Saris seemed to be in a much better mood since we reached out to Rayne. I hadn't gotten a reply yet, but I was almost hoping not to get one. So far, everyone that has used me to connect back to their home, hasn't had a positive reply. Demi's mom thought it was a sick joke and we couldn't even get in contact with Anne's dad. Neither Demi nor Anne seemed too upset about the replies, which was comforting, but I was afraid that Saris might be different. Rayne was the only connection that he valued from his past life; at least, that's what it seemed like. What would he do if she said that she didn't want anything to do with him? There were times when Saris was scary. I've seen him take on a team of four single handedly, barely breaking a sweat and just a couple of days ago, he was willing to torture a man for information. A large part of me didn't even want to turn on my phone anymore for fear of how Saris might react to bad news.

For the time being, I didn't need to worry. Saris was more talkative than usual and I didn't think much about turning on my phone to check for messages anyway. He mentioned some of the places he had been to. He had been all around the United States, but he hadn't been out of the country very much since, during most of his time as an assassin, he had been a minor and it was just easier to keep him local.

"People wonder where your parents are all the time," Saris explained. "A kid alone often gets the wrong attention. Even just staying in one place for too long looks suspicious. Cops would get involved, then I'd have to convince them to call my handler; which was basically someone who accepted the missions for me, then briefed me on what I needed to do. So, because people worried over a lost kid, missions got delayed or canceled. Trying to do that in a different country would've been a lot messier."

"What about when you were old enough to get a passport?"

Saris shrugged, "I did a few jobs out of the country, Canada and Mexico, but nothing overseas. Eventually, I met Rayne and didn't want to travel as much. I took jobs that were less risky and only took international missions if they were close and simple."

"What qualifies as simple?"

"Just something that I could do quickly. Most of the time, jobs will have multiple targets or it has to be done at a certain location, like something populated to make the kill a big deal, or the opposite; somewhere private so it looks like someone just disappears. The fewer targets there are, the easier it is and the sooner I could leave."

Talking about Saris' job felt strange to me. It was like trying to relate to the main character in an action movie. His life was just so different than anything I had ever experienced - until now. The game didn't really seem all that different from Saris' normal life. Sure, there was more danger and he didn't get time to just relax or make a deep relationship like he had with Rayne, but the point of the game was to kill people, and that's what Saris' day job was.

Before I knew it, the sun was going down again. We had spent much of the day talking while we kept watch. Saris' old life was fascinating to me and it passed the time quickly. But the longer we waited, watching the enemy, the more Saris' mood declined. I didn't get the sense that he was irritated talking about his life. Instead, he seemed more frustrated when he looked down at the meadow.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I don't get it. Why are they not doing anything? This is completely counterproductive! They aren't even rotating their teams around to get rid of the chills for everyone."

"Maybe they're waiting until the chills go away, then they'll rotate afterward," I suggested. Since I still had chills, everyone around me would too.

"If that's the case, then we're delaying things just by being too close."

"How long do you think the chills will last?"

"Well...We're a ways out, so we're probably only in range of the first few tents. This is...the third day?"

"It's the third night. Second day," I corrected.

"Right." He thought for a while. "Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow. It's hard to say. I'm sure a lot of them have been together for a while, but they might have some new members that joined after the graveyard incident. Still, I don't think it'll take longer than three more days for the chills to leave."

I nodded. Then I heard an odd sound. "Do you hear that?"

Saris looked downward, trying to listen for something. "Yeah. It's coming closer."

It was only a few more seconds before I realized what it was. Someone was fighting. Faint clangs of metal and shouting could be heard in the silent night. I looked in the camp for the cause of the noise. "I don't see anything."

"It's not coming from the camp," Saris said. "It's behind us."

We rushed back and looked down the other side of the hill. Off in the distance was a team of four attacking a team of two. The duo both used spears while the team of four used mostly swords, except for one, which used an axe. At first, I wondered if we should help, then I saw one of the spear users get struck down. They sort of melted into the ground instead of vanishing and I instantly realized who it was.

"It's Demi!" I said. I didn't waste any time. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I ran towards the battle. She was alive! But not for long, unless I reach her in time.

