Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Return the Sun"

“Y-You’re right…” Niko said. “I can’t just leave everyone here to die. Thank you for your help. I promise I’ll be okay.”

Niko stepped forward, holding the Sun in front of them as they move toward the small pedestal in the center of the tower. While silently reassuring themself that they are doing the right thing, and a deep breath for confidence, Niko set the Sun down gently. Instantly, it began to glow with an intensity Niko had never seen before, and they backed away and slammed their eyes shut. Despite this, the Sun's brightness shone in their eyes and Niko was worried they would become blind.

Niko fumbled around the room, trying to find the elevator they took to the top of the tower so they could escape the blinding light. Luckily, it did not take very long, and they were able to open the elevator, get in, and close the door before permanent eye damage set in. The Sun still shone through the cracks in the elevator door, but as Niko began their descent, the light lessened and lessened to the point of nothingness.

“We did it,” Niko said to god. “We saved this world.”

Silence filled the air as Niko waited for a response that did not come.

“Hello?”

Nothing.

“Are you there?”

It was only at that moment that Niko noticed a strange feeling they had not felt in a long time.

Loneliness.

Even during periods of silence from the watchful god of this world, Niko had always felt their presence. It was like a persistent, comforting feeling somewhere in their head that they couldn’t quite describe. Now, however, it was gone. Niko felt truly alone.

Niko fought the urge to burst into tears, but failed, falling into the corner of the elevator as it descended. Their sobs echoed in the small metal contraption as the weight of the situation came crashing into them all at once. Yes, they had saved this world and its inhabitants, but at what cost? Niko was now abandoned by their god, stuck in an unfamiliar world for the rest of their lives, and for what? Salvation for a world that might not even work? Many of the people they had met on their journey felt that the return of the Sun would not be effective enough to truly save the world.

The soft ding of the elevator as it reached its destination urged Niko to leave, but they couldn’t conjure the will to do so, allowing the elevator to close its doors as it awaited the next request.

Several minutes passed until Niko could move again. They slowly got up and pushed the elevator button again, getting it to open its doors and allow their exit.
They moved through the house and into its basement where, luckily, they found another elevator. Niko had been worried that, due to their expressly magical and illogical ascent of the tower, they would be unable to return to the surface. However, with a simple press of a button, they once again found themselves on the surface of Refuge.

Niko somberly made their way towards the rest of the city, trying to cheer themselves up and appear happy for the residents they would encounter. As they grew closer though, they began to hear a dull roar from the city. Worried about what could be causing such a noise, Niko ran down the hallway and burst out of the doors. Once outside, Niko immediately discovered the source of the noise.
Across every corner of the street that Niko could see, residents of Refuge were cheering loudly and dancing in the light of the Sun. Tired scientists, library bookworms, and even the lamp lighter were high energy and happy.

“Messiah!” George shouted from a distance as they ran toward Niko. “You did it!”

“I believe I did,” Niko said shyly.

“Of course, you could not have done it without my help,” George bragged “I will ensure that my contributions are noted in the Authors' writings on the events surrounding this day.”

Niko laughed as George continued her egocentric rambling and tuned her out a bit as they took in the scene around them. They had never seen so many happy faces in one place before, and the emotion was contagious. Niko could feel themself smiling despite the sadness they still felt inside.

“Well I will let those details be saved for later,” George said, breaking Niko out of their thoughts. “I must inquire as to what you are doing here. It was to my understanding that you would be leaving us as soon as the Sun had been returned to its rightful place in the tower.”

“It didn’t quite work out that way,” Niko said sadly. “To leave I would have had to break the Sun.”

George’s expression, or what Niko could make of an expression from the single dot on her face, changed instantly as Niko spoke. She was speechless for a second before shaking her head in denial. “No, no, no. That must be wrong. Where did you get this information?”

“God,” Niko said simply. “The same one that guided me through this world. The same one that left as soon as the Sun was returned.”

