*******

TIAN WAS FINALLY BACK.

After spending what felt like an eternity in the Seventh Heaven, the girl had returned back to the mortal world of Jhisie once again. She survived encounters with Vampires and Demons. The Forsaken Souls that tempted her— that hoped to drag her down into despair with them— failed. She overcame the Land of the Cursed, emerging from that mystical labyrinth reborn.

It was so refreshing— stepping out of that arched gateway that hung so high above the clouds. To take in a breath of fresh air, and taste the scent in the air, rather than that artificial world she had been in. It was a blessing she didn’t even realize she had until now. Her entire perspective on life, death, suffering, surviving had been rehauled from its very foundations.

She smiled, taking in the simple pleasures in life. Then Tian blinked as the world began to spin around her.

“What…?” Her eyes went wide as her stomach lurched. But the world continued spinning faster and faster, before her vision went white. “What is going on?" she asked, utterly befuddled.

At first, a sense of dread crept up on the girl. She thought she had made a mistake— that she hadn’t actually escaped the Seventh Heaven. That she was still trapped in that nightmarish world, caught in another phantasm. But when the white mist vanished, and she stared down at the rapidly approach green expanse of flora and fauna, that was when she realized she wasn’t in an illusion.

She was just falling from the sky.

“Oh,” Tian said, voice flat.

The girl looked up, seeing the arched gateway hanging off the jade-green sky. It was already quite high up. Then she glanced back down. And she realized she didn’t have a long way left to go.

Then panic settled in. She was falling fast. Tumbling and turning from having stepped out of the Seventh Heaven. And that was when Tian moved.

“Fire—” she whispered hurriedly to herself. She brought her hands out, sending a blast of flame out down, trying to slow her fall.

And it worked. But just barely. Her fall was still fast— too fast for her to survive if she impact the ground right now. It was like she was a comet falling from the sky as the flames continued to burn ahead of her. She gritted her teeth when she realized it wasn’t working.

“Then air…” Tian unleashed a cone of wind down from both her hands and her legs.

This time, it was a lot more effective. She could actually see the approach of the ground slowing. But it was a little too late. She closed her eyes, seeing nothing but trees around her. The girl braced herself for the impact that was to come.

“No—” she gasped. A sense of fear and trepidation overcame her.

But right before she crashed into the earth, a white figure zipped up into the sky. A fox with three tails. A Sacred Beast that wore kind eyes. It swooped up to the girl, unleashing a small cyclone that rapidly cushioned her fall.

The girl blinked as she landed on a bed of white fur. A soft, fluffy back accompanied by three soothing tails gently patting her on the shoulder.

Her eyes grew wide as she looked up.

“Master—” she started.

The Sacred Beast craned his neck back to her as he galloped in the air. He looked at her with a kind smile. “Welcome back, Tian.”

For a moment, she paused. She stared at the comforting gaze of her master. The white fox that stared down at her with care. Her lips curled up, and she nodded at it.

“I’m glad to be back,” she whispered softly.

“So am I,” said the Sacred Beast. “It has been quite a while since we last met. I am glad to see how much you have grown.”

“What are you…?” Tian blinked. She looked down at herself, puzzled. Then that was when she finally saw it.

The girl… was no longer a girl. Tian was staring down at a young lady. Perhaps not a fully grown woman yet. But she was not a child, either. It looked like she had aged tens of thousands of cycles since she last looked at a mirror.

“I… how? What? When did this happen?” she sputtered, aghast.

“The Land of the Cursed extracts a toll on both the mind and the soul,” her master explained. “Years passed, and surely you noticed it too. A weaker mind with a weaker soul would have gone insane from the time they spent wandering that labyrinth. But only through your sheer will did you not break. I am proud of you, Tian.”

Tian paused. She didn’t quite understand it. All she knew was that all the time she felt passing while in the Land of the Cursed was real. It was not just an illusion to drive her mad. Bowing her head, she smiled.

“Thank you, master.” She smiled. The young lady luxuriated in this moment. As her master carried her, continuing to gallop through the air.

The Sacred Beast did not say much more. It continued flying up— higher and higher. Only after a moment, did she think to question what happened next.

Tian raised her head, meeting the white fox’s gaze. “Where are we going now?”

“There,” it said as it pointed up with its three tails.

Up ahead, an arched gateway awaited them. One that was not ornate or decorated like the Seventh Heaven. It didn’t leak Red Essence— wisps and motes of crimson mist that smelled like blood. Rather, it was relatively plain and simple.

It hung above the clouds just like the other Heavens. But its sides were decorated in foliage. Vines and leaves covered the wooden beams supporting the gates. It was almost like a pair of tall trees that melded together into forming this portal. And a water-like surface covered the frames of the gate. A vibrant liquid that rippled like the grass in an open field on a windy day.

