KAYA

It was exhausting, really; doing Jace's cleanup work. He should never have gone to Niv-Mizzet and opened up this whole 'maybe-Liliana-is-alive' conundrum. Kaya was fuming as she stalked through the city on her way to see the Living Guildpact for her weekly report about Jace's activities. As if she didn't have enough to do!

Sure, it was her fault Liliana was alive in the first place—sometimes she wondered if she should have just killed the necromancer and been done with it—but the whole thing had been dead and buried until Jace had to go and dig it all up again. And with her actually being alive and hiding out in Ravnica, it was just…so…stupid. Did he actually think the Firemind would change his mind about wanting her to pay with her life for her role in the War of the Spark? What was he even hoping to accomplish?

Ugh. Kaya face-palmed on her way into the dragon's lair, hoping he would finally be satisfied so they could stop with these weekly reports, because it was really growing tedious. Of course, the Firemind was not ready to leave it all behind—was he still truly concerned about Liliana Vess, or was he now just having fun punishing Kaya for whatever reason? When she entered, he raised his giant reptilian head and stared at her with enormous glass eyes, greeting her with a sharp-toothed grin.

"Ah, my little ghost assassin," he rumbled. "What news do you have on our little mind-reader?"

Everyone's 'little' to a dragon, Kaya silently observed. She resisted the urge the heave a sigh or roll her eyes.

"Nothing," she said with a careless shrug.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. He hasn't gone anywhere. He hasn't left the plane for any reason."

The dragon rested on his elbows with his front arms crossed. He looked like a giant, red-scaled cat. Kaya almost smirked, but managed to maintain her air of nonchalance.

"Then what has he been doing here? I still expect a report on his activities, whether he has left the plane or not."

"Working in his sanctum, mostly. He rarely comes out, except to eat or sleep—and sometimes not even then."

The dragon grumbled. Then he said, "What is he working on? Do you know that, at least, since you seem to know nothing else?"

"Lorwyn," she blurted out, frustrated with his constant nit-picking.

Niv-Mizzet sighed—if you could call it a sigh, coming from a dragon—and tapped his claw impatiently. "And what is Lorwyn?"

"It's another plane in the Multiverse."

"I thought you said he hasn't left Ravnica."

"He hasn't. He's been doing research on Lorwyn. Reading reports, mostly. And conducting regular meetings with the Gatewatch to discuss his findings."

"Why is he interested in this…Lorwyn?"

Kaya hesitated. Could he be trusted? She felt like she had already said too much, but now it was too late to reverse course.

"The elf, Nissa Revane," she began, still working out what she was going to say. "It's an important plane to her. An innocent plane, untouched by humans…mostly. She asked the Gatewatch to help protect it."

A deep hum reverberated from the dragon, "Interesting. From what does it need protecting? For Beleren and the rest of your little Gatekeepers to get involved—"

"Gatewatch," she corrected him.

"Yes, whatever," he grumbled with a dismissive wave. "Why would you care about it?"

"It's being invaded by people from another plane who have destroyed their own plane and want to take its resources for their own."

That was the story Jace had devised, in case Niv-Mizzet ever found out about Lorwyn. She had to stick to the script—and it wasn't altogether false, if the Phyrexians could truly be called 'people'.

The Firemind finally seemed appeased. "A noble cause, although why you trouble yourselves with it when there is plenty for you to do here, I do not understand. Very well. You are dismissed."

With a slight bow, she prepared to leave, but then the dragon rumbled, "Oh and Kaya? One more thing: you have been most valuable to me, in more ways than one. I expect you shall continue to be useful to me, but for now our…personal work together is finished. Unless Beleren exhibits suspicious behavior or in any way shows disloyalty to me and the people of Ravnica, you no longer need to keep tabs on him."

Kaya smiled faintly, gave a nod, and left with a sense of relief.

On her way through the market district, she stopped in a café to relax with a warm beverage. Gently blowing on her drink as it cooled, she was seated at a table and looking around when her eyes fell on the back of a tall, muscular elf with a long, auburn braid, standing at the bar. She started and sat up, and squinted to get a closer look. Could it be…?

