Chapter 37: Heroes Never Die

“What the hell is going on there?” Kai paced to and fro and tried in vain to climb the wall just like Milo did. “I’m totally hearing that scary ice goddess, and she sounds pissed!”

It looked like none of them could equal Milo in jumping abilities, and they were just as unsuccessful as Kai was. Even Tani was kicking furiously at the wall, frustrated about not being able to help in that kind of situation.

“I wish I paid more attention to my mother’s lessons now,” Galien huffed as he tried to make some of the ice melt, but with no visible results.

“Out of the way, children,” a voice announced.

“Luna!” Tani exclaimed. “How did you get here?”

“My son is in great danger,” she said, and without paying them no mind, she walked through the wall of ice like it was nothing.

“Did you see that?” Tani said slowly.

“Yeah, totally cool,” Kai confirmed. “Wait, we’re still trapped on this side!”

Sebastian could only hear what was going on around him. Shivers shook his body, and his eyes were closed. He tried to move, but he no longer controlled his body, not even his tongue, to beg for his beloved’s life. What had his powers ever served him if he couldn’t help Milo right now? By the sounds he could still hear, Reya still had her hands around the boy’s throat. He had to do something; he had to move somehow.

“Put him down immediately!”

He jolted at the sound of that voice. What was Luna doing here?

“Do not dare to intervene! Haven’t you meddled enough?” Reya hissed. A thump followed. “You hit me!”

Now, Sebastian could hear Milo struggling to gain back his breath.

“And I will again. Let the boy go. We must save Sebastian,” Luna said hurriedly.

“But this boy is the reason why the cavern cannot heal Sebastian anymore!” Reya thundered. “Out of my way, Luna! Don’t make me say it twice!”

“Reya, stop!”

Sebastian groaned, hoping that he could get through somehow. All that mattered was that Luna was helping him and trying to save Milo from the goddess’s wrath.

“Can’t you see, Luna? I need his blood!” Reya demanded.

“And I tell you that you won’t have it!”

Sebastian could hear Luna speaking in a strange language and understood right away. She had found the recipe for the curse. Of course, it was an incantation, not a thing one made. His strength was leaving him, but it would be all right. Luna would send Milo home, back to safety.

“Sebastian!” He heard Milo calling loudly. “Will I ever--”

He didn’t hear the rest.

“Oh, no, I think we’re traveling again!” Kai shouted as he felt his entire body bloating and squeezing and doing all kinds of crazy stuff that he couldn’t begin to understand. He really hoped that Tani and Milo were with him because it would be tricky to find an explanation for why they disappeared if he got home only by himself.

The next moment he opened his eyes, he was in his bedroom. And the next, Tani landed right on top of him with a scream. “Are you all right?” he asked and shook her.

Tani was lolling her head right and left. “Stop shaking me! And I think my ears are still ringing!”

“We’re home!” Kai shouted. “O. M. G. Somehow, we’re home! Wait, where is Milo? Do you think he got teleported to his home?”

“I’m here,” someone called groggily from under the desk.

Milo emerged from there, walking on all fours, looking rightfully dazed.

“We’re home!” Kai shouted again but then deflated right away. “We’re home,” he said again, but this time in a lot less cheerful voice. “And Pepin is there, in Ifigia. And Sebastian. Oh, no, what the hell happened?” he asked Milo.

Only then, Kai noticed his friend touching his neck gingerly. Milo leaned against the desk and groaned again. “What the hell, man? Are those finger marks?” Kai moved closer to examine the situation. “Did someone try to strangle you? Was it an Uxilan assassin?”

“More like an angry potential mother-in-law,” Milo said and winced as he rubbed his neck.

“What? She did this to you?” Tani scooted over. “Wait, did you just call her your mother-in-law?”

“Potential,” Milo pointed out defensively. “It’s just that,” he began quickly like he couldn’t spare another breath without sharing what was on his mind, “I knew Sebastian was doing something stupid, like sacrificing himself. And Conrad told us as much, that he was striking some kind of deal with that Uxilan ninja jerk.”

“Ha! I knew those guys looked like ninja jerks!” Kai intervened. “Sorry, tell us everything.” Both he and Tani sat on their knees, all eyes and ears, leaning toward Milo.

Milo fell quiet and looked down. “I’m not totally sure, but Sebastian looked like he was ... very sick.”

Tani surprised Kai when she grabbed Milo by one arm. “What do you mean, very sick? Was he dying? But he cannot die! He’s the hero, right? Kai, tell him. Tell him that heroes never die.”

Kai didn’t have the heart to explain to his sister the true meaning behind that phrase. Heroes never died because they remained in the minds and hearts of people, even after they passed away. And Milo just didn’t dare to say it out loud. Or maybe he just didn’t know, and they had to settle for that.

“Stop it, butthead,” he said and pulled his sister back. “If Milo says he only looked sick, he must have been. An Uxilan dagger diet might not be easy on anyone’s belly,” he added. “But Luna was there, and I bet that she can make him better.”

