocks fell from the bridge, the flow picked up, carrying the rocks downstream. In a moment, the entire bridge had collapsed.

“Walk forward.” Came the Thread-weaver’s voice.

They all began to walk hesitantly. A white stone appeared beneath their feet right before they were about to walk into the brook. They were pushed up as the rocks began to expand. In a moment they stood on a new bridge, made of fine marble.

Their vision was pulled back again, they were once again walking in the hallway.

“My world has been made better by your presence. When you return home, aim to do the same.”

They finally reached the end of the hall, a massive gate made of pearl stood before them. A small platform rose from the ground, a slot for a small key in the center. Jocelyn walked forward, placed in her key, and turned it. A small hole formed in the center of the gate, pieces being pulled away. Once the gate had vanished, a view of Earth was seen, as from space. Jocelyn looked to Hudson, she took his hand and ran through the gate with him.

Dante turned to look behind them, there stood the Thread-weaver. “I’m going to miss this place.” he said.

“Tell the stories then, become the Thread-weaver of your own little world -that world being your mind.”

“Thank you.” Dante said, walking forward, “For everything.” He wrapped his arms around the Thread-weaver.

“Go home, and live a life of peace.” He said.

Dante turned around, and took Haile’s hand. He walked towards the gate, giving one last look over his shoulder at the world of Threads. He walked through the gate, returning home.

THUMP

Dante hit the ground. A brief moment of silence ensued before he stood up. Haile, Hudson, and Jocelyn were there too. He looked around, he was in Amy’s living room. Amy ran through the door, hearing the commotion, a beaming smile came across her face.

They were home.