George was still shaking her head. “No, this simply cannot be! There must be something we missed.” Without another word, George turned around and ran towards the library. Niko only watched, unable to find anything to say to the librarian.

Niko hoped they would be able to make it back to the Refuge catwalks without being noticed but, being the Messiah, they were stopped by every person who managed to catch a glimpse of them, and praised for their success. Niko tried to be grateful for their kind words, but often could only offer a kind smile and nod as the reality of their new life continued to run through their head.

When Niko was finally able to make it into the elevator to the catwalks, they relished the silence it brought. As the elevator opened, Niko was relieved to see that no one remained on the catwalks. Everyone had moved to the surface to celebrate, leaving Niko free to wander. They were pleased to see that many of the squares had disappeared from the pathways, though the damage they had caused still allowed for only a few select paths.

Niko’s first stop was the small garden they had planted Maize’s kernel seed into. Although they were doubtful of the Refuge salesman’s water pill, the effect they had seen on the seed was noteworthy, and Niko hoped that it could have grown more since they departed for the tower. Niko was happy to find that the seed had indeed grown. It had grown so much that Niko saw a small smile form on the plant as they approached

“Maize?” Niko asked.

“Messiah,” The plant said back, its voice quiet. “Thank you for the gifts you have granted me. I am indebted to you.”
“No, no, no,” Niko said. “I am just happy you are alive!”

“We plant spirits do not give up easily. I would not be the last of my kind without persistence, and a little help from friends.”

Niko smiled. “What do you think of the Sun? It must feel refreshing after so long without it.”

The plant spirit smiled and turned towards the Sun, admiring it. “I am grateful for its return. It has been a long time. Your small gift in the Glen was appreciated, but nothing can compare to this.”

Niko and Maize sat in silence, admiring the view. From the elevation of the catwalks, Niko admired not only the Sun but the celebrations on the streets. Being so far from it somehow made it easier to appreciate, and Niko was grateful they were no longer being swarmed by its participants.

“If it is not too much to ask,” Maize said, breaking the silence. “Would you mind getting a bigger pot? I can feel myself getting cramped in this one already.”

Niko jumped up immediately. “Of course! I know just where to get one! I’ll be right back.”

Niko dashed away from the small garden and into the narrow pathways of the catwalks. They had already memorized their layouts and made it into the apartment complex quickly. They ran down the long hallway of rooms and made it to the small plant shop where Mason had given them dirt. The light was still on, and the door still unlocked, so Niko burst in, immediately looking for the largest pot in the shop.

“What are you looking for?”

Niko was caught off guard by the voice, only to look up and see Mason looking back at them. They were crouched over a plant, apparently having been interrupted from trimming it.

“I’m sorry to bother you again sir, but I need the largest pot you have. My plant is growing very quickly.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any spare pots,” Mason said.

“Please sir, it's for the plant spirit.”

Mason shot up. “Plant spirit?! Why didn’t you say so?” He immediately grabbed a massive pot and turned it upside down, dumping the plant and large amounts of dirt everywhere. “You planted it in the garden on the catwalks correct?”

Niko nodded and Mason immediately dashed out of the room with the pot screaming “I’m coming to help plant spirit!” Niko grabbed a nearby bag of dirt and chased after him but quickly lost sight. By the time Niko arrived back at the garden, Mason was already halfway through transferring Maize into the bigger pot.

“Thank you for your kindness, sir.” Maize was saying as Niko approached.

“Anything for a plant spirit. It is my job to help plants in every way I can, and you are the most important one I will ever help grow.”

Niko thought they could see Maize blush at Mason’s words, but said nothing as they handed the bag of dirt to Mason, who did not seem to notice their approach.

“Thank you, Messiah,” Mason said, taking the bag and evenly dumping its contents into the pot while ensuring that Maize was not buried under it.