The elf turned after being handed his drink and she nearly fell from her seat. It was Tyvar Kell, a young 'walker she had met and worked with on Kaldheim. Before she could say anything, he had spotted her and was now heading her way with a smile.

"Kaya? In all the planes of the Multiverse, I never thought I would run into anyone I know so easily." Without asking, he pulled up a chair and sat opposite her with his drink. "It's good to see you. What have you been up to?" He was certainly more at ease inside the café than she would ever have thought he would be, so she could only imagine the kinds of planes he had visited since she left Kaldheim.

"Tyvar," she finally managed, "what are you doing here? This is too good to be true."

He tossed his braid behind him—it had fallen over his shoulder when he sat down—and sat back in his chair. "Too good? Did you miss me that much?"

She pursed her lips, crossed her arms, and turned her head to the side. "Not like that." Then, after a pause, "No, I've never been superstitious or anything, but you showing up here at this moment in time… It almost seems like fate."

With a grin, he said, "I'm just that good."

Kaya sniffed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah okay, kid."

He hasn't changed a bit…

"Listen," she said, leaning forward and lowering her voice, "I can't go into too much detail—not here, not in public—but if you're looking for a noble cause or something, I've got something for you. Something big—probably bigger than you've ever seen."

He rubbed his hairless chin. "I'm interested. So, why can't you tell me here?"

"Are you busy now? Do you need to be anywhere?"

"No, I'm just exploring this new place. Ravnica, the locals call it."

"Yeah, I know. I've…lived here a long time. Listen, will you come with me? I've got a friend I need you to meet."

"Sure. Is it urgent, though? I did just get my drink."

"Oh, of course," she said, remembering. "You can finish your drink. What did you get, anyway?"

"I don't know," he said with a shrug. "I've never heard of most of these things on the menu, so I asked for a recommendation on what was the most popular drink. She handed me this. She called it coffee."

Kaya sniffed. The kid was as eager as ever to try new things. After Kaya had helped him to understand what it means to be a planeswalker, he wanted to explore the Multiverse in search of noble quests. Now he suddenly appeared on Ravnica when the Gatewatch needed more allies the most. It couldn't have been a coincidence.

He sat blowing on his drink and took a sip or three, making a grimace each time. Nevertheless, he kept tasting it, before he finally asked, "So, who is this friend you want me to meet?"

"His name is Jace Beleren." She was about to say more, but then Tyvar sat up and became visibly excited.

"You don't mean THE Jace Beleren?"

Kaya was dumbfounded. "Uh…yeah?"

"He's one of the great heroes of Zendikar! I've heard his tales. He is a true legend! You know him?"

"Yeah, he lives just down the street. I'm surprised you haven't heard of him since you've been here—he's pretty well-known here, too."

Tyvar jumped from his seat, and said, "Let's go meet him, then. This 'coffee' isn't all that good, anyway. Too bitter."

"Great," said Kaya, getting up with a stretch. "We need all the help we can get and you're a damn good bit of help, that's for sure."

WILL KENRITH

"So, that…thing we faced on Kaldheim was actually one of these Phyrexians?"

Tyvar Kell asked a lot of questions, Will observed, itching the place on his leg where it attached to his false leg—the result of an injury sustained during the Oriq incursion at Strixhaven when he was a first-year student. Will stared at the tall, slim, muscular elf with curiosity. He was…like Nissa, only male. At least, that was the only way the young Strixhaven graduate could think to describe him.

Will and Jace had been engrossed in a discussion of the most fascinating breakthroughs in metaphysical studies, which turned the usually sober mind-mage into the most animated intellectual Will had ever seen, when Kaya burst into Jace's sanctum with the elf warrior in tow. Now, Will was sitting at the table and listening while Jace, now sober again, caught the elf up with everything they knew about the Phyrexians and the impending invasion of Lorwyn. Tyvar Kell was on the verge of hero worship when first he came face-to-face with Jace Beleren in his sanctum, and hung on Jace's every word, interrupting only to ask a plethora of questions.

