Maya, as it turned out, was not dead.
She was healed by one of our surviving Flowers with the help of Max. Even in his weakened state, he used the last of his energy to save her and bring her back from limbo. She woke up dazed and was confused when she noticed the tear in the sky.
Max held her in his arms, ragged from the hellish fiasco we experienced, and vowed not to let her go. However, in their moment together, Max appeared confused when he looked at her eyes.
Her eyes are faded like old stained glass.
Orferio and I joined them after giving them a moment. I sat down next to Maya, relieved she was okay. Orferio did not release my hand from his and I decided that was okay.
"We can't stay here," Orferio said seriously. A hard fury remained in his eyes when he spoke. He knew he had to leave as soon as possible, or face the bitter consequences of a surprise attack.
Max nodded, "I know. But we have to take care of this first."
Orferio studied Max before understanding. Max stood first and Orferio was forced to release my hand. When he stood by Max, he took Max's hand and raised it into the air for all to see.
"The war is over!" Orferio announced, "We all did great! Now you have seen the true enemy! Do not forget the hate that fueled you, instead, channel it and aim for the Shadows!" Orferio dropped Max's hand when he finished.
Max drew a long breath and began. "Go home to your families—" Orferio gave him a look of surprise, "—stay with your loved ones until further notice. I appreciate your effort and this is your reward. We will live to fight another day."
A collective sigh passed through the small crowd. The soldiers began to relax and gather their items. One of the boys opened a portal for the soldiers that would lead them home. A few Ceruleans clicked off their laser swords and bowed to the brothers and returned to their damaged warships. Norman waded through the crowd appearing ready to give his two cents to the brothers.
Maya studied Tantibus's decapitated head that sat at her side. "Sup my dude?"
Of course, the head did not respond.
She sighed, "Death. Been there, done that. Though I'm not sure I did it right."
"Same here," I commented, staring up at the torn sky. I ran my dirty fingers through my frizzy hair, suddenly wishing for a bath and a full night's sleep.
Meanwhile, the brothers debated on their next move and where we will go next. I watched them silently before glancing at Maya. She looked disappointed which is understandable.
We lost the battle, but hopefully not the war.
I hoped she was doing decently okay since nobody in the right of mind could be actually okay.
Exhausted settled over my mind like a thick fog. I stared up at the sky and thought to myself, I think I'm done with adventures for now.
"I— I think I want to go home," I said wearily.
The brothers glanced at me before exchanging a look.
"That could work. Time on Earth would give us time to recover and regroup," Max reasoned with a slight shrug.
Orferio nodded in agreement, "Sounds good."
I stood up and I felt a spell of dizziness swirl in my head. I reached for Orferio's hand again and he helped me to my feet. He kissed my forehead once I was standing and whispered, "I'll bring you home safely."
I kept my voice quiet, knowing Maya would mock us for our cheesiness. "My home is with you."
Orferio smiled, his eyes softening, and he touched my face again. Dismissively, he flicked his free hand and created a portal behind us.
Max and Maya held hands for a moment. Maya appeared calm and collected while distress was clear in Max's expression.
The flickering light of the portal shone on Orferio's face. The rainbow swirls began to sparkle with fresh energy and pure light. The air around the portal felt electrified. My ears popped from the presence of the portal.
As I stared into the depths of the portal, I began to fear this was all some sort of dream. That the moment I passed through the porta, I'd return to my bed with conspiracy theories dancing through my head. I wondered if this was all truly a lucid nightmare as I fought to cling to the echoes of a distant illusion.
Orferio squeezed my hand and kissed my cheek.
I closed my eyes and swore that this was real. In the morning, I'd wake to his ocean blue eyes, Maya's carefree smile, and Max's gentle eyes. I'd wake up as Juliette, stronger than before with fire pulsing through my veins.
I decided to continue to hope. I wanted to continue making my dreams a reality.
I took my first step forward and headed towards the future and I didn't bother to look back.