“I think she saved us, that lady,” Milo said. “She smacked the ice goddess so hard over her arm that she dropped me.” He looked away. “Just that Sebastian, he was no longer moving,” he whispered. “I called for him, but he just lay there. And then, we were all back.”

They all hung their heads low in sorrow. Kai could contradict Tani for hours, but that didn’t change anything. And the worst part was that they couldn’t find out what had happened. Maybe never. Or was that something that could give them hope?

“Come on, guys,” he said, trying to sound a lot more cheerful than he felt. “We don’t know anything. And that’s a good thing,” he added quickly. “As long as we don’t know for sure, let’s not cry like stupid people.”

He was about to offer more encouragements when the bedroom door flung open, and a very disheveled mother walked through it. “There you are! Where have you been?” she shouted.

“Um, we played video games at Milo’s,” Kai said quickly. Oh, shit, shit, shit, just how long had they been gone? A day? Maybe two? It didn’t feel that long...

“Kai Martin, don’t you dare lie to me! Milo’s parents are worried sick! Milo, call them right now or I will!”

Milo froze for a moment, but then he jumped to his feet. “I will, I will, but--”

“No ‘buts’, young man,” Kai’s mom said sternly. She had dark circles around her eyes, and her hair was unkempt. “And no, there’s no time for you left to come up with some crazy lie that you can share while trying to fool us!”

“We got isekai’d!” Tani shouted.

“You got what?!” Their mother shouted so loudly that Kai worried she might burst something, like an eye or a vein, all very frightening possibilities.

He grabbed his sister and covered her mouth. “Mom, we’re very, but really, truly, very sorry,” he said cautiously. “We just went on a little adventure,” he tried to smooth things over.

“For four days? Without your phones? Without telling me? The police got involved, they’re questioning everyone--” She stopped and took one deep breath while running her hands through her hair as if she was trying to steady herself. “We’re going to talk about your little adventure later. Now, I have to put some very worried people’s minds to ease. Milo, go. Your parents are out of their minds.”

Milo moved quickly and gestured a hastened goodbye at them. Their mother walked out and slammed the door shut. A moment later, she opened it again. “I hope I don’t have to say it loud and clear. You’re both grounded!”

They were both startled when the door slammed again behind her.

“We are in deep shit,” Tani said slowly.

“Yeah, sis, you can totally say that,” Kai agreed.

“So,” their mother sat at the kitchen table with a notepad open in front of her, “we need to establish some ground rules.”

The questioning was starting. Kai held Tani’s hand, clammy and cold as it was, and exchanged one look with her in a last attempt to convince her not to say the word ‘isekai’ again.

“From today until you graduate, you’ll only know school and home, Kai. You’re allowed to have your phone with you, but not when I’m at home. And I’m taking your computer, too.”

It wasn’t that bad, Kai tried to be philosophical about it. He didn’t think he would be able to get back to his life as usual and start playing video games again, not while knowing Sebastian could have sacrificed for them to be able to get back to their world, and Pepin was waiting for a baby.

“After graduation, you will find work,” his mother continued. “And you’ll continue to be grounded even then.”

“Until when?” Tani asked.

Kai squeezed his sister’s hand. She was supposed to remain the free agent, not to bring the wrath of a worried mother upon her head.

“Until I say he’s no longer grounded,” their mom said promptly. “As for you, young lady--”

“It wasn’t Tani’s fault,” Kai intervened. “Milo and I got this crazy idea that we should live without technology for a few days, and then I thought of getting Tani weaned a little off her phone and basically kidnapped her.”

“Couldn’t you have done that without leaving home and skipping school?” Their mom questioned.

“It was a more complex experiment.” Kai gestured wildly to emphasize his explanation. “We needed to reconnect with nature.”

Their mom pinched the bridge of her nose, mumbled something to herself, and let out a long deep breath. “I don’t buy it, Kai, not for one moment. But now, come here, the two of you.” She gestured for them to get off their seats and come closer.

As soon as they were close enough, she caught them in her arms and hugged them tightly. “Don’t you ever scare me again like this. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, mom,” he and Tani said at the same time.

“But you’re still grounded,” she warned them. “And you still owe me the truth.”

“Yes, mom.”

“Now, go. I’ll have dinner ready soon. Ah, both of you, bring me your phones. I’ll not have you chat about your adventures with your friends, when you don’t want to say anything about them to your mom.”

Kai breathed out in relief. Well, for the moment, it had been easy. But his mom would surely question them more later when she caught them alone. She was that kind of investigator, trying to catch them tangled in their own lies.

“How was it, with your parents?” Kai asked Milo the soonest they met in school the next day. As he had expected, his mom had tried to approach him and Tani separately so that she could discover the truth. The only problem was that the truth was unfathomable, and they couldn’t just say what had happened to them over the last days and to him, Kai, even longer than that.

“Ugh, don’t ask. They took my phone,” Milo said. “Actually, you don’t have to ask because I’m going to tell you everything. They don’t buy it that we went on a little paragliding adventure.”

“Paragliding? I told my mom we went to the hot springs,” Kai moaned.