"Apparently, yes," Jace replied to the elf's most recent question. Then he breathed deeply, ran his fingers through his hair, and shrugged. "So, that's where we're at with the whole thing."

"Sounds great!"

"I'm sorry—come again?" said Jace, leaning with his palms on the stone table. "Did you say it 'sounds great'?"

Before the elf could respond, Kaya stepped in to answer for him: "Tyvar's always eager for a noble cause."

The elf grinned. "It is a warrior's greatest duty to make a name for themselves. To be immortalized in song and legend throughout the Multiverse is the noblest cause for a planeswalker."

Jace seemed at a loss for words and he looked at Kaya for help, but she could only shrug helplessly.

Will understood better than anyone and, at last, he took an interest in the elf whose arrival had interrupted an intellectual bonding moment between Will and his mentor. Smiling with excitement, the young man said, "Do they have many great legends, where you are from?"

For the first time since being introduced, Tyvar looked at Will and offered a warm, genuine smile. "Yes. Where I am from, Kaldheim, epics are sung and great sagas tell of the history of our land and our peoples; stories of the great elves, humans, and other creatures that have fought battles and died for victory."

"That is much the same as where I am from!" Will replied. "On Eldraine, we have many tales of all the great heroes of old. Our history and legends are known and loved by everyone there. I have brought copies of my favorite tales, if you are ever interested in reading them."

"Thank you," said Tyvar, although he seemed less keen than Will had hoped. "That is a very generous offer. It is good to find another aspiring hero, like me."

"He's more than an aspiring hero," said Jace. "Will helped stop an invasion on another plane and even lost a leg from being injured in battle. He is well-known there, as well as on his home world of Eldraine."

Tyvar looked at Will with raised brows and gave him a nod. "You are a true warrior."

Will was eager to continue talking about the heroic legends, but it was time for a meeting. Starting with Teferi, who was always early, the others began showing up. The differing energies and constant distraction threw off the whole conversation and Will felt himself fade into the background once again, as Tyvar keenly watched the others arrive. The elf showed as much interest in each of the newcomers as he had begun to shown in Will.

The elf recognized many of their names from the great tales of the planes where they were well-known and that Tyvar had also visited. He had never been to Eldraine or Arcavios, though, so Will and his sister were virtually uninteresting to the elf, who seemed more concerned about those whose names were known far and wide. Not that Will minded being in the background—he was used to it, after all.

One good thing about being invisible was that he had more time to make observations about the people around him. He realized he probably knew more about each of them than any of them knew of him, and for the most part he preferred to keep it that way. One thing he found particularly amusing was the way his sister kept making eyes at the shirtless elf with a godlike, athletic physique. He was clearly uninterested in her, however, and Will almost felt sorry for his sister.

Despite the fact that she had not been introduced by her full name, Professor Vess seemed to be of the most interest to the elf. During the introductions, she was the only one who wasn't introduced by her full name, likely because her infamy often obscured her fame; Jace merely introduced her by her first name without explanation. Nevertheless, the young elf could barely take his eyes off her, clearly interested in her for other reasons.

Meanwhile, Professor Vess showed little interest in the newcomer at all. She was an uninterested in him as he was in Rowan, and this little un-love-triangle brought Will no end of amusement. Naturally, being a young man himself, Will could understand why the young elf could barely take his eyes off the Witherbloom professor. When he was a first-year student at Strixhaven and had found himself in one of her classes, Will could hardly concentrate on the lessons because he was more interested in how she looked than in what she had to say. Having come to know her as a mentor—and, more importantly, as a person he could look up to, Will had long-since out grown that phase. He had a great deal of respect for his former professor that would not even allow him to look at her or think of her in that way. For Tyvar, however, she was new and interesting, and the young elf had yet to see beyond her outward appearance.

