It was close to ten hours before Walker finally stepped through the portal, his feet landing on the soft grass-covered dirt of Sonata. He’d already confirmed with Virgil that every lottery winner from Luck’s Haven had made it to Earth safely. Whether they were safe after stepping through, he didn’t know.

  He just hoped as much.

  It didn’t matter that he wanted to go back and check on his home planet; other requirements disabused the very notion of it. But more than that, he knew something deep within. Even if he returned, there were no guarantees that Santa Barbara, Matt, or even Valerie had survived. He wasn’t heartless. He understood that the grief of what had been done to his planet would significantly affect him later. But for now, he buried those thoughts and memories into a grave so deep he would need a mental forklift to pull them out again.

  Besides, as terrible as the idea of it was, he didn’t think the same way as he did when he was just an everyday person in California. Immortality, or at least very long living, required a different mindset. From his time in the protocol, to his time in the time rings, he’d now spent more of his life as a part of the protocol than he ever did on Earth. He’d moved from one crisis, one idea, to another for more than forty years. Always pushing forward. Always trying to better himself.

  And as much as Symphony and Sonata were his, he was, in effect, an orphan. One in the unique position of being able to build his own family.

  Time remaining until next battle: 10+ hours.

  The Haveners had to survive for ten hours in a hostile environment. He’d made sure that before each stepped through, the Lottery system sent them a message of warning for what they were stepping into. A percentage of a percentage had chosen to stay, showing Walker just how rough things were on their planet. But many had taken the brave step forward, even while knowing how dangerous it was.

  His mind had not been idle as he’d sent the escapees on their way. Walker couldn’t help but count each second, minute, and anxiety-filled hour as it came to pass.

  There were systems still needing to be placed and tested. Ulysses had sent him numerous messages about some ideas he had regarding skills, and he still didn’t fully know how to prepare for the supposedly impossible challenge coming his way.

  Would it be a massive army? Would it be facing off against hundreds of Creators at once? Why not just tie him up and lock him out of things altogether. That’s what the gilded cage of the fourth battle was in his mind. If he hadn’t taken control of the Communication system, all he would have been able to do was yell from his seat. Luck or fate had spared him of that problem.

  His eyes strayed back to the timer as he breathed in the magical atmosphere of Sonata. Time being what it was, there were a few things he still needed to do, and one last trip to the Ulysses-verse was the only way he’d get it done. So just in case he took longer than expected, he needed to check in on a few things.

  Walker skipped past a few lazily lying former Creators, a friendly one giving him a wave. He did a quick spot-check on the rescued people from the auction, and was told that they were happy to wait until after the final battle to be seeded.

  Thinking over things, he made a mental path, then entered the Tower and worked his way to Virgil. The tower’s lights directed him as his mind continued to process everything, the Book of Souls offering up sound advice for what would work best towards his oath. As he entered the Cerulean area, he heard the Supreme Assistant conversing with both of the former creators.

  “The ships will not be able to be duplicated. I do not care what system you have conjured up. It won’t work.”

  “I concur with my illustrious cousin, the system will not work.”

  Mirail looked over at the other with a sneer, “you’re such a kissass.”

  The other Cerulean shrugged, not seemingly offended, “How do you think I moved up in the family's hierarchy. We can’t all murder our siblings.”

  “Indeed,” Virgil interrupted before Mirail could speak. “Fratricide aside, I still believe it will work.”

  “What will?” Walker asked as he got closer.

  “Creator,” Virgil said with a bow, the formality of which caused Walker to almost stumble. “We were discussing whether or not the interconnected Item system will be able to copy the ship.”

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “Huh?” Walker looked around, “What ship?”

  Virgil had Walker follow him after telling the two Ceruleans to keep adding to the crystal pile. Already, the size of it looked like nothing less than a mountain of material as the cracks followed them out to the edge of the tower walls. With a quick request, it shifted around enough to place them on an expansive red stone balcony under the sun.

  What appeared before Walker was a dark ship large enough to hold two people and a small amount of storage. It was sleek, with a sharp nose and a flat backside. He ran a finger across the material, a series of runes lighting up under his passing hand.

