“Thank you for saving my life, young man.”

Eric had made sure to see the pilot safely to the airport for medical care. He hadn’t taken the plummet and being carried at high speeds too well - particularly while electricity was running through his body and flames had nearly engulfed him. But he would have died for certain had he remained in the plane, and he was extremely grateful to find out he’d survived the crash.

“I did what I could,” Eric said, still tired after his fight against Nick. Sorry about the injuries I gave you.”

The man rubbed his forearm gently, feeling where his skin was raw and pink. Megan and Samuel had healed the worst of his injuries before he’d woken up, but he’d likely still be feeling it for some weeks. “Not to worry, friend. If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead. What’s a little shock compared to that?”

He gave Eric a strange look then. It was clear that he was wondering why another Nexian would attack. Eric had revealed nothing of his information or the reasons for that fight. That wasn’t information he should trouble the man with. Humanity at large would learn about it eventually, but he didn’t see it as his job to spread the news.

He gave his farewells, then left the airport and got in the car where the others were waiting. Grimr was already fast asleep, and Megan was dozing in the front seat. Samuel was looking all around the interior of the car with an expression of bright interest. He grinned at Eric as he opened the rear door. “I’ve heard and read quite a bit about electricity, but it’s amazing to see it working in real life.”

The driver frowned at Samuel in the rearview mirror before pulling away but didn’t bother to comment. Eric suspected that the man found more strange about Samuel than just his words. His clothes were distinctly unusual - almost nobody on Earth wore robes in public now, and the silver diving hawk etched on his sleeves was even stranger. That wasn’t something that was present since the medieval times.

“We’re going to have to get you new clothes,” Eric muttered, closing the door after climbing in. You stand out too much. Even Grimr changed his outfit.”

It was true. The sleeping Ancient wore a simple brown shirt - a new one that wasn’t stained by blood or scorched - and a pair of jeans. It was strange to see him wearing sneakers when he was usually barefoot. But there were certain standards they had to keep up if they wanted to blend in, he thought, adjusting the zipper on his light hoodie. Even if they weren’t as comfortable as a well-fitted tunic and breeches.

Jerik and Nick made their way back to the Fire Nexus barely ten minutes after they left Grimr, Eric, Megan, and Samuel behind at the airport. Fortunately, they found that the majority of the Thunder Nexus was still there. James and Kenta, of course, were with Will on some Council business. They knew they didn’t have much time. They weren’t much faster than a car.

“They could be here any minute,” Jerik explained to Richard shortly after landing in the tundra camp. “We can’t have more than half an hour before they’re here.”

With Nick’s help, Jerik explained that Megan had reinforced their numbers and that someone new had arrived at the last minute, thoroughly tipping the odds in their enemies’ favor.

“There’s more,” Nick added. “That last one. Samuel was his name? He could use multiple Nexian powers.”

“That’s impossible,” Richard said with a scornful laugh. “Only the Soul Nexus could use multiple Nexus powers, and Will killed the last Soul Nexian long ago.”

“I saw what I saw,” Nick said obstinately. “He nearly killed me with fire and lightning. And he deflected my air blasts like only an Air Nexian could.”

Unlike Richard, Emmet did not react with anger to the news of their defeat and an impending attack. On the contrary, he seemed deeply saddened. What exactly caused this emotion, he didn’t say, but there were plenty of reasons to choose from. “Michael said something about the Soul Nexus still existing. They’re just rumors, but some people swear they still exist.”

That was troubling news for all of them, even those who had joined a Nexus long after Togai had been defeated. Thankfully, Jerik broke them all out of their reverie by reminding them of the current danger. “Grimr and Samuel are coming as we speak. We should move.”

Richard looked as though he wanted to march out and fight their enemies, but Emmet’s wiser head prevailed here. He rose from the seat he’d been in and put a hand on his Lieutenant’s shoulder. “Don’t, Richard. This isn’t a matter of strength. It’s about our survival.”

Robert glared, but not at any person in particular. He struggled with some internal thought for a few seconds before he finally let out a grunt of agreement. From there, he showed no sign of reluctance. “Everyone, grab your most prized possessions. Get back here in ten minutes, or we’ll leave you behind. We’re going further into the Tundra where they won’t be able to follow as easily.”

Nick put a hand on Jerik’s arm, holding him back as the others moved to their rooms. “Who is this Samuel person, exactly?”

