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Earth was always fated to die. If the Petrova Line didn’t do it, something else would. And it came sooner than later because some entity was bored and decided to play cult with a small town in Hatchetfield, Michigan in another universe, that just might end up dooming the whole multiverse with it.
By some miracle, a few months prior to the incident, Grace had returned to Earth with four passengers-Adrian, Rocky, and Simon to be added to the crew (whose tin can had been found floating on Erid’s tide, clearly from some sort of wormhole) -after a conversation about how codependent they had become. The answer to ‘could they survive without each other’ was decided to be ‘no,’ which, since Grace truly had no one else that close to him before he got sedated, was a decision he was glad they made.
Settling down in his room-his memorial, rather-he sighed. Simon and the Eridians settled in next to him on the extravagant bed he didn’t recall having (perhaps ‘exactly as it was’ was an overstatement. Maybe they thought reality was too pathetic, though he thought it might be a good underdog story for later.)
He had gotten in contact with Stratt immediately after landing with the extra passengers. It was like that one battle where instead of anyone dying, one guy was like ‘hey, I wanna join,’ except it was-no, it was adding one person. Grace did not want to think about that (he thought about it, as he placed flowers on the empty graves in the ‘Hail Mary’ memorial.)
Simon cuddled him, and one of the Eridians let him embrace them, the other (Adrian, definitely) taking up watch. Not that they needed it, but, besides the cultural reason, someone might have it out for him now he was famous.
He kissed Simon’s cheek as he settled down, allowing his eyes to go heavy.
One of the last things he thought of as he drifted was ‘I am glad I have a family. I wish I had a family that cared before I left, then I could be less pathetic and maybe have felt something similar to this bliss-but then maybe I would have had pushback to leaving and maybe I wouldn’t have met my new family. I suppose it’s better off that I had no one before. They’re more than enough.’
But his heart still ached for more. Perhaps they could adopt-he supposed that was something they could do.
—-——- * ———
Lee was 13 when Ryland and him had met before. A Senior in High School, he had been sharp as a tack, and actually really enjoyed Science, being one of Mr. Grace’s most hardworking students, but not afraid to have fun either.
Lee was now almost twice that age, a successful engineer, who had moved states for his position, having returned to his old hometown from where he had moved to in Florida. Simon had discovered and promptly reported this to his Angel after getting the necessary educational hours to work in the field as one himself.
Rocky and Adrian stayed close to Ryland - the money he was rightfully owed for his services, as well as the interest bearing accounts he had running without having ever had the chance to extract any money in an extended amount of time, meant he didn’t have to return to teaching, even if he was truly passionate about it.
Besides, he had heard the current generation was a nightmare, and he was notable enough that if he returned, he’d likely be hounded by reporters. Also he could keep an eye on Rocky and Adrian, should they need it. So he became a househusband and a depressed NEET the time he didn’t spare tidying the place or making meals. Simon didn’t like that very much.
“You got to get out of the house more,” said Simon. “ I secured an invite to Lee’s wedding. We go out for coffee sometimes, it’s chill.”
“Yes, Grace should go, statement. Grace need friends, statement.”
“I don’t need anyone else!,”’said Ryland. “The three of you are perfect.”
“Rocky flattered, statement. Grace need friends, statement.”
——-
As Simon’s plus one, he sat next to a man with a shock of purple hair who seemed to be on his phone the entire time. He almost wanted to tap his shoulder, awakening the other out of his stupor, but he figured the man must’ve been important to the couple as he wasn’t kicked out of the ceremony at any point. He also seemed to be talking to himself a small bit, mumbling things that would make no sense if they were to no one.
“I don’t want to bug him,” said Simon. “I know he’s going through something.”
“Oh, that’s just Thomas. He’s… like that,” said Lee, after being asked about the man sometime after the wedding. “Usually he’s fine, but there are times he…retreats, just, talks to himself, and, I don’t know...”
He pointed at the buffet table. The man had a small selection of fruit on his plate.
“He seems fine now. I have to catch up with Meri.”
“Go hang out with your wife, Lee. I didn’t mean to keep you.”
Ryland grabbed a small selection of fruit next to the other man.
He blinked, startled.
“Ryland Grace?”
“Huh?”
“I knew it! Thank you so much for saving Earth! I watched them send you up there! And they said you found intelligent life up there-is that true?”
He laughed slightly, continuing to load his plate.
“Yeah, I did!”
“Small world, I guess. At least there’s some reason to go to this wedding…”
He paused, taking a drink of lemonade from a red Solo cup.
