Like stepping out of a portal into the middle of a battlefield, Leo felt every single eye land on him. He somehow felt more nervous than when he stood across from three Primarchs. The nervousness was quickly overtaken by a squeal, loud and joyous.

“Ellie-bean!”

Ashley sprinted out, despite Cecelia trying to stop her, pushing out into the open. Ellie spotted her and coated herself in lightning dashing to Ashley in a flash of movement. Leo watched with a smile creeping onto his face as the joyous reunion took place. It had only been a week, but it had been the longest they’d been apart for over a month.

Completely uncaring for the watching crowd, the two of them just nuzzled together. Like Ashley was trying to paint herself with an Ellie-shaped brush.

Leo walked toward Cecelia, glancing back at Jasper every so often. The converted, or whatever these people were, hadn’t been here when he’d stepped out into this neutral zone before. It had only been his people.

“Cece, what’s going on?” Leo asked.

“The insects are requesting peace,” she said, not hiding the disgust in her voice.

“We simply wish to discuss not being entirely annihilated when this tutorial ends,” Jasper called.

Emotions started building within Leo’s chest, anger, fury, but also clarity.

He walked forward, confidence rising enough to address Jasper in front of everyone.

“This feels like a standoff,” Leo said calmly. He glanced behind Jasper to all the various looking converted, some much less human than others. “What say you, me, and the rest of the old gang chat this out peacefully?”

“Bjorn… he—”

“Don’t.” Leo’s eyes turned sharp as he glared at the man. Jasper nodded.

“All of you, wait here,” Jasper said, and not one person even questioned it for a second. They hung on every word. Completely still.

Jasper followed Leo over to the fountain in the middle of the open plaza, he motioned his head as his eyes met Cecelia’s.

While they briefly waited for Cecelia to bring over a few more people, Cain arrived, stepping from a doorway. The moment he spotted Jasper, the man charged.

Jasper’s bladed appendages grew from his arms, he spat on them, coating them in green ichor that painted them like magic. For some reason, Leo didn’t even feel the slightest bit worried, he just waited for the inevitable.

The system said it was a neutral zone.

Boom!

The two figures bounced off each other like two of Ashley’s shields had sprung up around them. Cain flew back, Jasper didn’t. It was like the aggressor was the one punished.

Leo walked over to Cain with slow steps as the man lay flat on his back. He crouched.

“Doesn’t work in here,” Leo said.

Cain growled, unmoving. “Fuck off.”

“Will in a minute,” Leo replied. “You gotta listen first.”

When Cain didn’t reply, Leo continued. “I hate him too, thanks to him I also lost someone I cared deeply about. But let’s hear him out first, yeah? There had to be a reason you guys didn’t get jumped after Serrix tore your limbs off. Same reason I was able to fight one on one with him.”

“Let me at least find out why, yeah?”

Cain grumbled, got to his feet, and walked off. “He dies.” Then, muttering to himself, said softly, “For Matilda.”

Leo sighed. One bomb defused for now. Or perhaps just extended the timer. He looked over where Cecelia, Ashley, Ellie and Ron were standing. Lena and Amy had opted to not join in.

Approaching, he started speaking. “You can’t exactly blame him for attacking. You killed Matilda right in front of all of us.”

Jasper nodded.

“Well?” Cecelia began. “This is your chance to explain yourself. We aren’t exactly filled with joyous feelings of reunion. If you want us to not order a slaughter the moment we are allowed to, then you need to start talking.”

His voice came out like a gravelly rasp, unbroken, but also inhuman. “I was a coward. An asshole. But you all treated me like I was poison from the moment he–” He looked at Leo. “entered our lives. Before that, before all this… I was treated the same.”

“That feeling of paranoia, that all of you were out to get me, it just kept getting worse. A voice in my head started whispering things, it told me how you were all going to kill me. It started becoming more powerful than my own voice. It guided me underground when I ran from those convicts. From there I was changed into what you see now.”

“You mean to say,” Cecelia interrupted, eyes rolling slightly. “That this whole thing of you killing Matilda, freeing the thing that killed Bjorn and almost all of us, and trying to murder Ashley, was all because of a mysterious voice in your head? Come on.”

