Silence grew between them until finally Kenneth and Trace exchanged a glance before shit-eating grins spread across their faces.
“You have a choice to make, oh wayward leader,” Trace sang.
“Will it be your past or present? Death or life?” Kenneth added.
“There are no battles to win here. No pain. Only peace.” Suze was the last to speak. “Whereas there, it will never end. There’ll always be some other war to fight or villain to resist. There’s no shame in walking into your final rest.”
Tate looked from face to face, her eyes studying their familiar features before moving on. If this had been before she met Dewdrop, Night, and Ryu, she would have been tempted. Tate had been lost and alone for so long. She’d been tired of the world without even knowing it.
But then a certain bearcat and pickpocket crashed into her world followed by a possessive dragon. Frustration and irritation became her companions, but also life and love.
How could she give them up?
The answer was that she couldn’t, not even for these four.
Tate saved Jax for last. His expression said he already knew her choice. There was pain and longing but also acceptance.
“If it were up to me, I would return to them.” The bridge of Tate’s nose stung with suppressed emotion. “But I don’t have a choice, do I?”
Willpower and determination could only carry you so far. The body had its limits that not even the brain could overcome. Death was one of them. To be honest, Tate was surprised she’d held on as long as she did after the blow. Without Ilith and her relic working to keep her alive, she doubted she would have managed.
Death was only a matter of time. No matter how much Tate yearned to go back, she couldn’t. Not even Jax’s Apportens Mortis could fix that.
Suze’s lips curled up. “You’d be surprised.”
Tate’s frown of confusion changed to one of surprise as the edges of Jax’s pocket realm wavered.
“It looks like you get to live after all,” Trace said as his image slowly faded from view.
Suze hugged her. “We’ll be waiting for when you’re ready. Kick that traitor’s ass for an old friend.”
Kenneth jerked his chin at Tate as he started to fade. “It looks like we made the right choice all those years ago, if you care so much about them that you’re willing to give up all this.”
Tate laughed as her eyes grew moist. “I guess so.”
Some of Kenneth’s humor faded as a serious expression took over his face. “There’s a kid there. I’m not sure you’ll ever run into him but if you do, take care of him for me. I really want him to have a better future than the one he would have had if he’d remained with me.”
Tate didn’t have time to ask what he meant before Kenneth was gone.
Finally, it was just Jax and Tate standing there as the dreamscape dissolved around them.
“You’re not really like them, are you?” Tate guessed.
There was something about him that was different. More real almost.
One side of his lips lifted up. “Correct. They’re fragments of the originals, left behind in the same way Jax’s fragments were. I’m the avatar you met before.”
Tate’s gaze lifted to the upside-down arches. “Then this really is the pocket realm.”
He inclined his head.
“Its access point is a little different than I expected.”
“It’s keyed to you and can be opened at any time.”
Tate took one last look at her surroundings. Already, she could feel consciousness rushing toward her as if she was caught on the edge of a dream and waking.
“Any advice?” she asked.
