“Sis Tana, is Rebecca going to come back, or has she gone with the priest?” one of the children asked as she played with her toys.

  “She is, my dear. She just needs a prince to save her,” Tana replied, trying to sound reassuring.

  “Just like Rapunzel!” the child said, ecstatic.

  Tana stopped preparing the little food they had as she noticed a child limping toward her.

  “Sis Tana, Mark has stopped moving. Is he going to the priest to be fixed? I don’t want him to go, just like Bill.”

  The child dropped her toy ,"sis Tana the food is burning ".

  Tana shattered completely as tears streamed down her face.

  I’ll make sure you never shed another tear, Mom… for I am here, Tana remembered Bill’s words.

  She touched the tears running down her face. They wouldn’t stop.

  The child tugged at her sleeve.

  “Sis Tana, are you okay?”

  Her eyes lost the last spark.

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  Kaein carried Blaze on his back as Melissa opened a portal back home.

  “Why wouldn’t you let us meet Kael?” Fiona asked as she came through another portal.

  She watched as the portal Kael had gone through closed.

  “Give that kid a break. He’s already gone through a lot. Besides, you should be more concerned about your son,” Kaein shot back, but Fiona turned her back on him.

  “Kaein, take care of Mikael for me,” Eve, Kael’s mother, said as she stepped through the portal.

  Kaein sighed.

  He glanced at Fiona, who couldn’t say a word.

  After Kaein entered the portal, Fiona grabbed a phoenix feather. Her hand trembled.

  “My son,” she muttered.

  The storm had reached its climax, yet the sun refused to shine through the clouds and create a rainbow.

  Kaein entered the headquarters of the Hero Agency with Blaze on his back.

  The crowd went silent as they raised their heads to glance at Kael. Then they all stood and clapped their hands.

  “Congratulations, Kaein,” the commander said, giving a salute.

  Kaein continued walking, indifferent, until he reached the hallway leading toward their base.

  Olivia stood there, her clothes barely dry, with a small puddle beneath her. Her tears had almost completely washed away her makeup.

  “Is Kael okay?” she asked with an almost conclusive voice.

  “His heart is still beating,” Kaein muttered.

  Her muscles loosened and she collapsed on the puddle.

  “What about Finn?” Her voice was shallow.

  Kaein remained still, not moving an inch.

  “I see,” Olivia concluded.

  Can a man really keep his promises?

  Each day, a man ventures out into the sun for his family. Each day, he changes—until one day he never comes back, or returns unrecognizable.

  A man can’t fix a broken home; all he can do is give hope.

  A portal ripped open.

  Tana stopped crying. Her knees collapsed, and her hands were raised toward the portal.

  I stepped through the portal with Rebecca in my arms. For a moment, she didn’t recognize us.

  “Kael,” she said, almost to herself.

  “I’m home.”

  And with that, my body finally gave in, and I collapsed into her arms.