“ …other than to support my friends of course! Sorry. I know what parasocial behavior is, and I am being shameless in it. You’re just minding your own business. I should mind mine. It’s so uncomfortable and frankly just… so bad, like petting a service dog before asking if they’re off duty… big no-no. I-just-you saved the world. That’s an accomplishment.”
“Yeah,” laughed Ryland awkwardly, as he made his way over to somewhere to sit, shamelessly shoving chocolate strawberries in his mouth, “my partner got me to go. Said something about ‘meeting new people?’ Who does that at weddings?”
Thomas nodded, agreeing.
“Well, how do you know him?”
“I taught him in middle school. But I’m actually here as a plus one. My partner is Lee’s coworker. Worked his butt off to get the job, and as soon as he realized Lee might know me, there he is, trying to get us back in contact. You’re so right, it is a small world. C’mon, I bet you can introduce me to more people.”
Thomas bit into a chocolate covered strawberry.
“Yeah… I don’t know if either of us are ready for that social mask. But if-“
“Simon.”
“If Simon wants you to make more friends, I’ll get you more friends. I don’t live here but there’s a few people I could contact? ‘Cept. Maybe, eh, somewhere else?”
———
Ryland remembered full schedules like he remembered having a cereal that the supermarket never stocked anymore, but slowly he got the feeling for them.
And yeah, he started to feel like a human again. Thomas’ friends were nice people.
He learned that Thomas was a YouTuber who had dropped out of Chemical Engineering to pursue content more fulltime. He had gained quite a bit of following online with his more longform content after ‘graduating’ from Vine. He had the choice to do what he was passionate about, learn what he wanted to learn.
Living in California, he couldn’t actually hook up with Thomas’ friends on the regular in person (they mostly lived in Florida,) but there were ones of his in California who he hung out with. They had regular game nights.
But he also came to terms with who he would be to other people. It was, of course, not the same to be the Savior, but there was only so much he could prepare for.
“Yeah, it never gets any better,” said Thomas, during a late night phone call “but you do get used to it. People…look up to you, tell you that you got them through it, that they can relate to you. They ask for your autograph, or a picture, or anything else. And you have to watch out for the crazies. But isn’t it all worth it, in an odd way? You made a difference. You get to see that difference.”
Ryland laughed.
“That’s part of what I liked about being a teacher. The difference it made.”
———
Simon had had a hard time adjusting to Earth. All the stars were there in the sky, the planets were where they should be, he wasn’t submerged in blood, there was no COI, which meant no Ava, no eel, and some people said that he looked like ‘Markiplier,’ whoever that was.
But, aside from the previous few years of schooling and tests he had to attend to earn his degree, carefully monitored and fast tracked by the US government, Simon stood by Ryland and the Eridians. He liked to check in on them, make sure they were safe. But he knew Ryland needed to re-anchor.
“Can we…kiss?”
It was the little moments that counted, but Simon liked to make his own sometimes. He liked consent for things. Ryland did, too. Had to, given what they went through. Though sometimes he wished that Ryland would sock Stratt in the face, he supposed that them meeting was something to be cherished.
“I don’t see why not.”
———
Adrian and Rocky liked exploring Earth. Their ‘purpose,’ in the eye of the other Eridians, was to collect samples and keep the planet steady, but that was only the excuse they gave before they left.
Rocky liked the library, and had learned quite a bit of English in order to read the books in it. When Ryland wasn’t doing anything else, he’d be a teacher to Rocky and Adrian, so that they could enjoy the classics.
People had seen weirder than the aliens, and they had seen the news as well, so they weren’t too worried. Simon wasn’t as recognizable as an alien because he shared DNA with most people on Earth, but he’d gotten his fair share of comments as well. How could he not, with rumors of his fast tracked education becoming a hot topic for a few weeks, but he could just as easily plausibly deny it.
“Rocky like Earth,” said Rocky. “But Rocky like family better.”
“Adrian agree. Family better.”
———
“You’re saying this place also serves alcohol.”
“I’m saying this place also serves alcohol.”
The bright diner-like tiles were offset by modern wood planks making up the walls and simple labeled paintings with prices below them. It was tiny, almost cubicle sized, but there was an inside and outside, each with simple chairs in 70’s orange.
Stratt smiled. It looked odd on her, as if she hadn’t done it in a long while.
“Figured you might need something like that. Or am I wrong?”
“No, you’re not wrong. Do they have brunch, too?”
Stratt went up to the bar and ordered an Amaro, then went to sit back down next to Ryland.
“Nah, only cocktails and coffee. Waffles, maybe, but I might be thinking of somewhere else. Are you guilty?”
