Rick looked up at the giant, rotting monster trying to crush his family. He opened his mouth. His voice was no longer a lonely whisper. It was the combined, roaring voice of a hundred brave people. "To heal," Rick shouted into the freezing storm, "is to suffer TOGETHER!" `[NEW OATH ACCEPTED.]``[COMMUNITY RESONANCE UNLOCKED: MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE.]`The golden System box shattered into a million pieces of starlight. The magic changed. The brilliant emerald green light did not just come from Rick’s wooden staff anymore. The green light exploded out of Rick’s heart. It flowed into Luna’s hand. It flowed into Brin’s shoulder. It shot into Jace’s arm. The magic traveled like a lightning bolt through every single person touching the wall. It connected them all. They were no longer fifty separate people holding a shield. They were one giant, living, breathing organism. They were a single, unbreakable heart. The green shield instantly repaired itself. The cracks vanished. The green light

The light was golden, warm, and perfectly soft. It spilled through a clear glass window, touching Rick’s closed eyelids. He felt the warmth spreading across his face. He heard the gentle chirping of a small bird outside. Rick slowly opened his eyes. He was not looking at a freezing ceiling made of solid black ice. He was not staring at a terrifying monster wearing his own face. He was looking at a clean, white wooden ceiling. Rick took a slow, deep breath. The air did not smell like toxic yellow smog. It did not smell like rotting meat or cold iron. It smelled like fresh pine wood, clean cotton sheets, and the faint, sweet scent of blooming flowers. He pushed himself up. He sat on the edge of a soft, comfortable bed. He looked down at his own body. He was wearing a simple, clean white shirt and soft brown pants. He reached up with his right hand and touched his chest. He expected to feel the four sharp silver needles that Luna had pushed into his magical gates. He expected to fe

Rick’s smile slowly faded. A tiny, cold drop of confusion fell into his perfectly warm heart. "Luna," Rick whispered, staring at her right arm. "Your arm."Luna looked down at her arm. She wiggled her fingers. She smiled back at him. "It is fixed, Rick," Luna said softly. Her voice was incredibly sweet. It was almost too sweet. "When we won the war, the magic healed everything. All the broken pieces were put back together. The world is perfect now."Rick took a slow step backward. He let go of her waist. He looked at her perfectly smooth, flawless skin. There was no jagged scar on her shoulder. There was no sign that she had ever suffered the terrible pain of losing a limb. "Perfect," Rick repeated. His voice sounded hollow. He turned around. He looked out the open kitchen door, out into the sunny garden. He watched Ash running in the grass, laughing loudly. He watched her dark shadow moving behind her. He looked at Isaac sitting in the rocking chair. Isaac’s face had no stress li

Rick closed his eyes. The warm sunlight on his face felt so good. The smell of the beef stew was so sweet. The sound of the birds was so peaceful. He was ready to surrender. He was ready to let the universe freeze. But as Rick closed his eyes, he remembered something. He did not remember a magical spell. He did not remember a martial arts move. He remembered the old man in the junkyard. The man with the crushed leg. He remembered the man refusing to take the blue pill. “The pain is the only thing I have left of her,” the man had said. “If you eat that pill, you erase your love. You erase yourself.”Rick’s eyes snapped open. He looked at the Emperor. "You are wrong," Rick said softly. The Emperor frowned. The freezing hand on Rick's chest pushed harder. "What did you say?""I said you are wrong," Rick repeated. His voice grew stronger. It was no longer the voice of a tired, defeated man. It was the voice of a master healer. Rick reached up. He grabbed the Emperor’s pale wrist. "Th

"It worked, didn't it?" Rick smiled, coughing slightly. Isaac walked over. He put his silver gun back into his shoulder holster. He looked up at the ceiling where the black fog had escaped. "He retreated," Isaac stated calmly. "But his final words were not a hollow threat. He is heading for Rustgate. He is going to infect the city from the inside.""Then we have to get back," Rick said. He pushed himself up, leaning on Luna’s shoulder. "We have to beat him there."They walked quickly back to the heavy black train. Forge, the blind machinist, was waiting for them in the engine room. "The engine is still warm, Doctor!" Forge called out. "The shared life energy from the refugees is still holding strong in the glass core. We can make the journey back!"Rick, Luna, Isaac, and Ash climbed aboard. Forge pulled the heavy iron lever. The train roared to life. It began to roll backward up the steep, dark tunnel. They were leaving the True North behind. They were heading home. The journey t