The End

What Arnold said earlier turned out to be true.

The northern Isle gate was working. Apparently, the southern switch used to open and close the gate was broken and jammed, but the switch at the northern gate was simply broken. The lever was torn off, but using a wooden staff to push down on the broken piece of the lever allowed it to work.

How nice is that? I thought.

Everyone cheered as the northern gate opened.

Groups of people pushed against one another, rushing towards the freedom of the outside. People yelled and cried as they pushed. Some even screamed ‌the moment they passed the gate.

“I don’t think I want to go through all those people,” I said.

Mia was fully leaning on me, taking a standing nap while Ophelia’s hand shook in mine.

“I don’t either,” she squeaked.

So the three of us waited by the back until the gate wasn’t crowded.

The moment we walked past the gate was like a flashbang.

It was the first time I had ever left the city.

From seeing absolute darkness and the abundant destruction of houses and buildings–to seeing the abundant and beautiful grass that swayed with the morning breeze–it was as if I walked through the gates of hell and entered heaven.

My legs buckled.

I yelped.

“Uwah!”

Ophelia did the same.

“Ah!”

And Mia, who was still half-asleep, groaned.

“Urgh…”

Ophelia tugged at my arm but struggled to pull me up.

“What’s the matter, Tai?” she asked.

“I’m sorry,” I said under my breath. “My body realized that I’m safe, so it’s trying to make me rest.”

Ophelia’s eyes widened. She tugged at my arm even harder.

“You can’t sleep on me as well,” she said. “I don’t have the strength to carry you or Mia.”

I laughed as Ophelia helped me up.

“Don’t worry. I’m not passing out just yet.”

Though I’d love to do that right now.

“Good,” Ophelia said.

We followed the people who left before us, taking a few steps down the road before seeing a bunch of people to our left lying on the grass asleep or relaxing. Some chattered amongst themselves, and some took the time to pray–probably to the angel/goddess that sent me to this world.

From the corner of my eye, I saw someone waving at us.

“Mia, Tai, Ophelia!” Frank yelled. “Over here!”

Frank and Maya were near the bottom of the vast grass hill that was right outside the walls of Isle City.

The way their hands were planted on the soft grass, man, I think I would pass out the moment my back touched it.

“Were you three in the back?” Maya asked. She leaned against Frank for support and wore the brightest smile I’ve ever seen. Maybe it was because the sun was coming up? Either way, it warmed my spirit.

“Yeah,” I chuckled. “We didn’t want to get pushed around, so we stayed in the back for a bit.”

Ophelia nodded along.

“You made the right choice,” Frank said. “Maya and I were being tossed around at the front.”

Maya nodded.

“I felt as if I was going to hurl.”

“Hey, but at least you have some time to relax now,” I said.

The couple nodded.

Their eyes moved towards their daughter, who was sleeping on my shoulder while standing. I didn’t know how she could do it, but she did it.

That was until her eyes opened ever so slightly and peered at the soft, abundant grass below us.

At that moment, she pulled away from me and threw herself onto the grass.

“It’s crazy how fast she can fall asleep,” I said, amazed at the sight.

“Tell me about it,” Maya said.

We left Mia alone. She deserved to get some rest. We all did.

But speaking of we…

“Have you two seen August? I haven’t seen her since we walked towards the gate.”

Maya pointed to her left, towards the crowd of people lying on the grass.

“She’s somewhere over there with her parents.”

“Really? That’s nice.”

I didn’t realize August had family here. I'm glad they’re alright. Guess I'm not gonna go look for her then. Let her be with her family.

Ophelia and I sat across from Frank and Maya.

“So, do you two know what’s going on?” I asked them. “Are we waiting for someone?”

Frank nodded.

“A party of adventurers left to ask the neighboring city for help. If things work out well, they should be back by nightfall.”

“So we’re just gonna wait here in the meantime?”

Frank nodded.

“Unless you want to make the trip to the city yourself.”

I shook my head.

“No thanks,” I laughed.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to make the trip either.”

Arnold and his party found us in the sea of people and came over to shake our hands.

It felt weird. After all that we’ve been through, being this formal with each other felt off.

But still, I didn’t want to be disrespectful. Kindness should be paid back after all.

“Thank you for all you guys have done,” I told them.

Maya shook Cici’s hand.

“We wouldn’t know what to do without you three.”