Stratt nodded, taking a long swig of Amaro, and wincing slightly.
“I never stopped. I’m glad you came back, I’m glad you found your family. I should have never had to make that choice.
I am sure you have lost even more of your edge since I last saw you, of course for your students’ sake-remember that one interview when you mentioned you taught the Eridians?-perhaps you will even apologize to me, even though I have no right. It’s been years for both of us.
I would let you sock me, but I could never do it here, because I’m sure you don’t want to get kicked out from this fine establishment.”
Ryland nodded, went up to the bar, and came back with a waffle and a drink.
“Glad you would, but you’re right. I won’t. If I was a pettier man, I’d send Simon to do it, but-it doesn’t feel right. Yeah, my students sometimes were handfuls, and I’ve had so much stress from them, but it’s fulfilling.
And as for Astrophage. I needed to do it. And in a roundabout way, I found my family from your pushing.”
Stratt hummed.
“Still. Highly unfair to you.”
———
“If I died and one of them lived, I wonder how different it would be. Just one man against the star killer. Sounds so much cooler like that but sometimes I wonder if the other two survived, would they have done it better?”
Simon sighed, side-embracing Ryland. They both had their moments, where they would spiral and cry and ‘what if’ their way into corners they couldn’t really get out of, but they would always help each other, and sometimes Rocky or Adrian would, but usually it was those two.
“Angel. Look at me. Did you think I drank rubbing alcohol for fun? I drank it to forget. I drank it because I had nothing else and was going to die. I needed to lose myself.
Do you think I didn’t go crazy after I had been under there as long as I did? I had to claw myself back, Ry, you saw it. Sure I have a therapist now, but it’s still a work in progress. I’m still-
Look, listen-
Do you think I never thought the world would have been better if I died at Filament?”
——-
Expanse. Empty. Grey. Flat.
That was the truth of the world, the one that remained after it all.
Two men who had, once, had the entire world in their grasp, and two Eridians who refused to leave, wandered through the vast expanse of ‘missing,’ in search of anything at all.
Simon planted a kiss on his Angel’s cheek. Well, the best he could do through the thick mask he wore, but the sentiment counted. He was always better at apocalypses than Ryland was.
“PDA, statement.”
Ryland stifled a laugh.
“There’s nothing better to do. Can’t you see, it’s-“
“Storefront, statement.”
Adrian chittered in the leftmost direction.
“Storefront? What do you-“
The bright neon light emerging from the dusty shadows was something odd, especially such well-maintained and not-liminal storefront lights as those. It seemed oddly empty, and Ryland wasn’t sure whether it was a mirage, but he knew it was real as soon as he approached to feel the perfectly solid door.
The entirety of everything had been destroyed, and none could really leave the destruction to dart for safety, but nothing really mattered anymore, save the most precious of things. So a store being operational was something of a miracle. Or a tourist trap. Or some odd opportunist. Or some combination of the three.
“I’m going,” said Ryland, and he darted forward as the friendly chime marked his entrance.
——
“What would you do for your family?,” said the sign on the toy rack next to the door at the convenience store.
The light flickered.
Some music was playing in the background, odd and poppy. The announcer's voice on the radio station was oddly peppy as she?- it sounded like a she- announced the song.
“All right, we’re playing something a bit different now. Something from the indie pop band Mother Mother!”
The woman stocking the shelves looked up to turn to him, a plasticine smile as artificial as the sweetener alternative that Rocky had come up with back on Erid. It looked like she had no job, seeing as the shelves were already full to bursting and perfectly neat as a pin.
“…hold my breath under the bath and breathe away,
slit my wrists and watch that blood evaporate,
being this godly can’t be good for…
The flood had no dirt or patina. She wore a striped apron as though she was working at a candy store instead of a convenience store.
“Uh-I don’t-“
He picked up a pocket charger and a bag of chips, then stared blankly at the toy rack.
…Ante up and play that god a poker game,
walk away with all our little god’s spare cha-a-ange…
A matter-of-fact, sleepy voice, chimed in, shoes propped on a chair behind the counter, sitting on a worse folding chair. His hair was blinding white, and he wore a baseball cap over it. His name tag read ‘Basil.’”
“Don’t scare him away, Ellery.”
“Well, maybe you should do your job.”
“The last time I went to the storage room, I lost a whole week there, and I got a cat scratch on my arm from Arnold.”
“You named it?”
“You didn’t?”
…I’ll fake God,
I’ll fake God, I’ll fake God, today,
hop up on a cloud and watch the world decay…
Ellery shook her head.
