“It’s gone!” Hannah gasped.

  “No way,” Harvey croaked. His head snapped down to his chest, and his heart lurched when he saw the noose really had morphed into something new. The Stain of taking his own life marred his legacy no more, replaced by an image of a metallic heart. Shattered steel had been pieced back together with brilliant gold, creating an intricate vessel that pumped pure forgefire through his veins.

  “Pull up the description,” Hannah urged. “Come on, pull it up!”

  Harvey’s breath hitched inside his chest.

  It was really gone.

  By now, he’d accepted that despite becoming more than just a reflection of his darkest moment, his Stain was still a burden he’d be forced to carry. He would’ve been happy as long as it didn’t deepen into a Scar, but seeing it transform into an Imprint was like hearing you were being released from prison.

  His hands shook as he held up the hem of his shirt, only relaxing when Hannah’s slender frame wrapped him in a fierce hug.

  “Congrats, Harvey. I hope this finally brings you peace. You’ve earned it,” Hannah whispered.

  “Whoa! Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt,” Elena yelped, appearing in the doorway to see Hannah hugging a half-shirtless Harvey.

  “Oh! No, it’s not what…” Harvey chuckled.

  “Come check out his new Imprint!” Hannah beamed.

  Elena rushed over, intently staring at the metal heart on his chest. Their gaze was starting to make him uncomfortable, so he pulled up the screen to let her read while he fumbled through putting his armor back on.

  “Oh, Harvey!” Elena said, misty-eyed. “This is amazing! I’m so happy for you!”

  “Thanks! It feels good to get rid of that thing,” he smiled.

  “Hell yeah, it does. I can sense it in your aura,” Hannah said.

  “You can?” Harvey asked.

  “Ever since we met, your aura’s had kind of a sickly smell to it,” Hannah began.

  “Mothballs,” Elena interrupted.

  “That’s the word I was looking for! God, it’s been bugging me for weeks!” Hannah replied. “Anyway, it was pretty bad that first night, but it got better every time I saw you.”

  “You’re saying I’ve smelled like mothballs this whole time?” Harvey laughed.

  “No? Your aura has. You’ve smelled like sweat, ash, and BO,” Hannah chuckled. “That’s all gone now, though.”

  “Yeah! Now you smell like…” Elena paused. “A mix of things, really.”

  “A forge in a forest during a thunderstorm,” Hannah exclaimed.

  “Yes! You’re good at this,” Elena beamed.

  “I know,” Hannah replied, snapping her fingers and striking a pose.

  “You guys are strange,” Harvey laughed.

  “You’re calling us, strange? Mr. Three Imprints because I’m the System’s special boy?” Hannah retorted.

  “Three?” Elena asked.

  Instead of answering, Hannah grabbed Harvey’s right hand and turned it over. Inscribed on the back of his hand was the sigil of a stone fortress surrounding a gold-leafed tree.

  “After he killed Marcus, all the Marks people got for claiming outposts flew into his hand, and I’m willing to bet all my dubloons they turned into another Imprint,” Hannah explained.

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  “Alright, you pirate,” Harvey laughed, pulling up a new screen for them all to read.

  “Hey! I helped kill all those guys! Where’s my free stuff?” Hannah complained.

  “What happened to all the, No Harvey! You stepped up! You’re amazing crap from earlier?” he laughed.

  “That was before I knew you’d get 5% in every stat! That’s ridiculous!”

  “I’m more interested in the whole reclaiming life thing,” Elena said. “This makes it sound like we might not be stuck as Veilstriders for the rest of our lives.”

  “I was thinking the same thing. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see once we get to the portal,” Harvey said.

  “Well, what are we waiting for? You got your parade, now let’s ride!” Hannah said.

  “Wait! We can’t just rush over. We need to pick up all the kids!” Harvey exclaimed.

  “We do? Can’t the System just teleport them over?” Hannah replied.

  “It probably can, but I don’t want to bet that it will. The undead might be gone, but there’s still plenty of beasts in the forest between them and the path home,” Harvey explained.

  “Fine,” Hannah groaned. “Let’s gather everybody up.”

  Climbing up from the basement, they saw that the pale white sun was finally starting to peek through the rainclouds. Light danced on the many puddles formed inside muddy footprints, reflecting light onto the gleaming armor of fallen soldiers. The sky was still tainted by smoke and thanum spewing out from burning trees and metal machines, but everything looked a little brighter than before.

  His body and weave still throbbed with a dull, aching pain. Opening up his Status screen, he allocated the 6 Free Points from the level he’d gotten killing the dragon into Endurance, and the 6 from killing Gary and Marcus into Vitality. It was a small boost, but soothing warmth still eased the strain a little.

  He almost couldn’t believe his stats now that he had three imprints giving layered percentage boosts to each of his stats.

  The final Imprint did leave a bit of a sour taste in his mouth. Part of him felt like he’d stolen something. Granted, the System didn’t really give him a choice, and many of those who’d sacrificed their Marks to create his Imprint were already dead. Still, their legacies as the defenders of their Outposts deserved to be remembered. Not swept into tiny pieces of his own.

  They had earned their place in the memory of how this trial was won, and Harvey wouldn’t let them become a footnote in history.

  The image of Julian’s body, limp in his arms, wouldn’t leave his mind. If he could trade all his Imprints to get him back, he would. But for now, the best he could do was make his sacrifice worth it. Help the survivors, the children, and the elderly make it back home.

  I won’t let you down, Julian.