“Oh, I’m sure you would’ve been fine,” Arnold said. “You have a great mage with you after all.”

Ophelia turned away from Arnold’s gaze and squeezed my hand.

“T-thank you for the compliment,” she said.

Arnold and the others laughed.

After chatting for a bit, Cici and Bertram left to find a quieter and less crowded spot to sleep on.

Maya and Frank couldn’t stay up for long after that.

“I think I’m gonna sleep for now,” Frank said, yawning.

Maya yawned as well.

“Goodnight,” I told them. “Or should I say good morning?”

The two didn’t answer. They went straight to sleep.

Guess it’s goodnight.

I looked up at Arnold. For some reason, he was still standing.

“Are you staying up?” I asked.

He nodded.

“I’m gonna keep watch for now. Got to be aware if anything happens.”

“Well, if someone as strong as you is staying up, then I have no worries about going to sleep now,” I said while yawning.

Arnold grinned.

“You two should get some rest.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

We laughed, and after that, Arnold walked off to stand near the northern gate.

I plopped onto the soft grass. The gracious morning breeze cooled my body once again.

I looked over at Ophelia.

She was lying next to me, but she fidgeted with both her hands.

“Aren’t you tired?” I asked her.

Ophelia shook her head.

“I am, but I’m worried that if I fall asleep, something bad is going to happen again.”

I held on to her hand.

“I get it. I’m a bit worried too, if I’m being honest.”

Our hands intertwined.

“I’ll stay up with you then. Is there anything you want to talk about?”

Ophelia’s eyes widened.

“Y-you don’t have to stay up.”

“It’s fine, really. I’m not gonna force myself to stay awake. But until I do fall asleep, I don’t want you awake and all alone on this grass field.”

Ophelia’s eyes softened as I turned my head towards hers.

“Alright,” she said.

We spoke about trivial things for a bit after that.

Then my eyes got heavy. Way too heavy to fight against.

Ophelia asked me a question, but I didn't know exactly what the question was. I was dozing off right then and there, but it looked like Ophelia wasn’t sleepy at all.

“I’m sorry…” I said, trying to stay awake. “What did you say again?”

Ophelia inched closer until her shoulder rubbed against mine.

“You’re sleepy, aren’t you?”

I couldn’t say a word back.

“It’s okay,” she said. “You can sleep. I’ll be fine.”

I couldn’t fight it anymore. My eyes closed.

But as I drifted off, I heard Ophelia’s sweet and gentle voice.

“Thank you, Tai. Sweet dreams.”

Three days passed after that.

During that time, a bunch of adventurers came back from the neighboring city with a ton of food and supplies.

There was a woman who came with them. Apparently, she was the lord of the neighboring city—basically meaning she was the equivalent of a mayor, only with more privilege and power.

With the supplies she and her people brought, we set up large square tents for the people of Isle to sleep in. Unfortunately, we couldn’t all live in the neighboring city, but I didn’t mind the tents.

They looked cozy.

Most of the buildings were destroyed in Isle City. The lord’s goal was to rebuild it.

“Hey, Tai!” Mia called.

Walking away from camp—which was near the northern wall—I walked towards the forest area where Mia, August, and Ophelia were at.

“Here!” Mia yelled and tossed an axe at me.

“Woah!”

Luckily, I was able to catch it.

“M-Mia!” Ophelia shouted. “You've got to be careful with that! What if Tai got hurt?”

“Oh, don’t be such a worrywart. I knew he was going to catch it, and he did. But I won’t do it again if it’ll make you feel better.”

August sighed.

“Please do, for all of our safety.”

Mia giggled.

August rose her axe over her shoulder.

“Come on now, everyone. We need to chop down as many trees as we can. I want to help my parents rebuild our home from scratch.”

“What a noble cause,” I said.

August smiled.

“Thank you.”

“Still,” I said, dropping my shoulders forward. “I had a close call yesterday, but what if a tree falls on me for real this time?”

“You can always just heal yourself,” Mia said.

Ophelia nodded.

“A-and I’ll be sure to cast any spell before the tree hits you.”

August nodded as well.

“No matter what happens, we’ll get it together.”

I cracked a smile.

“I guess you’re right.”

It doesn’t matter what challenges we face; we’ll get through it together.

With that being said, the four of us walked to the nearest tree and chipped at it.