This side of the hill had more trees than the open fields on the other side. It was by no means a forest, but this scattering of trees would lead us back to the graveyard. I wondered if that's where Demi had been. I had almost reached her but before I made it past the clearing and into the open, Saris grabbed me, covered my mouth and pulled me behind the cover of a large tree.

I tried to protest but it all came out garbled, thanks to his hand over my mouth. "Shh," he warned and I realized he was listening to them, so I quieted down and listened too.

"Look at you," one of the four said. "I remember you. Guys, this is the girl who can split herself in two. That girl we just killed wasn't her twin, that was her doppelganger." He addressed Demi, pointing at her with a short axe. "Do you remember me?"

"Nope," she said, popping the P angrily.

"You should. Last cycle, you stabbed me in the head after I pushed what I thought was you over a balcony. Doesn't ring a bell? Maybe I'll make myself more memorable this time."

"What, are you gonna make a face when I stab you this time? Don't look too surprised when you die the same way."

I pulled Saris' hand away from me and whispered, "We need to help her."

"Wait," Saris crept down low and I copied him. I could see the attackers clearly now. They had Demi surrounded and were circling her, slowly getting closer. Just when the four stopped, Demi unleashed another copy of herself to fight alongside her and Saris said, "Now!" Running into the fight, his sword out. I followed suit, my weapons already in hand.

As soon as we arrived, Saris struck down one of the swordsmen and I stabbed through another. Two Demi's were attacking the leader while Saris and I looked towards the last swordsman. He started to run but he was no match for Saris, who rushed over to him with ease and cut through him quickly. Demi stabbed the leader in the head, making him the last one to disappear.

"That's not a face I'll remember," she said, mockingly. Then she turned to us, "It's about time! These jerks have been chasing me for like...I dunno, five miles! Do you know how exhausting it is to run that long?"

"It's not that bad," Saris said casually.

"You don't get a say in this!" She scolded.

She looked as beautiful as I remembered. She brushed her dark hair from her sky blue eyes and stood with a hand on her hip, a light contrast to her dark clothing. I rushed over and hugged her tightly. "I've missed you," I said.

The Demi I had embraced disappeared, melting into the ground and I turned my head to see the real Demi smiling at me. "You're so stupid. But I missed you too."

"How'd you know we were here?" I asked.

"I didn't. I was leaving the cemetery and they ambushed me. I got two of them and ran."

"Why didn't you go back to the graveyard?" Saris asked.

"They were blocking it. I hoped that they'd let me go if I outran them but they wouldn't back off and...here we are."

"You've been alone all this time?" I guessed.

"No, I had a team early on but they got wiped out. I had to run. Guess I'm getting my exercise this cycle. What are you two up to?"

Her answer surprised me. I was glad that she didn't go back to doing everything alone, but I had half expected her to. Demi looked at me, her eyebrows lifted. Oh, right! "Have you heard of Fire King?"

"She's not going to know him by the weird name you gave him," Saris complained. "Do you know about the new fire user?"

"Nope. First I've heard of him." She narrowed her eyes at me as if to say, 'Fire King? Really?'

Saris sighed, "Well then, there's a lot to catch you up on. Let's head back to the hill and we'll fill you in on the way."

Demi nodded and we were off. It felt good to have the old team back. I had wanted to find Demi as soon as I woke up alone in the woods. I was glad she was safe and with us again; with me. We were technically still missing Zack from our original setup, but I no longer counted him as a part of our team because of his betrayal. A part of me wondered if I was being too harsh on him, but I resigned to be harsh. It was because of Zack that Saris died in the last cycle. And Zack personally killed Demi. Even though the goal of the game is to be the last one standing, it felt like he had cheated and I wasn't ready to forgive him.

Saris filled her in, mentioning Zack's warning, recounting the events at the graveyard and listing the details we've noticed in the past few days. While Saris was on a mission for vengeance, I was seeking redemption. I hadn't been able to shake the fact that I had been too afraid to act and I wanted to right that wrong and clear my conscience, even if it killed me in the end.

"Well, that seems pretty crazy but I doubt he really has that many-" She fell silent as we crested the hill and Fire King's army became visible. She shook her head, "What have you two gotten me into this time?"

"You can still walk away," Saris said. "We won't stop you."

Demi seemed to consider her options. "No, I'm here. Besides, you'll need me."

"Oh? How's that?"

"My copy can join them and find where the leader is."