Derivan, Vex, and Misa sat just outside the warehouse Sev was in.

The ground crumbled away in front of them. Their legs dangled off a sheer cliff that dropped down into nothingness, dangerously close to the Void. Vex leaned into Derivan’s side, and Derivan wrapped an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders, marveling at the feeling of having someone care about him in such a manner. Of caring for someone in such a manner.

He hadn’t really ever considered it, not even as he and Vex got closer and closer in their adventures together. Oh, he’d certainly noticed that the lizardkin’s gaze would linger on him, especially if he thought Derivan wasn’t paying attention—but he’d initially assumed that to be a matter of discomfort with the fact that he never took off his armor.

Then he’d revealed himself to them—told them what he was. He’d been forced to reveal his true nature as part of what he needed to do to protect his friends. Derivan remembered that small, foreign piece of himself that screamed at him to defend himself from those who knew what he was. The piece that had been inserted into his soul by the system.

Strange, now, how they were now relying on that very same system to keep them all alive.

Not that there were many left for the system to keep alive.

But if he had to face the end of the universe with anyone, he was glad it was with these adventurers he’d come to call his friends. His family, even. The relationship he’d developed with Vex was the most precious of all his memories: he’d never believed that he could form a bond so close with someone so different.

Partly because even after all that time, there was a part of him that had thought of himself as a monster. But when he was with Vex, that part of him was just... silent.

But he wasn’t, he’d learned. He’d been a part of a whole people—the Scimitars—and one of them had even forged him a new arm.

Gallant had chosen to leave the protective boundary willingly, along with many others, when the Guildmaster made the announcement. Others were simply consumed by the Void as the “safe” land grew smaller and smaller. The Prime Anchor was trying to hold things together, even after the timer expired. The gods were all focused on supporting it, on lending the essence of their very selves to the Prime Anchor.

“If this is the end,” Derivan said, “I am glad to be with you all.”If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Oh, come on.” Misa snorted. “Don’t say that. We’re going to figure it out. We always do.”

“Derivan’s right, though,” Vex said quietly. He seemed a little lost in thought, staring out into the nothingness as if there was an answer that could be gleaned from it. Derivan glanced down fondly as the lizardkin eventually just leaned into him again, placing his head in Derivan’s lap. He stroked his fingers down through Vex’s frills and over his scales. “I’m still glad I met you guys. No matter what.”

“We should probably go talk to Sev soon.” Misa sighed, glancing back at the door to the warehouse. “Not really looking forward to it. So much shit I want to say but can’t.”

“We’re trusting what Ixoryn said, right?” Vex asked.

“Not just Ixoryn.” Misa glanced back down. “Mom, too. Everyone with a precognitive or an intuitive skill, every god that’s supposed to be able to predict the future—this is all that gives us even a sliver of a chance. Divinity can do things both Magic and Reality can’t.”

“And we’re okay with this,” Vex said. It wasn’t really a question. He just looked... sad. Derivan hummed a soft song, hand tracing small circles on Vex’s back in a gesture of attempted comfort.

“I am,” Derivan said. “But this will not be my first time in the Void.”

“What am I gonna do, leave you two to do it alone?” Misa snorted.

“Just checking.” Vex smiled faintly. “Let’s go talk to him. Don’t really think we have much time left.”

“How much time will we give him, do you think?” Misa asked.

Derivan glanced back out into the Void and considered his response.

“Enough,” he said. “And that is all that matters.”

Sev stared at the orb glowing on the table in front of him.

For some reason, he was having trouble remembering what he was supposed to do with it. He knew it was important. He knew there was something about it that was critically important, and that it had something to do with him. With a task that only he could do.

He knew his heart ached and his face hurt. The table in front of him was wet.

Sev reached out, brushing his fingers over a material that wasn’t quite glass.

What is Divinity?

The question came to him unbidden, but he clung to it. It grounded him. He wanted to answer that question. Needed to answer that question. It was his job, his duty.

Right. The Grand Anchor. I have to connect with it. It’ll save... things. Important things.

Darkness closed in around him, the Void trickling in through the walls and the floor. There was so little of reality left.

There was no one left who could help. No one else who could assume the responsibility of connecting to the Grand Anchor.

After all, this was all that was left: a small slice of reality, and a human clutching an invention he couldn’t understand.