Staring at Professor Vess—er, Liliana—while she and all the others discussed the Lorwyn problem, the elf probably heard nothing any of them were saying. His sudden lack of interest in his chance for heroics became clear when, after she briefly (and likely unintentionally) met his gaze from across the table, Tyvar said, "You have the most fascinating eyes I've ever seen. Such a strange and unique color; like storm clouds reflecting the Light of Starnheim."

The discussion stopped abruptly. Teferi looked as if he was about to laugh, and even Jace was trying to hold back. Rowan, on the other hand, sat with her arms crossed and looked away; clearly annoyed that she was not the object of Tyvar's infatuation. Meanwhile, Kaya planted her face in her palm and Will simply sat back to enjoy whatever happened next.

Liliana—it was still hard for Will to call her that—narrowed her eyes at the elf, and demanded, "What on earth are you talking about? What is Starnheim and what does it have to do with anything?"

Tyvar stood there with a strange expression—clearly he was used to women taking him seriously and falling all over his every word. For once, the over-confident elf looked deflated, as he fumblingly explained, "It's…the top branch of the World Tree, home of the Valkyries and resting place of the honored dead of Kaldheim."

For the first time since the elf appeared, Liliana perked up. "Honored dead?"

"Yes," answered Tyvar. No doubt thinking he had finally piqued her interest, he puffed himself up, and explained, "Warriors who have earned a place for themselves by their heroic deaths in battle spend their afterlife in Starnheim, where their praises are sung for eternity."

"Sounds fabulous," said Liliana. "Now, what do they do with the dishonored dead in Kaldheim?"

Tyvar seemed at a loss for words, clearly thoroughly confused until Kaya explained, "Liliana is our very own resident necromancer. The dead are kind of her specialty."

The elf turned his gaze back to Liliana, now interested in her for something more substantial than her looks. "A necromancer? You create draugr?"

Liliana looked at Kaya, and said, "Who IS this guy? Normally, I disdain wild-men who don't have the decency to wear a shirt, but this guy's priceless. Do bring him around more often, Kaya."

Tyvar looked confused, no doubt unsure whether or not to take that as a compliment. Will suspected he was used to women fawning over his good looks and heroic deeds; instead, Liliana was practically making fun of him. It was clear that she found him entertaining.

Finally, Kaya came to the elf's rescue. "She doesn't make draugr—not exactly. She raises the dead to make zombies, who are pretty much like draugr but…kind of different. I'll explain it to you later."

"Zombies?" he sounded it out. "What do you do with these…zombies?"

"Whatever I want," she said with a serpentine smile. "Most of the time, I keep them around as servants, but they are capable of a great deal more, depending on their state of decay… Really, I'm trying to convince Jace to dismiss the living staff and replace them with zombies—much more efficient and less costly. Safer, too, since he's always worried about spies and infiltrators…"

She gave Jace a look, but he was prepared to respond, with a grimace, "Nobody else wants dead guys touching their food and…things. Not to mention the smell."

"Why do you think I've always got vials of embalming oils around, darling?" she teases. Then she turned to the elf, "Aromatic oils and spices, mixed together with a bit of a floral essence, cover the smell quite nicely."

Tyvar looked her up and down thoughtfully, but whatever he was going to say never made it past his thoughts, because Kaya quickly changed the subject.

"Tyvar here is a transmuter," she explained. "It was thanks to him that I got those two war axes to replace my broken daggers. They made a nice addition to my collection."

"You still have them?" Tyvar asked, smiling broadly.

"Oh yeah," said Kaya. "Some of the best weapons I've ever had. I mean, I'll always prefer a blade to an axe—easier to use, at least for me—but I still bring them out and use them when the occasion calls for it. They're more intimidating to potential enemies."

Teferi grinned, and confirmed, "Nobody wants to mess with a woman carrying a pair of war axes at her belt."

"Especially if they know you've killed a couple of demons," said Tyvar. "They still speak of you in the tales—Kaya, Demon Slayer."

"That's nothing," said Kaya with a grin. Then, pointing with her thumb, "Liliana here has killed four."