  “The door is located here,” Virgil commented, pressing on a slightly brighter square near the front. A portion of the vehicle slid away, showing a lighted interior within that wasn’t apparent on the outside. “I waited until you were here for testing. Mirail informs me that the engine runs off of Primordial energy, while the remainder is designed with an organic approach. The more Primordial energy there is in the region, the faster the crystal will charge and the longer it will run before needing to stop.”

  “Weapons?”

  “Two openings near the front that allow for excessive energy to exit expeditiously.”

  “I didn’t need the alliteration.”

  Virgil shrugged, “I saw the chance and went for it.”

  As impressive as having his very own spaceship was, Walker noted something in the way Virgil was acting towards him- like he was trying to check a few things off a list in his mind.

  “What’s wrong?”

  The large black squirrel did something he didn’t expect. He shrunk himself down to the four-foot brown squirrel he’d been after Walker and he had first met, “It’s just all coming to an end, Walker.”

  Walker smiled, placing a hand on his furry shoulder, “That it is. But the end is never truly the end. You know that. One door closes, yada yada, cliche cliche. I’ve been thinking about it recently, and I believe I’ve found a better way to word things.”

  “And what is that?”

  “That this is just another plot point in a much larger story. One that we play a pivotal part in, but that isn’t fully about us. We’re all minor characters in the tapestry of fate’s bitchy movements. Small stars orbiting a fixed climax that has to happen, if you’ll excuse my triple metaphor.”

  Virgil paused and gave him a serious look, “You think what we are about to do is hopeless, don’t you? That they are going to throw the whole deck of cards at us?”

  “No, not at all. I think we’re going to win, but that it will come with a cost, as all great victories do. Now, if we lose here, which I have no doubt will not happen.”

  “Assuredly not, though I do not appreciate the double negative.”

  “Whatever,” Walker said with a smile, mentally shrugging off the moment and leaning toward the inside of the ship.

  It was the stuff of old dreams, but he had new aspirations now.

  “If we lose here, at least the people of Luck’s Haven and the Liberated Ones will have their own two legs to stand on. But if we win, and we will win-”

  “Assuredly,” Virgil interrupted, his tone letting Walker know he said it with a smile.

  Walker’s own grew in response, “When we win, there’s a whole universe to colonize, expand upon, and manage. To explore. And I guarantee that a certain Universal Personality could use the help of a Supreme Assistant such as yourself.”

  “What about Symphony?”

  “You can still help with Symphony,” Walker said with a gesture above his head, “But at some point you need to realize when you’ve outgrown us. Maybe it’s not yet, but in the future, it’s a guarantee. The stories of Supreme Assistant Virgil never need to end and your plot points never need to stop. I’ve already spoken to Ulysses, and he has agreed. He’s also quite fond of Cagna and Rimi. Neus, however, I’ll probably keep with me. He’s a little too attached to his territories.”

  “And how will you do this?”

  “I don’t know yet. The biggest reason I haven’t packed up Symphony and taken everything to Ulysses already is that I don’t think you guys can come with me. As independent as you all are, I'm pretty sure if you leave this multiverse, you’ll die, or at least stop existing. Something is binding you to this place.”

  “This place being an entire multiverse?”

  “I know what you’re thinking, and no, it’s still not big enough for all of us. Not with those bastards out there. But don’t worry, I’ll figure it out. It’s just another plan among my plans.”

  Walker leaned back from the ship, the door closing on its own. Placing a hand against it, he smiled as the Item system activated. In a heartbeat it was gone, then, two appeared in its place, along with a sizeable drop in magical energy.

  “Alright, got that saved now. We won’t be able to make a lot without draining the atmosphere of Sonata dry. Then again, with portals, we won’t need them as much. But it’s worth-”

  Two brown, furry arms wrapped around him from behind. A whispered voice in his ear said, “I’m glad I got you as my Creator, Walker. I really am.”

  Walker patted the arms twice, “Me too buddy. It’s been a hell of a ride.” The arms left him as Walker cleared his throat, “I have to leave again, but I’ll be back in a few hours, Evolver time. Try to get a few more of these made.”

  He turned around, only to bump his face into Virgil’s chest as the assistant had already regrown to his normal gargantuan size.

  Walker grabbed the top of his forehead where he felt a bruise already forming, “Sorry.”

  Virgil gave him a squirrely smile, “It is no problem, Walker. None at all.”

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