“Is it really that strange?” Leo asked, drawing attention. “I mean, look at me. You all saw what I can do.”

A few nods of agreement came.

“Did you want me dead?” Ashley questioned. “Did you try to kill me?”

“Yes. I was moving before I knew what was happening, but it wasn’t entirely out of my control.”

She humphed, leaning back. “Okay.”

“You’re okay with it?” Cecelia asked, curious.

Ashley shrugged. “I mean, no harm really came from it. People and things have tried to kill me since then, and they weren’t being controlled whatsoever.”

“About killing…” Jasper started.

“Matilda,” Leo finished, letting Jasper continue.

“After killing Matilda, I took the key, unlocked Serrix’s prison and expected to feel pride and joy. He promised us such sweet futures where we would not be looked down on again. I couldn’t resist. Didn’t want to.”

“But the moment I had failed him in bringing the Territory Orb, he cast me aside like I was garbage, calling me useless. It was exactly like my old life. So, when I saw him, frozen in a block of ice and about to die, I just… let him.”

Leo nodded along, he had no idea Jasper was around during that fight.

“After he died, it was like all the voices in my head were silenced. Those that had me obeying every word and loving every minute. I felt… so much shame.”

He looked down at his hands. “I don’t regret what I’ve become. I feel powerful. Complete. But I do regret the actions that brought me to it.” His head rose, meeting each of their eyes in turn. “I am sorry for my actions.”

Silence descended on all of them. No one spoke for what felt like a long time. Eventually, Cecelia spoke, asking in a less aggravated tone. “What is it you wish for your…people?”

“I’m not asking for asylum, nor do I want protection or any kind of assurances. These people, they look to me for everything. Brought to Serrix because of their own sense of inferiority and despair. They truly were the cast outs of society and even more so when the system arrived. I simply wish to give them a chance. A chance to live for themselves without being immediately slaughtered.”

“While I could agree to it, I can’t promise that Cain won’t try for your head the moment he’s able,” Cecelia said.

“That’s fine,” he said, unshaken.

Who was this guy, and what had happened to Jasper? Leo sat there, bewildered as the man, who had once acted terrified, sneaky, and misogynistic, now spoke like he was a tested commander.

This tutorial had changed them all in some way. Was he really the same man who dropped into this city almost two months ago?

Not even close.

“Very well,” Cecelia said. “If no one is opposed, we will effectively form a non-aggression treaty for when the tutorial ends. You will take your converted and leave the vicinity, finding a place of your own without disruption from myself or our people.”

No one opposed, Leo actually felt pretty good about all this. If all those people had been preyed upon by Serrix because of how scared they were, he wanted them to be able to live freely. Jasper hadn’t been the one to kill Bjorn. He could accept that.

“May come visit you for a spar at some point,” Leo said, smirking as he punched his fists together.

Jasper clicked a small laugh. “Take your time. Monster.”

Leo laughed at the irony, being joined by Ashley who felt it infectious. Ron and Cecelia just smiled.

After that, Jasper went back to his people, disappearing into the crowd who surrounded him at once. Leo watched. None of them started demanding what happened, not at all concerned for their safety. They followed. Trusting.

“That was really Jasper?” Ashley muttered a question.

“Yeah..” Leo said.

Wow. Who would have thought… Jasper. A leader.

Just when he thought things couldn’t get more strange.

Joining his group, accompanied this time by several others, a discussion started to form. One of gods, and the experiences in meeting them.

Almost everyone who was considered an elite had been blessed by a god. Some were only small blessings, mere inductions into their churches or factions. Others were better, especially to his close friends.

“You should have seen the place I went to. Oh my god,” Ashley said, eyes flashing with wonder. “Everything was made of light. Not blinding, like; ‘oh my god my eyes they burn’ but solid, you know?”

Cecelia nodded. “I stepped into what could only be called paradise, gaining much more knowledge than I ever expected. It truly was a boon. It has also given me something to strive for.”

“Ron? What about you?” Cecelia asked, shuffling a bit closer to him.

“Sun,” he replied flatly.

A number of them burst out laughing. Even Cecelia was holding her stomach as memories flashed through their minds.

