I stood on Ni Island’s beaches beneath the cool shade of its towering palm trees. In the distance, I could make out two dark outlines near the withdrawing tide. One lay motionless on the sand, the second bent over the first while frantically waving its arms. I brought one hand flat against my forehead to cut out the gleam of the sun, then squinted my eyes.

Is that me?

“Hey! Wake up!” Keke’s voice rang over the surf as she shook unmoving shoulders. Her long hair trailed over her shoulders, droplets of the ocean still streaming into the sand. “Don’t die on me!”

“A memory?” I murmured.

“Of course, [User Matthew]. All of your memories are safely stored.” A familiar, monotonous voice sounded beside me. “It is your footprint upon Nyarlea.”

“Ai?” I blinked and dropped my arm before looking to my right.

“Yes.” Ai was a little taller than Keke, her head reaching just above my chin. Her long, royal-blue hair flowed in the breeze, and deep sapphire eyes stared into the distance. She wore a similar nautically-themed outfit as the other girls from Ni Island, sporting the same white top that I’d seen on the iPaw.

My mouth went dry. “Am I dead?”

“That remains to be seen,” she said flatly.

“Some junk from the ocean?” past me asked, now on his feet and inspecting the iPaw. He chucked it with his measly 1 Strength and frowned.

“No! You musn’t!” Keke squealed.

“Jesus, I was fucking stupid,” I groaned, rubbing the back of my neck with one nervous hand.

“All users must begin somewhere,” Ai replied.

The scene vanished in a blur of sunshine and glittering water, replaced instead by tall, shifting grasses. Cannoli knelt by a palm civet burrow and sang her sweet song.

“Is this the part where I watch my life flash before my eyes?” I asked, drinking in Cannoli’s lovely voice with each sweet sound that escaped her lips. “I didn’t really get that the first time.”

“Not quite.” Ai walked with a grace and authority that I’d witnessed in Ceres and Jazz. She stroked Cannoli’s hair and watched as the kitten-sized civet appeared in its hole. “You have chosen interesting companions.”

“What do you mean?” I was next to sing, and I cringed at the cracking, toneless song.

“Your selections were immediate and based on little more than their proximity to you,” she noted, her fingers lingering around one long strand of Cannoli’s hair.

I winced. “That’s a little harsh.”

She tipped her chin to meet my gaze and blinked. “Is it?”

Once again, the backdrop disappeared, warping and reshaping until landing on its new destination in my memories. Keke, Cannoli, Ravyn, and I stood amongst hundreds of tigers outside of Shulan’s gates. Maya was cut to shreds as we helplessly witnessed her death.

“Are you choosing these?” I asked Ai.

“No.” One of the tigers padded to her feet and sniffed her hand. She stroked its head, and it purred. “You are in control of this memorial display, [User Matthew].”

Yomi’s staff jingled in the distance, and I swore I felt a burning pang in my ear. Or maybe it was the punch to my gut with the memory of the sound.

The tiger at Ai’s feet dissolved into thin air, followed soon by the other felines, the Defiled, and finally the players in the fight. All were quickly replaced Saphira’s quiet kitchen, her arms wrapped around my waist and her lips on mine. Saphira’s body restructured into Keke’s, then Cannoli’s, then Myrun’s, Yomi’s, Marianne’s, Ravyn’s. Each face flashed by like a strobe light.

“This isn’t a memory,” I murmured, backing into one of the kitchen counters.

“I believe you would refer to this as a nightmare,” Ai said, her tone never wavering.

The room went black. I blinked and suddenly found myself in the [Necromancer]’s pot, my skin burning away from the muscles and bone beneath.

“Ah, my servant at long last!” the kittengirl cackled, stirring the pot with a long wooden stick.

I looked around for Ai, but she was nowhere to be seen. The pain of the brew seeped into every nerve, and I screamed.

“Don’t be such a baby! I’m almost done!” the [Necromancer] scolded.

My head sunk beneath the bubbling liquid and the bitter, scalding concoction scored my teeth and tongue. Every orifice in my face was clogged with it, and I couldn’t breathe.

“Hey! Hang on!” Keke’s voice came from somewhere above.

I looked up and saw sunlight sparkling through clear blue water. I was back in the ocean. Keke dove downward and gripped my arm, pulling with all of her strength to bring us to the surface.

“Matt, wake up!” she yelled, despite us both still being beneath the water.

“You are not dead, [User Matthew],” Ai’s voice echoed in my ears. “[Continue?]”

My limbs were so heavy, like sandbags ready to drag the two of us to the ocean floor. My skin continued to sear as if I was still stewing in the necromancer’s cauldron. Even so, Keke’s face lingered in my vision, her voice still calling my name. I hadn’t come this far to quit. Yes…

“Matt!” Keke cried again.

Yes! Please! Continue!

My eyelids flew wide, and I gasped for air. My lungs burned, and everything from the neck down tingled with the sudden rush of blood to my limbs.

“He’s awake!” Cannoli cried.

“Drink the rest of this. Right fucking now,” Ravyn commanded, yanking my chin open and dumping the remnants of a flask straight down my throat.

Keke had one hand on the top of my head, the other on my shoulder. Her face was flooded with tears.

Don’t cry, Keke. I haven’t done anything to earn that. I swallowed the rest of the antidote and flexed my throbbing fingers, then slowly moved my arm to cup Keke’s hand in mine.