Niko watched silently as Mason did everything he could to ensure Maize was properly planted and comfortable, occasionally running for more supplies as Mason requested them. Unfortunately, one of those supplies was the water pill Niko had used to assist Maize’s growth up to this point, which required another trip to the surface and the crowds. Once that was completed, all three sat and watched the Sun once again.

“Thank you, Messiah,” Mason said. “You have brought a lot of hope back into this world.”

“Call me Niko,” Niko responded. “My work as the Messiah is over. Now I am just another person living in this world with the rest of you.”

“As you wish,” Maize said. “But know that your gift to this world will never be forgotten.”

Niko smiled a melancholic smile. They were grateful for what they were able to give, but very few would ever understand the true weight of their choice. Whether that choice had truly been made by their god, or if they had had the final say in the matter, Niko couldn’t decide. Either way, they were living with the reality they had made.

“I’m sorry, mama,” Niko thought to themself. “I had one shot to save this world. I couldn’t leave them to die.” Niko paused as they fought not to cry again. “I’m sorry if I never see you again.”

Chapter Text

Niko left the garden alone, allowing Mason and Maize to continue gazing into the Sun’s light. Niko understood their amazement with it, but neither of them had spent as much time with it as Niko had. Niko was happy for them, but not nearly as awestruck.

The next place Niko wanted to visit was the small café they had visited. They doubted the owner would be there, but it was a calm space where they could relax after the pressures the journey had put upon them. Sure enough, when they arrived at the café they found it empty, with a few cups messily scattered on the counter. Niko guessed they were left behind in a hurry as the Sun returned.

With nothing better to do, Niko began cleaning the cups. It felt weird to be alone behind the counter, but they wanted to repay Ling for his kind gift of pancakes, and this seemed like the best way they could do it. It only took a few minutes to clear the café of its dirty dishes, so Niko sat down, admiring their handiwork and waiting for Ling to return. It hadn’t been a long time since devouring the plate of pancakes they had been given, but the stress of the day had already worked up their appetite again.

Unfortunately, when Ling did return, he did so with a large group following behind him. Niko guessed that they had all come from the surface party, now all hungry or simply in need of more coffee. Regardless of the reason, Niko was upset. They had come to the café for peace and quiet, but that had now been completely thrown out of the window. Niko tried to pull their hat over their head to hide from the crowd, but they knew it was useless.

“The savior is here!” Ling shouted as soon as he saw Niko. The crowd immediately erupted into a cheer that hurt Niko’s ears as they swarmed around them. Praises came from every direction and Niko had to fight with themself to be grateful and accepting of the kind words, rather than bursting through the crowd and leaving like they wanted to do. Thankfully, the partiers eventually ran out of things to praise Niko for and returned to their original intent of coming here, food and coffee.

Niko moved silently to a table in the far corner of the café, watching the excitement from afar as Ling worked to supply the demands of the customers. He seemed happy as he worked, not just about the Sun, but about the service he was able to provide everyone.

It took a long time for the café to begin clearing out again. The people ate and drank slowly as they chatted frantically with everyone around them. Ling also tended to join these conversations, which would often lead to requests for seconds or thirds of their order, forcing them to stay longer. As people did begin to file out, every single one made a point to pass by Niko’s table and offer more words of praise. Niko was much more receptive to the individual gratitude than the crowd shouting they had already been through before, although even this became repetitive and tedious. Niko’s face began to hurt as they put on a cheerful smile for each person.

Eventually, it was left to just Niko, Ling, and piles of dishes on every table. It was Ling who broke the fresh silence.

“I assume it was you who cleaned up around here while I was gone?”

Niko nodded their head.

“I told you the pancakes were on the house. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wanted to.” Niko looked around at the chaos the party had left behind. “Will you accept my help now?”

Ling sighed. “If you insist, but you probably came here to eat, right?” Niko nodded again, prompting Ling to continue. “Do you want me to whip up some more pancakes?”