After a moment of hesitation, his friend could only shrug. “I heard of him in Ahya. I never met him until today, but they call him the Champion of the Mind.” He saw Nick’s continued confusion and added with a sigh. “He’s with the Collge of Milagre. I think he’s an Archmage there. A lot of people say he’s the strongest mage, but he can’t use his magic here. I don’t think he’s as big of a threat as he sounds.”

“Easy for you to say,” Nick said sourly. “He knocked aside my strongest attack in that entire fight like it was nothing.”

“Sounds like anti-magic. It’s a pretty popular thing in Ahya. But his magic doesn’t function here, so I’m not sure what it was. Maybe he just used his Air Nexus powers in a clever way you haven’t thought of yet.”

Neither of them could know that, as an Ancient, Samuel held dominion over any magic he encountered. That was his purpose, and, unlike the other magicks he knew in Ahya, that had crossed over with him when he’d come to Earth. But Jerik knew nothing about Samuel because he’d never taken the time to learn his legends. He couldn’t prepare for what he didn’t know.

“We may have been struck down in our first attack,” The General said, staring down the table at his officers. “We’ve lost a lot of our finest soldiers, but we’re nowhere near done.”

“What about the base in Minneapolis?” One of his Captains asked. “The Nexuses wiped that out, and most of our supplies were hidden there!”

A good deal of grumbling accompanied this question. Most of those in attendance were in agreement with what the Captain had said. They’d spent years gathering their forced and amassing support, then months planning the actual attack on the Nexus Games. It should have been a decisive strike, one that would send the fragments of the Nexuses scattering to the winds, where they could have been easily picked off. The plan was to have the Nexuses wiped out by the end of the year.

“None of us were expecting the Nexuses to escape that without severe losses,” The General said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. “And they didn’t. Were they crushed beyond the hope of recovery? No. But they were scattered nonetheless. They fled home with their wounded, and they left nearly a third of their number dead!”

More grumbling, this time in agreement with his words. The mood of the room shifted ever so slightly, and the General allowed a slow grin to spread across his face. He slammed both hands on the table, silencing all other noise in the room and making sure they all had his attention. They recognized that fire in his eyes, that hatred and determination. It was a shared aspiration.

“We’re going to strike again. And this time, there will be no chance for them to flee. We will wipe out the cancer known as the Nexus, and make sure they will never hurt our fellow humans ever again!”

Everyone in the room, including those seated at the table, shot to their feet with a roar of furious agreement. The roars quickly turned to applause, then it devolved further into a chant, a chant that reverberated through the rooms, pumping through their blood and fueling the righteous anger that boiled just under the surface in their hearts. It echoed through their very souls, urging them on. All the while, the General folded his arms, glaring approvingly around at them all.

“Libera Terra! Libera Terra! Libera Terra!”

The ocean view was perfect today. Above, the sky was clear and blue, and the sun beamed down upon the entire city of Miami, heating the waves and the sand. The heat wrapped its grip around all, defeating even the ocean wind’s attempts to bring a chill to this warm paradise.

On hot days like this, Felix always found his way to the shore, either to bask in the sunlight or to ride the waves that came with this kind of weather. In truth, he could surf any day of his choosing, even in the dead of winter. But there were many to join in the fun on days like this, and mixing with the ordinary people of Miami was more than just a mandate that his mother had created; it was his joy.

Today, however, his visit was for a different purpose. His feet carried him away from the busy streets of the city via familiar lines, but he made it no further than the end of the grassy fields that lay between tarmac and sand. There, in a space clear of any tourist attractions, vendor booths, and foot and bike paths. It was a simple white marble pillar, one side inscribed with curled golden writing. It was a monument to his sister Olivia, constructed in rapid time by the people of Miami after they’d heard of her death at the Nexus Games.

Here lies Olivia Smith, daughter of Rachel Smith

Our bravest protector, our greatest joy

May we forever remember and love her

It wasn’t the grandest of monuments, but it had been crafted with love. For Miami had indeed loved Olivia. Like her mother and brother, she’d made sure that the people in and around the Water Nexus territory were taken care of. She fought to protect them and ensure their needs were met. What other option could they have but to love her? The community had been outraged at the news of her demise, and their fury had nearly overpowered their grief so that they wanted to seek out every hiding place that held the Libera Terra organization and drag them before Rachel for the justice they deserved.

It had only been at Rachel’s pleading that they’d subsided. Justice will prevail in the end. I cannot allow you, my family, to be put in harm’s way. They were reassured by their words, but still harbored the not-so-secret desire to help in some way. Perhaps, in the end, it was that fact that had saved the Water Nexus from being destroyed completely.