Tyvar's jaw literally dropped and he looked to the necromancer with a mixture of awe and perhaps even a touch of fear. "You've killed four demons…?"

Liliana shrugged, as if it was no big deal. "I had no choice, really. It was either kill them or remain their slave for eternity. Having nothing to lose made it easy."

"Kaya," said Tyvar, "you never told me you had so many friends as interesting and heroic as you. I can only hope to one day aspire to the number of heroic deeds so many of you have achieved. They must sing songs of all of you throughout the Multiverse!"

Suddenly, he had gotten out of his chair and was kneeling, his hand over his heart. "I am honored to be in the presence of such greatness. I hope to one day achieve such great feats as those you have all achieved."

Teferi grinned. "Stick with us, Tyvar, and you will."

AJANI

Everything was going smoothly. The great Tribes of Lorwyn had all gathered in unity to welcome the three planewalkers into their midst: one elf, one human, and one cat to represent the three races of which their new ally, the Gatewatch, was currently composed. Ajani was of greatest interest to them, as they had never seen a man-sized talking cat before.

For his part, Ajani was somewhat amused by their fascination and enjoyed the attention; until the leaders of the Tribe came bearing a great oak chest filled with skeins of copper, silver, and gold—what Nissa explained was their form of currency—in offer to trade for the cat warrior. Ajani was, naturally, offended and Nissa had to smooth over that awkward moment by explaining Ajani was neither pet nor slave, and that he was an equally beloved and respected member of their party. The Tribe leaders, disappointed but showing no signs of remorse, had the chest of precious metal skeins removed and the welcoming feast continued without another hitch.

Once he got over the initial offense, Ajani found himself enjoying the festivities. As honored guests, the three of them wanted for nothing. Eating with Chandra and Nissa in their shared tent on their second day, Ajani joked, "I am starting to wonder if we are being fattened up to be eaten at the end of the ceremony."

Chandra snorted with laughter, while Nissa sat there staring at them both in shock. She clearly didn't get the joke and Ajani hoped she wasn't taking him seriously. He placed a hand over Chandra's to get her attention then looked to Nissa, and said, "I…hope you did not take offense, Nissa. I do not think elves feast upon humans and cats. It was meant to be funny, but perhaps it was not so."

Elbowing him a little too hard in the ribs, Chandra said, "Don't worry, Ajani. Nissa didn't get the joke, but she knows you don't think that way about elves." Then she stopped and looked to Nissa, "You know know that, right?"

Nissa retained her air of calm, although her cheeks reddened a bit, as she said, "Yes, I know."

She returned to eating then, while Chandra launched into one of her lighthearted monologues. Watching Nissa, Ajani wondered if she was still trying to understand the joke. He had forgotten that joking, at least in the sense he was familiar with, was something quite foreign to Nissa. He liked her a great deal and respected her to no end, but he always marveled at the realization that elves seemed not to have a sense of humor. If they did—which he would allow was entirely possible—it must have its own unique form of expression that would be completely baffling to humans and cats.

When it came time for the ritualized ceremony of what the Tribes were calling the Great Alliance, Nissa, Chandra, and Ajani dressed in robes of the finest silk embroidered with metallic threads—gifts from the Tribes offered to their new allies—and assembled upon a large, flat rock that acted as a stage for the occasion. Ajani was uncomfortable not wearing his armor, but Nissa had explained it was necessary for them to demonstrate trust by leaving their weapons and armor in their tents; to do otherwise would give offence and make it more difficult for the alliance to move forward.

Ajani wanted to comply, but he was unable to relax without any form of protection. It was easy for Chandra and Nissa, he thought, since their reliance on spell casting left them with little use for actual weapons. When the two women left the tent, he stayed behind long enough to sneak a pair of swords beneath his robes. That gave him a sense of control, just in case something went wrong.

It turned out to be good fortune, in the end.