Niko’s heart ached at the prospect of more pancakes, and the memories of their mama that they would bring forth. “Anything except pancakes.”

Ling looked a little confused but accepted the answer. He turned towards the cabinets of food, inspecting what he had left. “How about something simple? Do you like bacon and eggs?”

“That sounds good.”

Ling nodded and immediately got to work as Niko moved to the counter, pushing aside a few plates and bowls that covered it.

“It seems that a lot of the squares have cleared up,” Ling said as they glanced at Niko, who was staring absently into the table.

“I saw that too,” Niko responded quietly. “A lot of the damage they caused is still a problem though.”

“We should welcome any improvement we get, especially improvement that was so unexpected. The squares were an issue before the sun went out. Nobody expected they would go away if the sun returned.”

“Does anyone know what they are?”

“Not really,” Ling said, placing the eggs and bacon onto a plate and placing it in front of Niko. “The Author has a book or two on the subject but even those seem to be nothing but speculation. Whatever they are, they are unpredictable. It’s best to not think about it too hard and take the wins when you can.”

Niko nodded and began devouring the food. While it wasn’t as good as the pancakes had been, even the thought of pancakes threatened to bring tears to their eyes.

“I have to admit, I didn’t think you would still be here after putting the Sun back,” Ling said.

“Neither did I,” Niko responded sadly. “Even George seemed surprised by my return.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Niko said. “One moment I think that returning the Sun will fix everything, the next moment, god tells me that to go home, I would have to shatter the Sun.”

Like George, Ling’s face immediately changed as Niko spoke. “What?!”

“I know!” Niko said, getting frustrated at the predicament they had been put into. “As much as I wanted to go home, we decided we couldn’t sacrifice your entire world just for me. So here I am.”

Ling was silent as Niko finished the plate and began collecting several others to put in the sink and clean.

“There has to be a way to get you back,” Ling said confidently. “A way that wouldn’t destroy our world in the process.”

“I don’t know,” Niko said. “I hope there is, but I have no idea what it could be. I don’t want to get too attached to the possibility.”

“I understand that,” Ling said. “While we search for a way, we should still make life for you here as good as we can. Do you have a place to sleep?”

“George has a spare guest room in the library she lent me. I was thinking I could keep using that.”

Ling grabbed some dishes and joined Niko at the sink to clean them. “In case that doesn’t work out, I have a spare mattress in my apartment you can use.”

“Thank you, Ling.”

“Anything for our savior.”

“Call me Niko.”

“Anything for our savior,” Ling said jokingly.

Niko laughed and accidentally splashed water out of the sink and through the air in every direction, getting themself and Ling wet. They both burst out in laughter and had to step away from the sink to regain composure.

After recovering, Ling and Niko worked quickly and efficiently to clean the café. Few words were exchanged as they fell into a steady rhythm and soon had the place spotless again.

“I greatly appreciate the help, Niko,” Ling said as they finished. “If you want anything to occupy your time, I’d be more than happy to have the help. I’ll make you any food you want whenever you come.”

“Thank you, Ling. I’ll stop by whenever I can.”

“Where are you going now?”

“Back to the library,” Niko responded. “I need to see if I can take George’s guest room.”

“Of course,” Ling said. “I’ll see you around then.”

“See you around.”

Niko walked out of the café door feeling rejuvenated. They could still hear the roar of the celebration below them, but something about their calm conversation with Ling helped prepare them for the chaos they would soon walk into. Hope was what they needed, even if it was just a little bit. Things were bad, and their easiest opportunity back home was gone, but things weren’t hopeless. They had good friends here, and the potential for a good life. All they had to do was hold onto the good and hope that the bad slowly faded away.

Chapter Text

With the party on Refuge’s surface still going strong, Niko had to force their way through the crowd to get to the library, accepting countless more praises as they did. However, when Niko finally opened the doors to the library they found it completely empty, save for a few robots rearranging the shelves, and the robot at the front desk. They moved slowly through the building, looking at the myriad of discarded books littering the floor until they finally reached the front.

