"GET BACK HERE!" Joel shrieked.
Grian yelped and dove through the swirling purple portal.
For a time, Fort Riftless was quiet. Flames crackled, the remnants of explosions. Wood groaned as a light wind blew.
"They left," Jimmy groaned. "They actually left."
"Yeah," Shelby said. "So? This is our world anyway."
"False and Gem are Hermits, too," Lizzie remembered, turning to them. "Why'd you guys stay?"
"Because we can always go back later," False answered. "Why were you so intent on them staying, anyway?"
"They brought a... a revolution," Pix said. "A whole new way of doing things. You seriously think we'd just let that go?"
"I guess I didn't think of it like that," Gem admitted.
For a moment, they just stood there, staring into the magenta Rift.
"We should follow them," Oli suggested.
"Into... Hermitcraft?" Katherine asked. "That sounds dangerous. We don't know where this Rift could lead."
"We know it leads to Hermitcraft," Scott pointed out. "Unless Grumbot changed it or something."
"Nah! Grumbot wouldn't change it!" Sausage laughed. "He's dead! We blew him up!"
A ripple of nervous laughter spread through the rulers. They all glanced at the exploded remains of the robot who had tried to destroy their world
"I agree with Oli," Joel said, sounding civilized for once. "We should go into Hermitcraft."
"That'd be a bad idea," False said nervously.
"Let's do it," Jimmy agreed enthusiastically, ignoring False.
"If we die, we'd always respawn," Joey said thoughtfully. "And they might have treasure."
There were still doubts among some of them. But the majority wanted the Hermits back in Empires.
Lizzie adjusted the mask that she insisted wasn't there. "Let's go, then!"
Together, they stepped into the Rift.