Peaceful snow drifted down over the beyonder cabin, soft flakes settling quietly as if the world itself were holding its breath. The air was cold enough to sting but not unbearable, the kind of cold that numbed your fingers slowly rather than all at once. The ground around the cabin was already coated in white, footprints half-buried as the snowfall continued its patient work.
Jake, Luna, Lucy, and Lucas stood together in the clearing just outside the cabin, gathered around a small memorial they had built only moments ago.
Four smooth wooden stakes jutted out of the snow in a simple line. They were nothing special, shaved down by hand, uneven at the ends. Each had an initial carved into it. For Jake, only a first initial was needed. For the other three, there were last initials as well. A quiet acknowledgment of how many people shared their names back home, and how easily identities could blur here.
Snow collected along the tops of the stakes, softening their edges.
Jake stared at them for a long moment before exhaling softly. "It's kind of like the Three Stooges," he muttered, "but with L's instead."
Silence followed.
Then Luna slowly turned her head and fixed him with a glare sharp enough to cut through the cold. She didn't say anything at first. She simply leaned in and drove her elbow straight into his side.
"Thanks for ruining the moment, jackass."
Jake sucked in a sharp breath and stumbled half a step back, clutching his ribs. "Ow—okay—wow. You didn't have to murder me."
Luna crossed her arms, unimpressed. "I absolutely did."
Jake grimaced, straightening up with a quiet groan. Luna had always been strong, but lately it felt like her hits carried extra weight. Maybe it was the training. Or maybe nine months in this world had worn him down more than he realized. Either way, the pain lingered longer than it should have.
"Enough," Lucy said firmly.
Her voice cut cleanly through the tension. She stood a short distance away, arms folded, expression calm but unyielding. "Save your energy for tomorrow. We'll need it when we board the ship."
Jake and Luna both suddenly found the snow at their feet very interesting.
This was it. The last night.
Tomorrow at sunset, the battalion's first expedition would begin. The captain had allowed those with connections, fragile or otherwise, to say their goodbyes. Jake had overheard whispers throughout the compound all evening. Quiet reunions. Muted arguments. Promises that felt too heavy to say aloud.
The captain himself had been absent for most of the day.
Jake had seen him earlier, standing near the outer wall with Amy.
Amy, the soldier who terrified half the battalion without ever raising her voice. Stern. Uncompromising. The kind of woman whose glare could straighten spines and silence conversations instantly. Seeing her break had been… unsettling. When Jake passed by, she had been gripping the Marquis tightly, shoulders shaking as she silently sobbed into his chest. He had held her without a word, one hand resting at the back of her head as if afraid she might fall apart completely.
Jake hadn't lingered.
Guess everyone has a human side, he thought.
Lucy and Lucas eventually excused themselves, leaving with quiet nods and murmured farewells. Their boots crunched softly against the snow as they disappeared toward the barracks.
Soon, it was just Jake and Luna.
The snowfall continued, filling the silence between them without making it uncomfortable. Jake stared at the memorial, the carved initials half-hidden by snow, and felt a strange tightness settle in his chest. It wasn't grief. Not yet. It was something closer to anticipation mixed with dread.
After a long moment, he spoke. "Penny for your thoughts?"
Luna didn't answer right away.
When she finally did, her voice was quieter than usual. "I don't know if we're coming back."
Jake glanced at her.
She was staring at the stakes, jaw tight, eyes distant. Luna rarely looked uncertain. Even when things went wrong, she charged forward like hesitation itself was an enemy.
"This feels wrong," she continued. "We've got the Marquis. We've got two hundred beyonders. We're trained, we're armed… and it still feels like we're walking straight into something that's going to chew us up."
She swallowed.
"I'm scared, Jake." Her voice cracked, just barely. "I'm scared I won't see another day. I'm scared I won't ever go home. I want to see my family again. I want to complain about school and eat terrible food with you guys at a Denny's or some stupid steakhouse instead of fighting monsters in a world that hates us."
Her hands clenched at her sides. "I don't want any of you to die. I don't think I could handle that."
Her shoulders trembled, and tears pooled in her eyes without falling.
Jake hesitated, then stepped closer and awkwardly wrapped one arm around her shoulders. It was clumsy, sideways, not something he was practiced at.
Luna didn't hesitate.
She turned and grabbed onto him tightly, burying her face against his chest as if afraid he might disappear if she let go.
"I'm not good at this," Jake said quietly, one hand hovering before resting on her back. "But… I won't die. I won't let Lucas or Lucy die either. Even if it kills me. And I'll watch your back too. Always have."
They stayed like that for a few seconds longer than necessary.
When Luna pulled back, she wiped her eyes quickly and flashed him a wide, familiar grin. "Of course. An imp like you is impossible to kill."
Jake smiled faintly. "I'll just duck under everything."
She laughed softly, the sound a little shaky but real. After one last glance at the memorial, she nodded. "You can go. I just want to add one more thing."
Jake didn't ask what. He simply nodded and headed back toward the cabin, the warmth inside already calling to him.
Behind him, Luna knelt in the snow.
She drew a small knife from her waistband and leaned forward, carving carefully into the wooden stake bearing her initials. A heart. Small, imperfect. Inside it, she etched a single letter.
J.
With a quiet, content smile, she brushed snow over the carving, hiding it completely.
The sun was sinking toward the horizon, bathing the compound in deep reds and soft oranges. The fortress walls glowed in the fading light, casting long shadows across the snow.
"I wonder when I'll see this view again," Luna murmured.
With a sigh, she turned and entered the cabin, saving the heavier worries for after the farewell dinner.