“Is George here?” Niko asked.

“[YES SHE IS,]” The robot responded. “[WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO CALL HER?]”

“NO!” Niko said, a little too quickly. “No, I’ll just go see her.”

“[AS YOU WISH. MAY I PLEASE SEE YOUR LIBRARY CARD?]”

Niko pulled the library card from her pocket and presented it to the robot, who scanned it and nodded in satisfaction. “[YOU MAY PROCEED, MISS KIP.]”

“I really need to get my own card,” Niko muttered under their breath. Thankfully, the robot did not seem to hear the comment as it returned to typing away on the computer.

As soon as Niko entered George’s room, they could tell something was wrong. Books were scattered messily across the floor, instead of the neat stacks they had formed earlier. Niko also saw George huddled in a corner, the five dots on her dice face furrowed in frustration. They were furiously flipping through the pages of yet another book.

“George?” Niko asked. “Is everything okay in here?”

George’s head shot up in surprise at Niko’s entrance. “Niko, my dear! I didn’t think you would be back so soon!”

“I don’t have many other places to be, and our meeting before was so short. I thought I might as well say hi.”

“I’m so sorry you must see this place in such a condition.” She said, setting her book down and standing up to clean the mess around her. “I was in a hurry but I should never have let it get this bad.”

“That’s not a problem, miss,” Niko responded kindly. “I can clean while you continue whatever you were doing. It seems very important.”

“Nonsense,” George said. “I will not allow you to clean the very mess I made.”

“Are you sure? I got done cleaning dishes for the café on the catwalks. I’m very good at cleaning.”

“You can help, ” George conceded. “But I will not let you do it alone.”

As Niko began working, they read the titles of several of the books they were putting back onto the shelves, or restacking into small piles. They quickly noticed a pattern, as almost all of them mentioned the Sun. From historical guides to the previous Sun to theoretical interpretations of the prophecy Niko had fulfilled, Niko was baffled that George seemed to still lack the answer to whatever question she had.

“What are you working on?” Niko asked, putting away yet another book covering the prophecy.

“I am trying to figure out why you are still here,” George said. “Answering that question might enable us to get you home.”

“Is that why you are researching the prophecy so much?”

George nodded. “It was a logical place to start. Unfortunately, very few sources mention anything beyond the Sun being replaced. The few that do look further into the future rarely continue to talk about the Savior. It seems like a gross oversight on the part of the Author, which is surprising.”

“Unless I was meant to return,” Niko said softly. “Unless I was no longer meant to be in this world after the Sun had been returned.”

“I’ve considered that possibility too, dear,” George said. “If that is the case, we need to figure out what went wrong. Was the Sun supposed to send you home? Did the god that helped you fail somehow? The possibilities are endless and quite frankly I don’t think there are enough books in the world to sort through them all.”

Niko slumped over, disappointed by George’s words but not surprised by them. This situation was very strange, even compared to the variety of other things they had seen during their time in this world. The massive number of books the Author had penned offered some hope for a solution, but even this had limits. George saw Niko’s sadness and immediately ran over to comfort them.

“Don’t be sad dearie,” George said, stroking Niko’s head as if she was petting a cat. “The odds may be against us but it is not impossible. We must not give up.”

Niko nodded their head sadly and continued putting away the few books that remained on the floor. George continued petting Niko for a few more moments before following suit. It only took a few more moments for the floor to return to the condition it had been on Niko’s first arrival. As soon as they were done, they stepped back to the entrance of the room to admire their hadywork.

“Thank you for your help, sweetie,” George said. “As I return to my research, I promise to not destroy the good work you have put into the room. Next time you stop by, this place shall be exactly as you found it.”

“Miss,” Niko said. “I was hoping I could stay with you. Since I wasn’t planning on still being here, I never found somewhere permanent I could stay. You were generous enough to lend me your guest room before. Could I, perhaps, continue to use it?”