“Besides… he’s the first customer in…well, shit.”
“What’s that rack for?”
The cashier looked boredly at Ryland. He looked oddly normal. His nametag read ‘Basil.’
The lights flickered again.
“You can read the sign. ‘What would you do for your family?’
Anyway, I’m sure you’re not illiterate but I’ll read it to you anyway, dumbass-‘always wanted something better for you? Wanted familial love and adoration? Want a nice world for everyone you love to grow up in? At your wits end about an apocalypse you can’t control? Well, now’s your chance! Gain your life’s ideal with FamilyRestore.”
He shook his head.
“FamilyRestore. Ha. Odd name for a last resort.”
He laughed, then looked pointedly at Ryland.
“A real bargain, too. Cheap at twice the price. Desperate times, and all that. Steep markdown. 50%. Take it or leave it.”
“Right, but what does it mean?”
The bored cashier grabbed a box and the door behind him labeled ‘MAINTENANCE’ in a gold plaque opened with a click.
…Ana’s safety, Ana hear me…
The blue haired girl followed quickly after, almost looking like she was pushing him in.
“Don’t be such a wuss, you’re gonna be fine. See, just a minute.”
…Ana baby, I’m not crazy…
Ryland picked up a granola bar box from the rack, then a jerky packet.
He removed a box from the wall. On closer inspection it looked like a candle.
…oh, Ana, I’ll be with you still, you are the Angel that I couldn’t kill, Ana…
He read the back of the box.
“Wouldn’t it be better if everything was normal again? Even slightly better?”
He picked up a few containers of Mac n cheese and some instant meals, then a packet of gum.
He wasn’t trusting the perfectly fresh leafy greens and fruits, because even if they were real, it was still a gas station, and gas stations were notoriously bad with that. Besides, he used to have a distant acquaintance who studied folk tales, and he was sure he’d heard something about ‘don’t take fresh food from a fairy.’Or something like that.
“Would you like a bag with that, sir?”
He exited from the back, and Ryland startled slightly. He looked down at his cart, noting something he was sure he hadn’t grabbed in with the practical supplies. He did remember grabbing a lighter and some practical camping equipment, but he didn’t remember-
“Oh, it’s you.”
Ellery emerged after with that godforsaken plastic grin.
“See? Not so bad.”
“Not so bad? It was Carl this time. Carl’s only relatively the friendly one.”
Ryland knew a Carl, but he knew that whoever this Carl was wasn’t that Carl.
“Cash or credit?”
“Cash, please.”
Ryland put a wad down, then stepped back and listened as the scanner beeped in time with the lights blinking and the music still stubbornly playing;
‘Oh, Ana, I’ll be with you still, you are the Angel that I couldn’t ki-i-ill, I couldn’t ki-i-ill, I couldn’t ki-i-ill, no I couldn’t ki-i-ill, no I couldn’t kill Ana, oh, Ana.’
“Would you like a bag? Just an extra 25 cents.”
Ryland threw another 25 cents on the wad, grabbing a bag.
“Thank you for shopping at your Convenience.”
Ryland rushed out of the store as fast as his legs could carry him.
“What happened? It’s only been a minute and you look like you’ve seen a ghost. Do I need to beat someone up?”
Ryland shook his head.
——
He didn’t know why he needed to do this with nobody knowing. He didn’t know if he could even do so, but he took his chances to sneak away from the campsite.
I wish that everyone would be all right. That I would have a family. Friends. People who cared, but not just in a parasocial or codependent type of way, as just me. Ryland Grace. I want to keep my attachments, my friends, my family, but is it too much to ask just not to be known as just the Savior anymore?
He struck a match and he watched the blinding white burn of the FamilyRestore candle, once again the only light for miles, until everything went white.
——-
She was oddly beautiful, but in the way that she seemed to have no imperfection. Her hair was long and white, and she wore an outfit in vibrant sci-fi silver. She almost glowed.
There was only one reason she’d be there:well, two, or maybe three, but Ryland was pretty sure he wasn’t dead and owed nothing to anyone anymore after the Petrova fix, which ended up meaning nothing anyway.
“Did you send the convenience store? And the two people who run it, why are their names Celery and Basil? I guess, fitting, but a lot of coincidence.”
She chuckled, looking back at him.
“I think you’re a bit out of it, Ryland. Her name is Ellery, by the way.
I didn’t want to pull this trick-my brothers do it all the time-but I decided I had to. You’re more powerful than you think you are.”
“I-what?,” said Ryland, working his way up to standing under the woman.
