Redemption Run

Chapter 24

We all stayed in that group hug for a long time. I noticed the bullet wounds on Rhys' chest were gone, but that didn't matter, nothing mattered except for the fact that my wife had come back to life, and we had to explain everything to her, which was super difficult. Rhys didn't remember a thing that happened when she was the Cleanser, and by the time we finished telling the story, she was crying and hugging me.

"But that's all over now!" I said, patting my wife's back, "The Cleanser is gone, you're back, and we've done it!"

"You really went back to your own world?!" Baugh asked, "Does that mean we can go too?!"

"Well, I was thinking about that," I said, "I mean, I'm hoping that we can figure out what we're going to do with the empire now that it's kinda dead, but maybe we could set up a portal system that could go there and back or something?"

I turned to Kydro.

"We're all good with magic here, right, so that's possible?" I asked.

"I don't see why not," said Kydro, "We could set up a network once things are settled..."

"Lieutenant!"

We all turned to the entrance of the throne room to see one of the soldiers posted outside running in like a bat out of hell.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"You have to see this!" the soldier said, "Come outside!"

We all followed the soldier outside to the front gardens of the castle, and that was when we all stopped dead in our tracks. It was almost impossible to comprehend.

Off in the distance, an impossibly large, swirling black vortex was forming, almost like a wall of darkness and nothing. A chill ran through my whole body just looking at it.

"What is that?!" Rhys yelled.

"I have no idea." Kydro said.

Two people, running impossibly fast, came onto the castle grounds, then came to a stop in front of us - Xelsa and Killian.

"Guys, what the hell is going on?!" I said.

"That vortex... it's like a wall!" Killian said through panting breaths, "It's absorbing everything it touches into it!"

"Where's Zapp?!" Felice yelled.

Killian's face dropped and Xelsa grimaced. I could feel Felice's spirits drop along with my own.

"He and Daniel tried to get people to safety," said Killian, "They gave their lives to get people to safety, before the wall of... whatever that stuff is, consumed them. We've been trying to herd as many people as possible to a safe location, but that's a bit hard when we have no idea where a safe location is!"

"So we got them all back here!" said Xelsa, "But where do we go from here?! That vortex is making its way across the whole country!"

Rogal seemed speechless the whole time we were talking. All he could do was stare at the vortex wall. The wall didn't look like it was moving, but from what I knew of natural disasters, that meant it was coming straight for us.

"We have to get as many people out of here as possible!" I said when I realized Rogal wasn't going to.

"Where?!" Killian said, "There's nowhere to go!"

"Yes there is!" I said, "My world!"

Kydro's eyes widened. Killian's mouth dropped open. Xelsa's eyes bugged out. Everyone turned to face me.

"Kydro, there's no time!" I said, turning to the rose elf, "We have to get every spellcaster and magic user we have and make a portal to my world, then get everyone we can through it!"