“Of course! You poor thing, you don’t have somewhere to stay? You can stay here for as long as you wish to, even if that is until the very moment we find a way to get you home.” George hugged Niko before rushing away, past all the bookshelves and towards the guest room while shouting, “I must make it ready for long-term use!”

Niko smiled at George’s kindness before following her to assist in cleaning the room. Unfortunately, as they arrived at the door, they found it locked.

“You’ve helped enough dearie!” George shouted from the other side of the door. “Accustom yourself to the rest of the room while I work! I’m sure I won’t be long.”

Niko sighed and began aimlessly wandering the various bookshelves. The books that covered the walls of this place filled Niko with awe. So much knowledge is held in such small packages. Even more astounding was how they were all written by one person, the Author. The black clover that each book held on its cover seemed almost magical, like it was the mark of a mythical being no one could ever hope to understand.

Looking at the collection of books sparked Niko’s memory, and they quickly reached for the book they had found in the barrens. It too bore the signature black clover all of the other books had. Niko wondered how it had gotten so far away from the library, which seemed to contain every other book the Author had written.

As Niko was thinking, the black clover on the cover of the book suddenly began to glow. The same yellow light that had emanated from the pieces of the previous Sun now glowed from this book. Niko was astonished by what they were witnessing.

“George!” Niko called. “George, get over here quick, something is happening!”

Niko heard the door swing open as George hurried out to meet Niko among the bookshelves. The yellow light continued to pulse on Niko’s face and George stared in amazement.

“What did you do?” She asked, angling the book towards her so that she could better see the glowing clover.

“Nothing! I just pulled it out of my pocket and it began to glow!”

“May I take a closer look?”

Niko nodded and handed the book to George, who held the clover close to her face as if trying to find the source of the light.

“This must be more yellow phosphor, but how?” George said, bewildered. “And why would the Author go through the trouble of putting yellow phosphor in a book?”

“It was a book for god,” Niko said thoughtfully. “Maybe the Author made it that way to differentiate it from the others.”

“Then why would it be glowing now?”

Suddenly, the yellow glow faded away, and George was left staring into a normal book cover with a black clover on it.

“Strange.” George handed the book back to Niko. “You had better keep that safe, dear. Anything with yellow phosphor in it is important. Most of the pages may be torn out, but there is no telling what further secrets may be held by anything the Author makes.”

Niko carefully placed the book back into their pocket, and George nodded in satisfaction.

“Anyways, you called me at the perfect time, sweetheart.” George continued. “I just finished cleaning your room up for you. Now you have a place to sleep whenever you need it.”

“Thank you so much, George,” Niko said.

“Anytime, dear. Now I must return to my research. There is no time for laziness if there is any hope of getting you back home.” George quickly skimmed the shelf and grabbed a few books off of it. “As for you, sweetie. You have helped enough people for one day. You helped me clean, helped clean a café, and returned a Sun to our world. You have earned a well-deserved rest in a nice, clean bed.”

Niko was about to object when a yawn overtook them, muting the words and proving George’s point. “Okay,” Niko relented. “Thank you again.”

George only nodded and walked back into the main room. Niko peered past the bookshelves to watch as she returned to the corner Niko had found her in to continue reading. Niko was thankful that she seemed notably more calm than they had found her.

With a sigh and another yawn, Niko walked into the guest room, now their room, and slumped onto the bed. Just as George had promised, the bed was neatly made, so much so that Niko almost felt bad using it. The bookshelf in the corner had been dusted and organized and the other miscellaneous things that used to dot the floor had been neatly placed in corners or completely removed.

Niko wanted to appreciate the cleanliness George had brought to the room but could barely keep their eyes open any longer. As they drifted to sleep, the last thing they remembered was feeling peaceful.

