Stonehaven was alive.
Streetlights illuminated the roads.
Cars moved through the city.
Music drifted from distant buildings.
People laughed.
Talked.
Lived their ordinary lives.
Completely unaware that another world existed beyond their own.
Completely unaware that tomorrow, Zeven would leave Earth itself.
A strange feeling settled in his chest.
For eighteen years...
This city had been his entire world.
Now it felt smaller than ever.
Yet somehow more precious.
A familiar neon sign appeared ahead.
RAVEN'S BAR
The glowing red letters flickered against the darkness.
For years it had been a second home.
A place where countless memories had been made.
A place where everything somehow began.
Tonight...
It would be the last time.
At least for a while.
Zeven pushed the door open.
Warmth immediately greeted him.
Music echoed through the room.
Conversations filled the air.
The smell of food and alcohol lingered everywhere.
For a brief moment...
Everything felt normal.
Then a voice exploded from the back of the room.
"ABOUT DAMN TIME!"
Every head turned.
Dak stood on top of a chair.
Pointing dramatically toward the entrance.
Zeven immediately regretted coming.
The entire bar laughed.
"There he is!"
Dak jumped down.
"Took you long enough."
"I was saying goodbye to my family."
Dak's smile softened.
"Oh."
A brief silence followed.
Then Dak grinned again.
"Still took you too long."
The moment was ruined.
Zeven wouldn't have it any other way.
Matthew sat at the table shaking his head.
"One day someone's going to punch him."
"Many have tried."
Ozias replied.
"Many have failed."
Dak answered proudly.
Kael sighed.
"I hate all of you."
"You love us."
"Unfortunately."
The five laughed.
For the first time all day...
The weight on Zeven's shoulders eased.
Raven emerged from behind the counter carrying several bottles.
The massive bartender approached their table.
His presence alone seemed to command respect.
"Look at that."
He crossed his arms.
"The idiots are all here."
The boys immediately protested.
"That's offensive."
"Extremely."
"Very rude."
Raven ignored all of them.
A smile tugged at his lips.
Yet something felt different.
His eyes lingered on them longer than usual.
As if he was trying to memorize their faces.
"You boys have been acting strange."
The table became quiet.
Raven shrugged.
"You disappear for days."
"You come back covered in bruises."
"You barely sleep."
"And every time I ask what's going on..."
His gaze narrowed.
"You all suddenly become terrible liars."
Dak nearly choked on his drink.
"I'm a great liar."
"No."
Everyone answered simultaneously.
The table erupted into laughter.
Even Raven chuckled.
Eventually food arrived.
Then drinks.
Then more food.
Then more drinks.
Hours passed.
Old memories resurfaced.
Stories were retold.
Arguments restarted.
The time Dak flooded the school gym.
The time Ozias fell into a fountain trying to impress a girl.
The time Matthew punched a senior twice his size.
The time Kael got chased by an angry dog across half of Stonehaven.
Every story ended with laughter.
For a little while...
The future didn't matter.
Nythara didn't matter.
The Eclipsera Conclave didn't matter.
Only tonight.
Only this moment.
Only them.
As midnight approached, the atmosphere slowly changed.
The laughter became quieter.
The smiles lingered longer.
Reality returned.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow they would leave.
Dak stared at his bottle.
"You guys scared?"
Nobody answered immediately.
Then Kael nodded.
"Yeah."
Matthew looked toward the table.
"Me too."
Ozias sighed.
"I think anyone who isn't scared is lying."
For once...
Nobody argued.
Because it was true.
They were about to leave everything behind.
Their families.
Their homes.
Their city.
Their world.
Zeven looked around Raven's Bar.
The familiar walls.
The familiar people.
The familiar life.
Then he smiled.
"We'll come back."
The others looked at him.
His voice wasn't loud.
But it was certain.
"We'll get stronger."
"We'll survive."
"And we'll come back."
Silence followed.
Then Dak raised his bottle.
"That's the first good speech you've ever made."
Matthew threw a peanut at his face.
The entire table burst into laughter once more.
Outside...
The lights of Stonehaven continued to shine.
Unaware.
Unchanged.
Peaceful.
For one final night.
Eventually, the night inside Raven's Bar came to an end.
The bottles were empty.
The food was gone.
The conversations had slowed.
For the first time that evening, nobody seemed eager to speak.
Almost as if everyone understood.
The clock was running out.
Raven approached their table one final time.
His eyes moved from one face to another.
A faint smile appeared beneath his beard.
"Take care of yourselves."