“Y-you stopped b-breathing,” Keke managed, wiping her nose on the shoulder of her top. She stroked my hair and gritted her teeth. “R-Ravyn thought you were gone.”

“For a few seconds, you were dead,” Ravyn snapped. “Cannoli forced you to swallow some of the antidote while I pumped your damn chest back to life. Baka! Next time I say ‘Hey, Matt, split the potion,’ fucking listen to me!” Her voice was wild with rage.

“I…” My tongue felt like heavy sandpaper in my mouth. I swallowed and tried again. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” Ravyn scoffed. “Oh, not yet you’re not sorry. I swear to Saoirse, when you feel better—”

“Ravyn.” Cannoli placed a hand on her arm and shook her head. “He needs to rest right now.”

Before Ravyn could turn on the [Acolyte], Ceres announced, “My Lord, Fiona has prepared a hearty meal with the [Energy] spices from your [Cat Pack].” She stood at the edge of the cot, one bandaged hand resting on my ankle, and offered a knowing smile. “It is good to have you back.”

Because I’d waited so long from the time I was envenomed to the time I drank an antidote, the overall damage was nearly as severe as Ceres’ hole-punched arm. The scars on my chest would likely never go away, leaving behind a sprawling of burn patterns below my collarbone. Scars are sexy, right? Ugh, I hope so.

Erina came to not long after me, and we shared short, broken conversations between a sporadic sleep schedule. Needless to say, she took the loss of her arm pretty damn rough. Considering her prowess as a fellow warrior, I could only imagine how defeated she felt. I had a very hard time picturing protecting my girls with one arm.

It was pretty damn intriguing to watch Ceres and I heal, though. Both of us would likely have been dead on the spot if we were back where I came from—Ceres from blood loss and me from the venom. The [Hit Points] system seemed to work much like it did in a video game; so long as we didn’t hit 0, we were okay. Which had to have meant Jazz was one-shot, or close to and then bled the rest of hers away. I shuddered at the thought.

Sanaia and a small contingency of guards they could afford to spare retrieved her body, burying it beneath the house she’d once occupied in Catania. I was told there was little remaining to recover of the girl who’d taken my axe to the head. They buried what they could.

Since we were still underground, it was impossible to say how many days had passed since our return and when I could finally sit up. Each of the girls in my party would linger at my side at different times, seemingly taking shifts to watch whether my condition improved or worsened. Once I could sit up and eat on my own, their attentions shifted to helping the Sorentina clan settle in, showing them the groundwork we’d established so far.

“Appear iPaw,” I murmured one day while the girls were occupied and Erina had descended into a fitful sleep. “Hey, Ai.”

The blue-haired girl appeared on the screen in all her pixelated glory. It had been so weird to see her in person. Had it really been her? “What can I assist you with, [User Matthew]?”

“So, I know this sounds weird but, erm, did we meet a few days ago? Like in person?”

Ai blinked and tilted her head. “I do not understand the question.”

I winced and tried again. “You and I. Did we meet in person?”

She paused, then shook her head. “That is quite impossible, [User Matthew]. What else may I help you with?”

Guess it really was just a fever dream. “Did I get any Experience from the fight?”

Ai disappeared, replaced by a second window populating the center of the screen.

New Notifications!

Matt has gained: 206 XP!

Matt has gained: 3 Points of Energy!

Matt is now: Base Level 8!

Matt is now: Class Level 8!

Matt has gained: 1 Stat Point!

Matt has gained: 1 Class Point!

Keke has gained: 181 XP!

Cannoli has gained: 165 XP!

Ravyn has gained: 185 XP!

Ceres has gained: 203 XP!

I exited the window and navigated to the [Warrior] Class tree, staring at my options and wondering what the hell could have possibly saved Jazz or Erina’s arm in that fight.

“I haven’t seen one of those since I was a kitten,” Erina rasped, pointing at the iPaw in my hands. “Tells you all kinds of nice things, right?”

“Mm. In a way,” I nodded. “Just deciding where I should put my Class Point.”

Erina chuckled. “Good man, thinking before you choose. I dove ears-first into [Adrenaline Rush]. The thrill of the fight is what keeps me going.” She grunted and shook her head. “Well, what kept me going anyway.”

“Your fight isn’t over,” I replied, looking up from the screen. “These girls need you. They just lost their leader.”

“Me? A one-armed brute leading a city? I don’t think so.”

“Why not?” I shrugged. “Sure, you may have to downsize your weapon some, but there are plenty of heroes with just one arm.” That I know from video games, I thought but bit my tongue.

“You must come from a mighty interesting place if you know so many heroes.” Erina rolled to her back and stared at the ceiling. “Dunno if I’m cut out to rule, friend.”

“Just consider it, at least. Sanaia may take Jazz’s room, but you’re a lot more capable in a fight. You can teach these girls to survive.”

Erina hummed a reply; then her breathing steadied into quiet snores.

I threw my Class Point into [Adrenaline Rush] and the Stat Point into Vitality. Live longer, hit harder. If it meant cleaving into Defiled like Erina had, I was happy to max that first.

I glanced back at the sleeping Erina. I hope these girls get to see an ounce of the bravery you showed out there. And, if I keep at this, I hope I can do the same.