I sat down in the corner as Sparklez began to read what appeared to be quite a long book. "You wouldn't believe the things I've seen," he began, clearing his throat. "Or maybe you would. What do I know? Anyway, worlds upon worlds have embraced my many new selves. I'm living a thousand lives at once! In one realm, I am reborn a beautiful elf queen, and in another, I am a strand of plankton. In a world we both know very well, I'm a bunch of little girls who look just like me. Anyway, my umbrella consciousness has reformed for just a moment. My caretaker, in his mercy, has allowed me to show you these things."

Everyone gaped at him. "Ianite has a caretaker?" Firefoxx wondered aloud. I was equally as confused as she was, and so did everyone else.

A small smile began to form on Sparklez's face. "But you definitely won't believe the most amazing thing I've seen. Lately, I've been looking through a window... a window into bygone years. A man sits in front of a screen, speaking his soul to the world while playing a game. I think I know who he is! I see this man forming friendships with those who also speak to the world. I know who they are too. They project themselves as tiny box figures into a world made of boxes. It's so much less detailed than the world where the man and his friends sit. I would not have known Ruxomar and it's sister dimensions to be so childlike in appearance except by this contrast."

The sky people looked astonished, but I had never felt more confused in my life. Looking around, I didn't see how this world could be childish. And were there people behind the ones who I knew? It was a creepy thought, seeing as there was nobody behind me. What made them special?

"The days go on as the friends play. The boxlike world is ruled by two gods. Of course, I know who they are," Sparklez continued. "The man is faced with a choice between the two. His life is riddled with choices! And, like the stubborn idealist he is, he carves out a middle path. He'll take neither god. He'll have a goddess, all to his own. He gave me a chance."

"I remember that," Ianite said quietly, a broad grin on her face.

"Now, I grasp the truth I have been seeking all my life. I have seen what is above gods. It is..." His voice trailed off, and he squinted at the book.

"It is what?" Jericho asked.

"It doesn't say," Sparklez replied, perplexed. "There's just a long line. Maybe it's something I need to figure out myself." He shook his head suddenly, as if to clear his thoughts. "Anyway, there's more. The book says: my umbrella consciousness won't hold much longer. Let me say a few choice words before the final goodbye between this version of you and this version of me."

At that, everyone moved closer and perked up, desperate to hear the very last words of Ruxomar's Lady Ianite. I felt myself trembling slightly, things beginning to piece together in my head.

"I must thank you, for continuing to love me and make choices for my wellbeing. I hope that another you loves another me in another world soon." He paused, and Spark and Ianite exchanged an awkward glance. "If the man behind you looks out his window one of these days, he might be able to see me. Not even creeping. Just fyi. Forever, your Lady."

Slowly, Sparklez shut the book. Nobody spoke for a minute or two, as her words began to sink in. Sparklez, his hands trembling, stared at the cover of the book for a long time.

Finally, Gaines cleared his throat. "That... that was definitely... something else. But do you think you're ready to go now?"

Sparklez nodded his head. "Yeah, we can go now." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Goodbye, my Lady Ianite. I will never forget you."

We dived through the portal, and appeared inside of Mianite's old lab. Still recovering from the book, we were unprepared when a hoard of Mianite's guards began to swarm us. Everyone started yelling and attacking them. I dived out of the way, seeing that the guards looked very powerful, and noticed a furious man with red hair and turquoise armor directing the attack.

"Hello, old friends," the man snarled down at us. "Thought you'd seen the last of me?"

I didn't recognize him, but almost everyone else looked absolutely horrified. "Guard Tom?" Gaines cried, straightening his glasses as if he might not be seeing properly.

"Tom," Dianite said, looking incredibly sad. "You don't have to do this."

Guard Tom, whoever he was, ignored them. As he saw his army being quickly slain, he pulled out a stash of small rockets and threw them all over the place. Parts of the building exploded left and right, and I began to panic.

"ALYSSA!" I heard someone yell from... above me? I looked up to see Andor hovering above me, holding an angel ring in his hand. "Take this, and fly away from this wreck. They're too powerful for you and me."

I hadn't spoken to Andor since I'd arrived here, and it was nice to think that his first thought was of me. Grateful, I took the angel ring, and felt a pair of red wings extending out of my back. Dianite colors. Nice.

We floated above the others, looking down on the fight. It wasn't long before the others realized that Guard Tom was the one causing the explosions, and they began to chase him down. With nowhere to run, he was quickly overpowered. With only a few hits, Jericho managed to take him out.

"Poor Guard Tom," Sparklez whispered as he stared at the remains of the man. "It didn't have to end this way."

"Guard Tom was a friend of Sparklez's at one point," Andor explained quietly. "They were close at one point. Like many other people in this dimension, he went insane." There was pain behind his eyes, and I could tell that he was talking about his father.

"I can understand," I replied, mirroring his solemn tone. "I probably would've lost it myself if I had to be trapped in the Realm of Mianite for much longer." I let out a long sigh. "But now I'm out of that prison, and moving on to a new realm with the people that I love. I can finally let the past go."

He looked at me worriedly. "Was it bad there?"

Before I could respond, Martha called for the two of us to come down, that it was safe now. Andor leapt to the ground immediately, and I slowly followed him, having much less experience with wings. Everyone gathered in the center of the circle, and the sky began to darken.