Chapter Text

A faint glow filled Niko’s closed eyes as they slowly broke out of their deep slumber. At first, they thought it was another dream, like the ones they had had during their journey, but as they opened their eyes, they discovered that was not the case. Niko was still in George’s guest room, and the glow was coming from the Author’s book which now lay on the bed beside them. Niko quickly sat up and grabbed the book, inspecting it closely for clues as to why it was glowing. Unfortunately, just as before, they could find nothing. Niko figured that George would be just as curious as they were, so they snatched the book and dashed out of the room.

Niko found George right where they had left her, sitting in a corner reading. A small pile of books had formed around her now but, true to her promise, they were kept in a much neater stack.

“George!” Niko shouted, waving the book above their head. “The book is glowing again!”

George looked up from her book, the three dots on her face tired from long hours of reading. “It is? Do you have any idea what caused it?”

“No, I just woke up and it was glowing beside me!” Niko held the book in front of them to show George the glowing clover once again. However, as soon as George began inspecting the book, the glow faded away once again.

“Not again!” George said, swiping the book from Niko’s hands and shaking it vigorously as if she could make the glow return.

“Something has to be causing it right?” Niko asked, peering at the book as George held it. “There has to be some meaning.”

“I don’t know!” George handed the book back to Niko before clutching their head, stressed. “I’ve been pouring over books for hours and have not gotten any closer to finding you a way home! I’m not smart enough for this! None of it makes any sense!”

Niko reached out to comfort George, but she shot up to her feet and began scrambling about the room, combing through the shelves so quickly that Niko was surprised she could comprehend what she was seeing. George was mumbling to herself as she scanned the books, saying things like “I have to have missed something,” or “I am so stupid, how did I not think to check here?”

Niko didn’t know what to do. They had never seen George in a state like this. When they first arrived, George had been casual and friendly. Since returning, she has been full of self-confidence and extremely caring. Now, they were a nervous wreck, self-deprecating and upset.

“George?” Niko asked quietly. “Are you okay? Can I help you?”

Even Niko’s simple question seemed to overwhelm George. As Niko spoke, she paused her scanning of the books, as if trying to regain composure, before continuing her scan and ignoring Niko’s question.

“Let me help you, George!”

Niko reached out and grabbed George’s hand, trying to stop her panicked search. As soon as they did, Niko regretted it.

George immediately broke away from Niko and backed into the wall, breathing in and out at a rapid and worrying pace. Niko could do nothing but watch as George crumpled against the wall, grabbing her head again and staring at the ground.

“George?”

George’s head whipped towards Niko, five dots now staring at them with worry and alarm.

“Oh dear, please leave.”

Niko was about to ask what was happening when George’s head suddenly spun around chaotically. In only a moment, six dots were now staring at them with the same look the five had before.

“I would prefer if you didn’t see me like this little fella.”

Her head spun again, this time landing on one.

“This is not the image that fits George’s outstanding achievements!”

Four dots looked at Niko, finally with a smidge of hope mixed into the horror.

“It will be over eventually.”

Niko was speechless as the head spun again, landing on two and a look of anger.

“Leave! Now!”

The head spun again but Niko did not stick around to figure out what it landed on. They dashed out of the room and shut the door, leaving George alone amongst her books as she continued to break down. Niko wished they could help, but they had no idea how to. They ran towards the robot at the front desk of the library, hoping that it would have some protocol for helping the head of the library it worked for. As expected, its only response was that leaving its post was not in its programming.

Niko wandered the shelves of the library for a short time, trying to think of something they could do to help. They skimmed through psychology books and self-help books, looking for anything, but repeatedly came up with nothing.

Eventually, Niko had to admit defeat. As much as they hated to leave George alone, Niko figured that it would be better to come back with a plan instead of facing George again in the exact same predicament. The best help they could offer was relief from the scenario that caused the panic in the first place.

As soon as they left the library doors, once again completely alone, the book lit up from Niko’s pocket. Niko took it out immediately, staring at the glow with no more answers than they had had during any of its previous glows.