Green Essence. That was what it was. Tian recognized it. She knew which of the Seven Heavens this was. It was the home of her master. The place where all Sacred Beasts of Jhisie were born. A world of nature. A world of peace and tranquility.

The white fox nodded at her. “Welcome, Tian,” it said. “To the Fifth Heaven.”

The young lady’s eyes grew wide as she took in the gates. Then she nodded back at her master as they crossed through the gates together. “Thank you,” she repeated herself. “For everything.”

With that, they entered the Fifth Heaven. The Heaven of Sacred Beasts. The Heaven of Green Essence. And her master’s home.

*****

Thornthistle has been liberated

By all accounts, it is a victory. The ship that had been assailing the city— what the Elocunive called a Sentient Nest— was destroyed thanks to my help. And with no further reinforcements, the remaining Esh and the En besieging Thornthistle are wiped out with ease.

But despite that, this is not a time to celebrate. It is not a victory that can be cheered. Rather, it is the type of victory that results in a sigh of relief. Glad that the battle is over— nothing else.

The losses that had been incurred during the fighting had been far too much. There had been far too many casualties. Even though Bluerage had rallied the people of the city, it was still not enough. Not enough to save everyone. A quarter of the population of Thornthistle lay dead. Killed by the machine soldiers that had endlessly stormed the city. Half the buildings and homes had been wasted into ruins. Most of the walls are not even standing any longer. There is but rubble girdling Thornthistle, protecting it from monsters.

But monsters are the least of anyone’s worry. Even if it is now true night. Even if both the suns had already set, and the sky was pitch black. After all, surviving a cycle of true night is not out of the ordinary for the people of Utana. However, unlike the monsters lurking the wilderness of this world, the gaping hole in the sky is something that they are not used to.

Especially when it entailed the destruction of their world. Especially when it is Idu’s invasion that has already wiped out most of the wildlife and fauna of Utana.

The people of Thornthistle gather around in whatever shelter they have left, building firepits all around the ruined city to keep warm from the cold. Occasionally, a little critter about the size of a really large dog at the most sneaks up on the city. But they are easily chased away— no greater of a threat than an annoying pest.

There are no hordes of monsters encroaching on the vulnerable survivors of the siege. Which is both a blessing and a curse. After all, with very few Elementalists left to protect what is left of Thornthistle, the lack-of monsters was a boon to the people of the city. But the fact that there is so few monsters left shows just how terrible Idu’s invasion has been so far.

I approach Bluerage— the one who I have left in charge of the people of Thornthistle. The Bladewielder is tired. He looks clearly exhausted. The battle— the siege of the city— had taken quite the toll on him. He had fought so hard. Rallied the survivors to fight back against the invading Esh and the En. And because of him there had been far less casualties than there should have been.

But he does not look relieved. He simply waits with dread. The man had seen his own city fall not too long ago. Then he had to face the Zombie horde that swarmed all over Utana. Now, he knows that there is no reprieve. That there is only what comes next. Especially with the hole in the sky looming over him— warning him of what the threat that has yet to come.

I know this, too. That is why I approach him. That is why I go out of my way to find the man as he sits against a broken wall.

“Bluerage,” I say as I come to a stop before him. “I need your help.”

He grunts, looking up at me. “What is the point?” He shakes his head. “When that next attack comes, we are all going to die, anyway. If not to the next, then to the one after.”

I purse my lips as I look down at him. “I understand how you feel, Bluerage. But not all hope is lost.”

“Thornthistle is destroyed, Tian. The city is in ruins. What can we even do to stop the end of our world?” He speaks bitterly, looking back down at his feet. “We may as well just accept our fate—”

“But there is something we can do,” I cut him off.

He blinks. “What are you talking about?”

“You are right,” I say, gesturing to the wreckage all around us. “The city is destroyed. When the next attack comes, we will not be able to fend it off. Not here.”

“So what is the point?” he asks, furrowing his brows at me.

“The point is that there is still something that can be done.” I cross my arms simply. “Thornthistle is no longer a haven. There is no safety here. You are right. But that does not mean this entire world is no longer safe from Idu’s fury.”

“What are you talking about?” Bluerage looks dubious. “Did you not see that crimson beam that tore a hole in the sky?”

“I did,” I say simply.

My eyes flicker as I remember what happened. I had tried to repair the hole in the sky, but Idu stopped me. He unleashed a crimson beam from his world, ripping space itself open with ease. The attack had burrowed straight through everything it touched. Even I could not have stopped it. But something else did.

A sea of Lifeblood that lies at the bottom of this world. One that even Galgom could not penetrate after years of trying. One which I could pass through with ease.

“Then where in Utana would we be safe from that?” Bluerage asks, outraged. “Where exactly will you bring us that will guarantee our safety, Tian?”

I smile as I gesture to the ground at our feet. “To the Pishitim,” I reply softly. “I will lead the people of this world to the Pishitim.

And that made Bluerage pause. His eyes goes wide. “What…?”