Closer up, it seemed the silver outfit was made out of tiny intricate spiderweb, so fine that it resembled the knitted stitches of an Italian wedding shawl. The color dye was so precise it seemed to almost certainly be actual metal.
“I needed urgent help, and calling through my usual dream states and people were unfortunately blocked for the moment. So I made a choice to…hire some, well, my brothers call them Sniggles, but my siblings who used Sniggles basically had their ‘employees’ indentured and not employed.”
She shivered slightly.
“So at the very least I’m paying the mooks. But it feels wrong to have anyone work menial labor, so I make sure it’s worth their while-people usually hate working dead-end positions.”
She shook her head.
“There have been a steady stream of people who order FamilyRestore, but none have triggered the final effect until you. I believe you have just enough Potential Energy to-“
Ryland frowned.
“I bet you mean that in a more Madoka sense, rather than anything else.”
She nodded, tucking her long white hair behind her ear and brushing the rest back.
“You’re a necessary ingredient. I would love to warn you about what you’re agreeing to, but I’m sure you know. I am glad for Richie Lipchitz and his anime obsession to know exactly what you’re talking about.”
Ryland laughs, sheepishly, pushing his glasses back where they should sit on his nose bridge.
“Richie Lipschitz?”
She mirrored the motion, which looked oddly awkward with no glasses to adjust.
“Yes, he’s from my town,” she said.
“Right, right, continue, continue. If I am feeling this out right it’s like. Becoming a magical girl?”
The woman sucked in a breath. It seemed she was contemplating what she should say until she suddenly said it.
“Look, I… I want to help out the world, and if this is what it takes to do so, I’d suggest you consider whatever is necessary.”
Ryland hummed.
“Sounds a bit like Stratt. ‘Whatever is necessary’ caused me to be passed out with no memories in a tin can headed to Astopphage Central.”
She frowned, continuing
This is not like that-unless I have made some extreme miscalculation. And sure, you have some ability in that brain of yours. I just have to wake it up in exchange for the potential energy which you will no longer need. Bingo, you will effectively, yes, be a magical girl.
But you will have no need to fight enemies. Or become them. If you are careful. But it might still be painful, I’m sorry. I’ll let you keep your family, but you won’t be The World’s Savior any longer.”
“Wasn’t that something I-“
She nodded, solemnly, looking straight at him.
“Yes it is. You did wish for it, didn’t you? Some sort of safety? Minimalizing your well-earned notoriety?
Well, regardless, I know everyone’s not going to have to make your kind of sacrifice, but for those who do, it’s going to lead to a better tomorrow.”
——
He groaned, waking up in bed under a quilt that he recognized from when he was younger before it and everything else was destroyed by a house fire. It was just as comfy as he remembered it.
His phone was beeping like mad, the name on its surface reading ‘Stunt Brother Who Wakes…,’ probably the whole name reading ‘Stunt Brother Who Wakes Me Up At Odd Hours,’ if he were to guess.
Brother? Since when did he have a-
He pressed the ‘call’ button.
“Hey Ry,” said the voice on the other side, “I’m hosting a block party to celebrate wrap on Metalstorm, figured I’d ask you to tag along, freak some people out-I’m sure there'll be people there who have no idea I have a twin.”
Ryland blinked.
“Slow down, slow down, it’s too early for this.”
“That’s what you usually say. They’ll wonder why Colt Seavers is wearing glasses, I’m sure-wouldn’t that interfere with his stunts?”
Although I’m sure they’ll be very protective over you once they figure it out. They were very much like that after Ryder tried to kill me, you know. And since we share a face,
Court was all ‘get Ryland on lockdown,’ and I was like ‘but he has school to teach in the morning.’ He replies ‘I’m not going to get a bunch of middle schoolers involved in a conspiracy.”
Ryland blinked again, settling into the comfy bed, and clutching the gem on his neck like a lifeline.
“I wonder what their deals were,” he mumbled under his breath.
“What?,” said Colt.
“Nothing, nothing!”
He pumped just the proper amount of social energy into his words.
“I’m just saying,”
It somehow came naturally for him to say, more naturally than covering up a lie should ever be
“what’s Ryder’s deal? I doubt he could do his own stunts anyway.”
Colt chuckled.
“So right, little brother.”
Ryland wracked his head for something to reply with. He never had real brothers that he could remember. Maybe he did, and they just died in the house fire when he was four and he pushed it so far down it was subterranean, but his aunt had never corrected him when he said he had no siblings, either… and now he had at least two of them.
He landed on something that he had heard used quite a few times but never felt the need to use himself.
“By five minutes, Colt, c’monnnnn!”