Frielet looked out the window as Julia walked in. She had been sitting in the next room and heard the pain in her husband’s voice. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his head. "Come, Frielet. We must talk to the villagers."

She turned to Eric.

"I think you should come as well. The people trust you, just not some of your soldiers."

Eric sighed.

"Yeah. My soldiers are good guys, they’re just hard-headed."

They shared a laugh and walked out of the house. It didn’t take long to gather the village. News that Eric was here spread to the people, and once Frielet let one villager know he had news, everyone knew.

Eric stood next to Frielet and Julia on the town’s podium. Frielet watched the crowd gather, arms crossed. Once everyone had settled down, he began pacing.

"My friends and Family, I wish I had good news for you all. I do not. The Empire has once again decided to threaten our way of life. Their God Mithrael..."

His eyes glowered as he mentioned Mithrael.

"Has once again decided to influence this world. Because of his transgressions, a mana storm like the world has never seen before will be coming. We must leave. Unlike the mana storms of the past, this one will have divine mana embedded into it. Divine mana storms cause those affected to lose their souls, turning them into sinners until they die. My friends, my family, we have all lived here for many years without leaving the town borders. Today, we must do so. The otherworld soldiers are offering a place in freedom town. I suggest we take it."

A young woman stepped forward, her green eyes staring intently up at Frielet. The baby in her arms began wailing, and she held the child tightly. "Frielet, how long must we be gone? I do not wish to raise Luthrel away from the house my husband paid so dearly to build."

Frielet walked down from the podium, hugging the young woman.

"Yes. It has been hard for you since his passing, Charlotte. He was a good man. I know you do not want to raise Luthrel away from home. I do not know how long we must go. But one day, we will return. Luthrel will be able to enjoy the house your husband and you built for many, many years."

An elder voice from the back spoke up.

"I am too old to move." The man grumbled, hunched over his cane. His ears lay flat against his head as the man made eye contact with Frielet.

"I have lived through many seasons of mana storms and warfare. I will stay."

Frielet broke the hug with Charlotte and walked over to the elder.

"Elder Viseroy, I implore you to change your mind. There is still many moons for you to enjoy."

The Elder shook his head. "Young Frielet, I must stay. I cannot leave Martha behind."

Frielet sighed.

"If that is your wish."

Eric then walked forward. He grabbed the sides of the stand and looked at Charlotte.

"I know it is hard to leave home. Believe me, I know better than most. As a soldier, I spent more time in foreign countries than I did in my own bed. But sometimes, you have to do what is best for your family. Making the hard choice is sometimes the best choice. We will offer you food and shelter in Freedom town. You will be safe there. When the mana storms are over, we will take you back here."

Charlotte stroked Luthrel’s hair before looking up at Eric. "Very well, Eric. I trust you and Mia."

Eric nodded. "Alright, if you are coming with my soldiers and I, please meet me back here in three hours. Given the lack of room, I ask that all personal items fit in a bag no larger than a small suitcase."

"Hold on one second!" A voice interjected, and Eric groaned inwardly.

"Of course it had be her."

A woman walked to the front of the crowd, pushing her way through. She stopped a few feet from the podium, glaring at Eric with her hands on her hips. "Your soldiers keeo harassing me, and now you want me to live with your lot?"

Her voice softened as she stepped forward. "We appreciate all you have done for us, Eric. You and some of your men have really helped us survive over the last year and a half, but I have a hard time trusting the men from your unit. After their behavior last time, I wouldn’t feel comfortable being in their vicinity."

Eric sighed, looking up at the sky. "Rachel, we’ve been over this. Those guys were not from my unit. They were acting like military."

"But they’re still from your world!" She yelled. Her red hair swished behind her as she yelled at Eric again.

"Rachel, listen. Those guys have been arrested. The soldiers that were trying to be nice to you were all reprimanded. They won’t bother you. If it helps, we have a lot of former soldiers that are paid to keep watch in Freedom Town. It might be the safest town that is not a city in Brishan."

Eric heard someone behind him trying to suppress a chuckle. He ignored it.

"Hmph. Fine! But only because it’s you." She said before storming off. Murmurs in the crowd began to echo in his ears, and Eric rubbed his face in his hands. "We will reconvene in three hours."

The crowd began dispersing, and Eric sat down on the bench, looking out towards what remained of the Esponia mountains. Storm clouds were beginning to rise into the air, and he sighed. "The hardest choices are sometimes the best choices, eh?"

Six people decided to stay back at the village. Eric clenched his jaw and looked away as an old man hugged a teenager. "Grandpa! Come with me! Please... I can’t."

The young man’s voice was cut off by the grandfather hugging him. "You have grown well, Soren. Your parents would be proud. You know as well as I do, that I only have a few weeks left." The old man coughed, blood covering his mouth.

"Go. Enjoy your life. Make friends and see the world."

Justin stared at the scene, his own jaw clenching. "Do we..."

Eric shook his head. "We do nothing."

Soren was the last of the villagers to get into the LMTV’s. Eric caught the eye of the old man as he hopped into the truck.

"Take care of Soren, Eric." He heard the old man say, and Eric nodded. He put the truck in drive, and drove off without looking back.

A single tear ran down his face.

Mia and Erica sat at a bistro in town. Mia smiled wryly as Erica kept checking her phone, a worried look on her face.

"When Eric first showed me how to use those things, I used to do the same thing." Mia said gently as she took a bite of her stew. "I learned over the last year that no news is good news. He will come back."

The younger woman blushed and looked to the side. "I wasn’t..."

Mia laughed. "Come on now. I am a wife. I know that look. I’ve had that look nearly every day for the last eighteen months."

Erica sighed, taking a bite of her own stew. "Justin is the best man I have ever met." She said, looking down at her stew. "In the few months I have known him, I have fallen for him so deeply that I can’t help but worry anytime he goes out on missions."

Mia smiled and grabbed Erica’s hand. "Trust me, I know. But, he is in good hands. Eric will lead him well. And one thing I have come to realize is that Eric will always make sure his men get back home."

Erica looked up, smiling. She was going to respond, but her eyes narrowed as she noticed a strange sight behind Mia.

"Is the ground... stretching?" She said, her voice dropping low so no one but Mia could hear her.

Mia looked around, and felt the earthquake rolling in. She rolled her eyes, going back to her stew. "It will be over soon. It is just another fracture. They have been happening more frequently lately."

Erica sat frozen in place while digesting what Mia said. "They’re happening more frequently? How can you be so composed?"

Mia shrugged. "What can we do about it? This stew is delicious. You should eat it while it’s hot. We’ll go check out whatever is happening when it fully arrives."

Once the ground finished rumbling, a large structure stood in the middle of the town square. The building was two stories tall, with a tan brick exterior. A green barrier of mana surrounded it, with the sounds of a highway and what appeared to be drunken yelling behind the building. Mia held her ear up, trying to listen. "HEY! WHAT THE" The voice cut out, and the barrier disappeared. Signs lit up with bright flashing lights that changed colors decorated the outside of the building, and a label that said "Must be 18 or older to enter" was embedded in the glass. Mia narrowed her eyes "Sinful pleasures?"

Erica felt a chill in her bones. "Uh... do we go in?"

Mia shrugged. "I suppose we should."