During the concluding rites, conducted by an elven priest of some kind, Ajani heard what sounded like a whistle coming from within the surrounding forest. His ears stood erect and his pupils grew narrow as he was momentarily stunned. Then came the scream from somewhere at the back of the large crowd that had gathered, and he felt the rush of adrenaline through his veins. He drew back his ears and his pupils dilated, as he and the others searched for the source of the scream. It wasn't long before the whole back line of the standing audience began to shift and move, with chaos and shrieking as Phyrexian abominations swarmed from within the forest and began to attack without mercy.

For only a moment, Ajani prayed. He prayed to whatever deity would listen. He prayed to his ancestors, that they might be with him, to strengthen him this day. And he prayed to his beloved Elspeth, who nearly died fighting these abominations when they invaded Mirrodin. He prayed to her above all, hoping that whatever knowledge she had gained in dealing with these unnatural creatures would prevent the same fate from befalling Lorwyn. He prayed, and then he drew his weapons from beneath his robes and charged into battle.

CHANDRA

"No!" she heard Nissa shriek, the horror plainly written on her face, when they saw the Phyrexian horde descending from within the pristine forest. Chandra watched her fall to her knees in agony, overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught. Chandra knew of Nissa's connection to the very life force of Lorwyn was nearly as strong as her connection to Zendikar and she wondered if Nissa could literally feel the pain of the land and its peoples.

Chandra stood for a moment in shock as Ajani pulled weapons from…somewhere…and charged toward the fray. Then she ran to Nissa, placing her hands on her lover's arms and trying to help her rise.

"Nissa," she spoke gently. "Nissa, we must go. We must fight."

When her lover remained on her knees, staring at the chaos with tears streaming down her cheeks, Chandra turned for a moment to watch. The warriors from among the Tribes moved into battle formation, quick to defend their people. Some ran on their feet, some rode on the backs of horses or deer, and some were airborne on gossamer wings that were probably a lot stronger than they looked.

"NISSA!" Chandra screamed, shaking her from her agonized stupor. "WE HAVE TO FIGHT! GET UP, NOW!"

It worked and Chandra swore in relief when she saw Nissa come back to herself. Breathing heavily and looking around, Nissa pulled herself up, met Chandra's gaze and, with a single nod, an unspoken understanding came between them. Then the two of them rushed toward the battle together, surrounded by flashes of orange and tendrils of green energies.

While Chandra blasted a wave of infernal heat toward a wall of Phyrexian monstrosities that walked on four and six legs, some bearing sharp stingers that dripped with poison, Nissa called thick, thorny vines from the earth to wrap themselves around the monsters, crushing them and pulling them down to their graves.

Pausing for a moment to watch the screaming creatures burst into flame at the touch of her magic, Chandra caught the whiff of burning flesh mixed with oil. She had never smelled such a combination—and she watched as some nearby elven warriors sliced through some Phyrexians, amazed to see not blood but oil pour from their wounds. Then she remembered something Jace had said at one of their meetings—he had mentioned something about glistening oil. Chandra couldn't remember the details, because she hadn't really been listening, but now she knew what Jace must have been talking about. The unholy creatures were filled with the stuff.

Chandra set her jaw and narrowed her brows with a smile. This worked to her advantage. She dashed off toward where some of the 'bleeding' Phyrexians continued to fight against the elven warriors who had injured them, and shouted, "Watch out! I'm gonna turn them to toast!"

The elves seemed confused by what she meant, but promptly stepped out of the way as she conjured all the mana she could muster. One of them shouted, perhaps trying to stop her, as she ran—hair flaming—toward the ginormous beasts. But then, just as she approached one of the beasts and it turned, prepared to slice her in two with one of its huge scythe-like arms, Chandra let loose the inferno she had been building within. Time seemed almost to slow as she ducked beneath the creature's slicing arm and collided with its slimy flesh, and then—BOOM—the explosion could probably be heard for miles as the creature exploded, killing not only itself but several of its cohorts, leaving the trees nearby singed and flaming on its tips.

Chandra was left standing with a satisfied grin, when the fires around her cleared and she saw the elven warriors gaping in awe. Clearly, they had thought she would not survive the explosion. She wondered if they had ever even seen a pyromancer before.