We stood around the portal. All nineteen of us fit perfectly around the frame. I surveyed the expressions on each person's face. The sky people looked excited about the journey ahead, but a few, especially Jeriah, looked sadder than ever. I felt a pang of pity for him, as he was the only one who didn't have a companion here. I would need to speak to him eventually, but now there was a different task at hand.

"Look at the sky!" Gaines said suddenly. "It's working!" All of us looked up, and saw a bunch of colored lights filling the air above us. I looked at Andor, who was standing next to me, and saw the light show reflected in his eyes. A large smile was spread across his face, and I felt one appearing on mine as well.

"It's beautiful," Sparklez breathed, his expression the same as Andor's.

"Well, I guess it's time for us to go," Dianite said, looking away from the display overhead. "Nephew, you want to go first?"

"Sure!" I turned and saw Andor take a deep breath and leap into the center of the portal, his childish smile making everyone laugh.

"Let's go!" Tom yelled, jumping in next. He laughed the entire way down, only stopping when he hit the portal.

One by one, each of us jumped. I found myself laughing uncontrollably as Martha, then Dianite, then Sparklez, then Mot leapt after Andor. Alongside the others, I jumped in too, and, for the first time in my life, greatly enjoyed the beautiful sensation of falling.

"Where are we?" My eyes began to adjust to the light, and saw that I was in a box. All four sides of it looked like it was an endless void, but I was able to touch it. We were clearly still going downward, but we weren't falling. It was more like... a void elevator? If that made any sense.

"This is what it was like for us," Sparklez said, grinning at the other sky people. "You just wait here for a while. It felt like maybe a month or two for us, but when we came out, ten years had passed. There's no way to tell, really. You've just got to wait and see."

Ten years, huh? I guess I had plenty of time to go talk to the people I needed to.

"Jeriah?" I asked, approaching him. He was sitting alone in the corner of the box, staring off into space.

"Oh, hi, Alyssa." He looked surprised to see me talking to him. "Why aren't you talking to Mot, or Andor, or Dianite? You finally have your past back. Go have some fun."

I stared at him in shock. "My past? Why would I want my past back?"

Jeriah narrowed his eyes. "Why wouldn't you want your past back? You had it perfect. You had a best friend, and a dad who loved you. Now, it seems like you have two dads, even better. I've accepted that I'm not part of that past, and I know I'll be fine on my own. It's how I lived for most of my life."

"That was in the past, all of it!" I said firmly. "You're part of my perfect family, and I need you. You were there for me when nobody else was, and there's no way I could ever forget that." I leaned down and gave him a hug. "We're all a family now."

He hugged me back, looking grateful. "You always told me that you would do anything to get your former life back, though."

"Why would I want my former life back when this one is so much better?" I reminded him. He smiled slightly, and I smiled back. "It's time to make the most out of what we have."

"Yeah, yeah." He got to his feet, pretending to be annoyed by me. "You're right, as always. Now, I really think you should talk to the people who you just got back. Time to set the foundations of your new 'perfect' life."

I hugged him once more, knowing that I could never be complete without him being a part of the picture. "And you're right about that. I'll talk to you later, alright?"

I walked away, and went to see Mot and Dianite. They seemed to be playfully teasing each other, but quickly stopped when I came over. "Hey, Alyssa. It's nice to have my female champion back. These boys get a bit annoying after a while," Dianite joked.

I cracked a smile. "I know, trust me. I've had to deal with him for my entire life." I gestured playfully toward Mot, who rolled his eyes.

"You little brat," he said, but grinned as well. "So, are you... you know, okay with having another parent?" He glanced at Dianite, and I laughed.

"I approve of my new dad, don't worry." The two of them embraced me, and I realized just how much I loved getting hugged. It provided so much warmth and comfort, and I couldn't believe how long I had gone without getting one over in the Realm of Mianite.

Now, there was one person left to talk to.

"Hey, Andor. So I guess you wanted to talk about life in our separate dimensions?" He had been slumped in a corner, watching the sky people fight over something trivial, but straightened immediately when I walked over.

"Oh. Yeah, about that. I didn't exactly have the best experience growing up." He awkwardly turned around, showing me two long scars down his back.

I winced. "You should have Ianite heal you. She healed me, after the Shadows... World Historian's alternate... tortured me. It's a long story," I added after seeing his expression.

We sat down together. "Well, luckily, we have a long time here," Andor said. "I'm sure we can get around to our backgrounds at some point. But, for now, do you mind if we just enjoy this moment? It's been a long journey."

"Yeah," I sighed, leaning back and staring into the abyss. "It really has."

We sat in silence, and I let everything wash over me. I decided that I was never going to forget all the pain I had felt in the past: losing my parents, falling through a portal into the Realm of Mianite, having depression, being tricked by Dianite, and being tortured by the Shadows. I would never forget Redbeard, or Bella, or anyone else who had passed away in the tragic events of my lifetime.

Moving forward, I knew, wasn't about forgetting. That only made the pain sink in deeper, and any small reminder would just make me more and more unhappy. I knew that the only true way to be happy was to let go of the pain. My background was a part of me now, and there was no way I could change that. So, why not embrace it?

I was proud. Proud of who I was, and proud of who I would become. I didn't know what the future held for me, or for any of us, but I couldn't worry about that. What the void gave me the opportunity to do, I realized, was to reflect.

I reflected on the beginning of this story, when I had last seen Andor. When I was six, and we used to sit around and discuss our problems with each other. It seemed funny now, to think that I had had problems back then. But it was the place where my story began, and I guess this is where my story ends.

At least for now.