Ashley wiped a tear from her eye. Ron sat there, softly smiling away.

“We’ve saved the best for last!” Ashley said. She coughed. “Attention all!” Everyone turned, stopping their own conversations.

“Ash, please, what are you doing?” Leo whispered, pleading from the side.

She grinned. “We will now be regaled from one who was invited by a Primarch. Some of you might not know what that is, but for those of you that do, bear witness to greatness!”

His face was in his hands as people looked at Leo with stunned attention. Cecelia was covering her mouth in a concealed laugh.

“You traitor,” he muttered, barely loud enough for Ashley to hear.

She gave him a wicked look, crouching down to his ear where she whispered, “if it’s a good story… I’ll give you a reward.”

Leo shot up so fast he almost shouldered Ashley in the chin. She snorted a laugh, hiding a cackle.

“Where do I begin…”

Regaling them with the tale of the three Primarchs and his boring training session, he completely left out the part about his bloodline, Iskarion, potential danger, Ellie becoming a Herald. Unfortunately, leaving out all those parts turned the visit into a pretty dull tale. People had been expecting wonder and amazement, not punching golems for a week after chatting to a bearded wizard.

Afterwards, the groups of humans split, some going back to their rooms, others moving to the crafting area to focus on leveling up with what materials they had left.

Leo, Ashley and Ellie lay together, staring up at the wide array of stars that painted the roof above them. It truly was like laying beneath the stars back on Earth. Not that he had done such a thing for a long time.

“I missed you while I was there,” Ashley said softly.

While Leo had been extremely busy punching things and being caught up in whatever the hell he was, there were times that Ashley’s face bounced into his mind.

“Me too.”

She turned, resting her head on her elbow so she could look at him. “You’re not just saying that because I kissed you, are you?” It came with a smile.

He mirrored her. Ellie was between them, like a kid joining them in bed after a bad dream. She was sleeping soundly on her back, legs sprawled and snoring.

“Should we talk about that?” he asked.

She pulled her mouth to one side. “Do you wish I hadn’t?”

He shook his head from side to side, enhancing the speed of it until his head was a blur. She laughed.

“I’m pretty sure we both feel the same way,” he said finally. “Does this mean we’re in a relationship?”

“Pff,” she spat a laugh at his forwardness. “I only kissed you once.”

He felt his heart sink a little.

“But I think I want that,” she said, turning to her back and looking skyward again.

His heart started to race. She sighed.

“But not right now.”

It was his turn to sigh. “Can I ask why?”

“It’s not that I don't like you, or am unsure if you’re the right guy for me. It’s just… after this tutorial ends, I want to go find my dad.” Her voice weakened, like she was holding back tears. “All of this, while I’ve loved a lot of it, I also just miss him.”

“I know you want to find your sister too, and she could be anywhere, right?”

He nodded. “I’ve gotten a bit of an idea on how to start, but I can’t know for certain if the Earth has changed in any way. It’s probably far, too. Not sure if planes will still be a thing.”

“Then I know, if we start a relationship, I’m not gonna want to be apart from you, like ever. I’ve become so dependent on you, my week away has told me as much. I think some time apart with our families could do us good, get me to where I need to be to really start this thing for real.”

It all made sense. As much as he cared for Ashley, hell, loved her, Natalie’s safety was his next priority in this new world.

“So we wait,” he said, hearing the emotion in Ashley’s breathing.

“Is that okay?” she asked, hesitantly.

Leo put his hand on Ellie, pulling her into his soul-space. She wouldn’t even notice. Shuffling closer, his arm pulled Ashley close. They just lay there, embracing one another as the time ticked down on their inevitable departure from this place.

Back into the danger that awaited them on the new Earth.

A timer had appeared in the corner of his vision. It counted down the days they had left.

And it was almost done.

Determined, with a sleeping Ashley resting comfortably on his chest, Leo spent the night delving into his skills, opting to figure out what could be improved.

Caldrin’s words had settled within him like a black mark. For all of his advantages and bonuses, his skills were lacking. He couldn’t always rely on some mysterious storm that was more likely to kill him than save him.

He had to grasp his fate with his own two hands.

And wrench himself forward.