Gone.
Linda steps forward next.
She doesn’t come to me first.
She goes to Aspen.
Her form flickers — a woman with kind eyes and steady hands, silver streaking through dark hair. The sort of person who held everything together when nothing else would.
She cups his face. Gentle. Maternal.
Aspen’s frost crackles. His eyes are wet.
She smooths her thumb across his cheek, wiping away a tear he didn’t notice falling. Then she presses a kiss to his forehead.
She moves to Torric next, smoothing down his hair like he’s a kid who’s been running wild. He ducks his head, embarrassed, but doesn’t pull away.
To Finn and Malrik — wraps shadow-arms around both of them at once. Malrik’s shoulders shake. Just once.
To Darian — he flinches, then melts into her touch. She strokes his hair until he stops trembling.
To Kieran — takes his hands, squeezes twice. A silent promise.
When she reaches me, she pulls me into a hug that feels like every comfort I’ve ever needed.
I break.
Completely. Sobbing into her shoulder, clinging to her like I can keep her here if I just hold on tight enough.
“I don’t want you to go.”
She strokes my hair. Rocks me gently. Presses a kiss to the top of my head.
Then she pulls back. Cups my face in shadow-hands. Wipes my tears with thumbs that feel real and solid and warm.
She points at me. Then at my chest. Then at the men surrounding us. She mimes a circle — all of us together.
Family, she’s saying.You have family. You’re not alone.
“I know,” I whisper. “I know. Thank you. For taking care of all of us.”
She smiles. Soft. Proud. Tired.
Then she walks toward the Gate.
I watch her go until the light swallows her whole.
Finnick bounces forward next — and even now, even in this moment, he can’t help himself.
He does a flip. A dramatic bow. Jazz hands that shouldn’t be possible for a shadow.
His form flickers, and I see him — young, wild-eyed, a chaos mage with a grin that could start wars. He looks exactly like Finn.Exactly. Same auburn hair. Same green eyes. Same mischief written into every line of his face.
Finn makes a choked sound beside me.
“Hey.” His voice is wrecked. “That’s— you look like— you little shit, were you mocking me this whole time?”
Finnick’s grin widens. He points at Finn, then at himself, then does that stupid little flip thing that Finn does when he’s showing off.