Her moment of pride was short lived, however. Nissa ran up to her, and shouted, "Now is not the time to show off, Chandra! You'll burn the whole forest down!"

"I'm…sorry, Nissa," she said, suddenly feeling shame. Her cheeks warmed in response.

Just when she was about to say more, however, her eyes caught sight of something moving behind Nissa. The pyromancer's expression changed to one of horror as the creature approaching came into full view. It was grotesque—like something from the worst nightmares imaginable. Chandra had seen many horrors throughout the Multiverse, but nothing compared to this monstrosity.

The creature that came swiftly toward them had grey flesh stretched across its hideous form. It skulked upon two legs that connected to a thin, tree-like torso from which sprouted countless long arms that were more like stingers, and an opening filled with what seemed hundreds of needle-thin teeth was more gaping maw than it was a head. Apart from its stinger-like arms, long thin tendrils grew from its back, and at the end of each tendril was a sharp bone that looked like some sort of barbed stinger.

"Nissa! Look out!" Chandra screamed.

But it was too late. Before Nissa could react, one of the barbed tendrils struck the elf from behind and Chandra watched, helpless, as the stinger came through Nissa from the other side.

Nissa's eyes grew wide, her face frozen in horror, as she looked down at the sharp object protruding from her abdomen. Then she looked up at Chandra and fell to her knees, as the creature withdrew its barbed stinger.

Without thought, Chandra found herself moving forward. Just when the creature was about to reach down to devour its prey, Chandra pushed her aside and leapt toward the beast, kicking the side of what constituted for its face and simultaneously setting it alight. As the creature burst into flame, it expressed a screeching noise and ran desperately before it fell into a writhing heap of blazing flesh and bone.

Chandra stood, chest heaving and nostrils flaring, as she watched it burn. Then she remembered why she had been so mad. Turning back to Nissa, she ran to the elf, fearing she was gone before Chandra could even say good bye. Much to her relief, Nissa was still alive.

Trying to get up, Nissa clutched at the wound in her abdomen, her fingers covered with blood. Just then, Ajani was rushing up. He must have seen what happened from afar and came running as soon as it happened. He arrived just as Chandra was holding Nissa, trying to help her stand.

"Nissa, you must get out of here, at once!" he roared over the din of battle.

Breathing heavily, Nissa still managed to speak. "No, I can't leave. Lorwyn will be lost!"

"If you stay here and die, it will be. You must warn the others! Tell them what has happened, so they will come. There is no other way!"

Chandra looked to Nissa, and said, "Ajani's right. You must 'walk while you still have the strength."

Nissa shook her head. "I don't know if I can."

She was trembling. Chandra felt a sting in her eyes but managed to push it back. Now was not the time to lose focus. She had to be strong.

"What if she can't?" she asked, turning to the leonin. "What if the 'walk kills her?"

Ajani closed his eyes. No doubt, he did not like the idea of losing another dear friend. But then he said, "Then she will have died to bring help. If she can at least make it back to Ravnica, back to Jace's house, the others will know what has happened and they will come. It is our only chance—her only chance. The two of us can stay and keep up the fight for as long as possible, but if Nissa does not go now, all will be lost."

Chandra looked at Nissa, who weakly met her gaze and placed a hand over hers. "I think I can do it, Chandra. I have to at least try."

Pushing back another wave of tears, Chandra took Nissa's face in her hands and pressed her lips to hers. Then, touching her cheek, she said, "I love you, Nissa Revane. And if there is any justice in the Multiverse, you will come back to me."

Nissa managed a weak smile. Then, as she braced herself to draw in the mana needed to 'walk, Chandra and Ajani stood in preparation to fight off any enemies that came near. Finally letting her tears fall Chandra whispered a prayer to the aethers. She prayed to Gids, hoping that if he lived on somewhere in the Mulitverse and could hear her prayer, he could lend them his strength once again. She prayed that, with his help, Nissa would have the strength to survive a 'walk through the Blind Eternities and bring the rest of the Gatewatch to them, before it was too late.