“Why are you doing this?” Niko whispered, immediately feeling stupid for asking a book a question. As expected, the book offered no response other than to continue faintly glowing.

Niko stared at it for a moment before realizing that they had not once opened the book since descending from the tower. The information George had been able to translate from it before had proven invaluable. Was it possible the glow was intended to get them to open it?

Cautiously, Niko opened the book to the first page. They expected to find the otherworldly language it had contained before. Instead, they found a picture. It took a few moments for Niko to figure out what they were seeing, but when they did, it didn’t answer any questions.

The picture was of an orange fox looking toward the sun. Niko was standing beside the fox, also looking toward the sun. Niko turned the page, wondering if their confusion could be answered further into the book.

On the next page, the sun was gone. Indistinct shapes of purple and black covered where it had once been. The fox was now looking down, but Niko had no moved.

One more page and the fox had also left. Niko was the only thing remaining, standing in a sea of purple and black.

Disappointed that the book held more questions than answers, Niko closed it and put it back in their pocket. Its glow faded away, seemingly content at having been read.

As Niko continued their walk away from the library, they couldn’t shake the feeling that they had seen the fox before. It seemed so eerily familiar, but they couldn’t recall where they had seen it before.

Niko made their way slowly to the main street on the surface of Refuge. By now, most of the partying had finally died down, but a few stragglers still dotted the walkway, enjoying the sun in a much more peaceful manner. Many of them offered their thanks to Niko as they passed, but were much too tired to do anything more. Niko was fine with that.

Niko planned to head back to the catwalks and check on Ling, Mason, and Maize. Whether or not they had any more solutions since the last time Niko had spoken to them, it was the best thing they could come up with. However, that plan was cut short as they came across the alley that branched off from the main road. The sight of it activated Niko’s memory. This alley was where they had seen the fox!

Without another thought, Niko bolted down the alley. They had navigated it enough times while trying to return the sun that they had its layout close to memorized, and they soon arrived at the tree the fox had disappeared behind.

“Hello?” Niko called out. “Fox? Are you there?”

There was a pause before the fox peeked its head out from behind the tree.

“Niko.” It said. “You have returned.”

“You told me to.”

The fox paused. “This is not quite what I meant.”

Silence filled the space as Niko tried to figure out what the fox meant.

“I am assuming you are looking for a way back home.” The fox said.

“Yes.”

“What led you to me?”

Niko pulled out the book from their pocket and thumbed through the pages. The pictures they had seen had disappeared, but the fox had its eyes locked on the clover. The presence of the Authors’ influence seemed to be enough.

“Interesting.” the fox said. “What did it say about me?”

“It was just pictures. It was you and me looking at the sun. Then the sun disappeared. Then you did. All that was left was me and weird shapes.

“That's...concerning”

Niko was confused. “What do you mean?”

The fox dashed away, a head nod motioning for Niko to follow. When it finally stopped, it was staring the lamp that the lamplighter Niko had met had been struggling to light.

"What is it?" Niko asked.

“Look at it," The fox replied.

Niko was confused but stared into the lamp. They saw something initially, but slowly they noticed something. Inside was one of the squares. It had been so long since Niko had last seen one. The return of the Sun had gotten rid of almost all of them. But there was still one here, dampening the light of the phosphor inside.

"It's not over," the fox said. "The sun helped, but its only temporary."

Niko realized how close the squares they had seen were to the shapes the book had shown. It wasn't an exact match, Niko had only seen squares in the world while the shapes in the book were nothing like they had ever seen. However the singular, distorted colors, the fuzzy edges, it all felt so similar.

Were the squares going to come back? Is that what the book was saying?

"Surely there is something we can do." Niko insisted.

"We can try," The fox said. "We have to try."

Niko could hear the hesitation. "But..?"

"The author is never wrong Niko. Something bad is going to happen."