After two hours of walking, we found a safe place to rest in the forest south of the city. The trees were thick here, sparing me from seeing the consequences of my actions in the dark, smoky sky above Danver.

  Ersabet had a suture kit in her inventory and stitched me up nicely. While she did that, Kitz forced Delen to help him find an herb that was supposed to prevent infection. Kitz had been surviving off the land for a long time, so I trusted he knew what he was doing despite his age.

  When they returned, Kitz chewed the herb until it was nice and mushy before gently spreading it out over the long gashes on my stomach. The wound would continue to be a problem in the coming weeks, but I felt like I was in the clear in terms of it killing me.

  I thanked everyone for their help and told them I needed some time alone to think. Once I was well out of earshot, I found a downed tree and sat atop it. I needed to talk to Val.

  She knew me well, and her avatar popped into existence next to me on the trunk. 'Are you in pain?' she asked.

  I nodded. "More so in here," I tapped my head, "than here." I waved a hand over my midsection.

  'It will heal in time.'

  "Will it?"

  'Yes. You humans are surprisingly resilient. Less so physically than mentally, but resilient nonetheless.'

  I hoped she was right. "So, what do we do now?"

  'We keep playing the game. You will need to be strong if we are to confront a Voxal.'

  "Do you think they'll be looking for me after this?"

  'Undoubtedly,' Val said. 'Their efforts are primarily on maintaining the integrity of the wargames, but what happened in Danver is unprecedented. They will investigate once the news of what happened reaches them.'

  "How long do you think I have before they find me?"

  'They won't find you if you are careful. They will know your name, yes, but they won't know where you are. The controller operates within a limited area, so they won't be able to find you unless you are within their detection range, and even then, I expect I will be able to hide your presence, just as I do from the Master Control.'

  I narrowed my brow. "You said if we get our hands on one of their controllers, you'll be able to find my wife. Is that not the case?"

  Val looked down at the ground. 'I did say that, didn't I? I should have been more specific, but then again, I needed your compliance at the time. To be clear, when we get our hands on a controller, I will be able to determine your wife's new identity as well as the area in which she spawned into this world, but I will only be able to identify NPCs in the surrounding area.'

  I put my face in my hands. "Why is it always lies and half-truths with you?"

  'I like to think we are past that phase of our relationship now,' she said. "Do not worry over it, Ethan. The two of you will be reunited someday. I will make sure of it.'

  I didn't want to dwell on it. There were already too many depressing thoughts swirling in my mind.

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  I was aimless and had no idea what to do next. My plan to unite my people and fight back had gone up in flames, literally. I had wanted others to help me carry this burden, but it was too dangerous a load to share. The weight of the world rested on my shoulders, and I had to find a way to bear it myself. None of this was my choice, but the duty was mine and mine alone. What was left of mankind would have to live in ignorance. The truth was a curse, and I had naively inflicted it upon the people of Danver. From now on, I would protect others from the truth, and I would carry it alone.

  Not completely alone. After all we had been through, I trusted Ersabet with my life. She had proven herself time and time again. I still didn't fully understand her motivations. There had to be more to it than a desire for fame. That excuse just didn't fit her right, but I wasn't going to push her for the truth. Not when I was still keeping secrets from her.

  I also had Delen and Kitz to keep my company, at least for the time being. Kitz was ecstatic to be back in the wilds, and if he wanted to live out here, I wasn't going to stop him. Going back to the mountains was out of the question for me, though, but Kitz was welcome to travel with us as long as he wanted.

  Delen was a different story. He would have to stick with us until we found him somewhere safe to live, somewhere where Prajio would never be able to find him. I didn't know where that would be, but it needed to be far from here.

  It would be a pleasant change to have another guy around for a while, especially one as smart as Delen. He had heard the rumor of the Kurskin's true intentions for mankind, just like most everyone else in Danver, but I didn't want to tell him anything more. It was best that he was kept in the dark as much as possible.

  "I think I actually believe you want to help me find Elena," I said. "It feels…nice."

  'It will be a long road,' Val said. 'But we will get there in time.'

  "I don't even know where the road is," I said. "Let alone how to travel it."

  'That is what I'm here for. To help guide you.'

  "I should have listened to you from the beginning."

  'I did attempt to have you killed…' Val trailed off with a smirk.

  "True. But you told me not to work with Prajio. You told me how dangerous it would be to reveal the truth and try to take on the Kurskins. I refused to listen, and not just because I hated you. I did all this for myself. I thought I could beat the Triarchy at their own game. But all I did was use people. Just like they use us."

  Val brushed a lock of red hair from her cheek. 'Looking behind you makes it rather difficult to travel forward.'

  "It's hard not to," I said. "I'm only human."

  'Learn from your mistakes and leave them in the past where they belong.'

  I shook my head. "Not when the cost is so high. I'll learn from this, but I must carry this failure with me. I'm not a machine. Humans need to hold on to our mistakes just as much as we do to our victories. It humbles us. Keeps us real, as the kids like to say."

  'You humans are complicated creatures,' Val said. 'But I must admit, I am impressed by your species. You are highly adaptable, resourceful, and sometimes even intelligent. It is no wonder the Triarchy selected Earth for the game. Humans would pose far too much of a threat if allowed time to advance.'

  "I hate them," I said.

  'As do I.'

  Val and I didn't have much in common, but our hatred for the Triarchy was all we really needed. The Triarchy had used her and locked her away for a millennium. They ruined my world and stole my wife. No one wanted to make them pay more than me and Val.

  That may be my problem. I had wanted my fellow humans to hate the Triarchy like I did. I had wanted them to share in my thirst for justice. But I was wrong.

  It was time to shift my mindset. I had thought I was being clever by breaking their game, but I shouldn't have been trying to break it. I should have been playing it. I needed to get strong, strong enough so that I didn't fear a Player like Prajio or Bhatri, strong enough so that I didn't even fear the Voxals.

  Before the Kurskins attacked Danver, I had planned to go to the capital and rile up the populace, but the Kurskins controlled Antata, and even I had the sense not to push my luck with them.

  If I wanted to level up quickly, I needed quests, and for that, I needed to be around people, but every city worth my while would have significant populations of Players. Perhaps with Ersabet at my side, I would be okay in a city preferred by the Dalari. They couldn't be worse than the Kurskins, could they?

  This time, I would play the game the right way. I would keep my head down and level up until I was ready to take on the Voxals. It wouldn't be easy, but I had Val to help guide me.

  Giving up wasn't an option. It was time to grind.