The boys nodded.
None of them trusted themselves to say much more.
Raven looked at Zeven.
Then Matthew.
Kael.
Ozias.
Finally Dak.
"Don't do anything stupid."
Dak immediately raised a hand.
"No promises."
Raven sighed.
The others laughed.
Then, one by one, they stood.
The familiar wooden chairs scraped against the floor.
A sound none of them had ever paid attention to before.
Now it felt strangely important.
Almost final.
As they walked toward the exit, Raven's voice stopped them.
"Hey."
The five turned.
The old bartender crossed his arms.
For a moment, he simply looked at them.
The boys he had watched grow up.
The boys who had spent half their lives causing trouble inside his bar.
Then he smiled.
A real smile.
"Make Stonehaven proud."
Nobody spoke.
Nobody needed to.
The five nodded.
Then stepped outside.
The cold night air greeted them.
For a few moments, they simply stood there.
The streets were quieter now.
Most people had already gone home.
Only a handful of cars remained on the roads.
The city felt peaceful.
Safe.
Normal.
Everything they were about to leave behind.
Dak shoved his hands into his pockets.
"So..."
He looked around.
"What now?"
Matthew shrugged.
"We walk."
"Walk where?"
"Anywhere."
"That's a terrible plan."
"It's still a plan."
Dak couldn't argue with that.
And so they walked.
No destination.
No purpose.
Just five friends wandering through Stonehaven for what might be the last time.
They passed their old school.
The massive building stood silent beneath the moonlight.
Dak pointed toward one of the upper windows.
"I got suspended because of that classroom."
Matthew laughed.
"You got suspended because you're an idiot."
"Details."
Further ahead stood the old basketball court.
The place where countless afternoons had disappeared.
The chain fence rattled softly in the wind.
Ozias smiled.
"Remember when Zeven broke the hoop?"
Dak immediately burst out laughing.
"It wasn't my fault."
"It absolutely was."
"You told me to dunk."
"You jumped from halfway across the court."
"I believed in myself."
Matthew shook his head.
"That was the problem."
They continued walking.
Passing old stores.
Familiar streets.
Places filled with memories.
Every corner seemed to remind them of something.
Every building carried a story.
Hours passed.
Without any of them noticing.
Eventually, they found themselves climbing a familiar hill overlooking Stonehaven.
The same hill they had visited countless times growing up.
The same hill where they watched fireworks every summer.
The same hill where they used to sit and talk about the future.
Back when the future felt simple.
They sat down.
The city stretched below them.
Thousands of lights illuminated the darkness.
The sight was beautiful.
Familiar.
Home.
Nobody spoke.
Not at first.
The wind filled the silence.
The distant sounds of the city echoed softly below.
Then Dak broke the silence.
"What do you think we're gonna be like in two years?"
The question lingered.
Matthew answered first.
"Hopefully alive."
Dak nodded.
"Good point."
A small laugh escaped the group.
Then silence returned.
Kael stared toward the horizon.
"I'm afraid of failing."
The confession surprised everyone.
Kael rarely admitted things like that.
"I don't want to get there and realize I'm not good enough."
Nobody laughed.
Nobody mocked him.
Because they understood.
Ozias looked down.
"I'm afraid of changing."
The others turned toward him.
Ozias shrugged.
"What if we come back different?"
"What if we're not the same people anymore?"
Again...
Nobody had an answer.
Matthew spoke next.
His voice was quiet.
"I'm afraid I won't be strong enough."
The words felt heavier than expected.
"I'm tired of being powerless."
Silence followed.
A long silence.
Then Dak laughed softly.
The sound lacked its usual energy.
"I'm afraid we'll stop being friends."
The group froze.
Even Dak seemed surprised he had said it out loud.
For once...
There was no joke.
No sarcasm.
Just honesty.
The wind continued to blow.
The city lights shimmered below.
Then four pairs of eyes turned toward Zeven.
Waiting.
Zeven stared at Stonehaven.
At the city that had been his entire world.
The city he was leaving behind.
The city he loved.
For a few moments, he remained silent.
Then finally spoke.
"I'm afraid I won't recognize myself anymore."
Nobody laughed.
Because they understood exactly what he meant.
The training.
The power.
Nythara.
The future.
Everything was changing.
Including them.
The silence that followed felt different.
Not uncomfortable.
Not awkward.
Just real.
Eventually, Dak looked toward the stars.
"Whatever happens..."
He took a deep breath.
"We come back here."
The others looked at him.
Dak pointed toward the hill.
"This exact spot."
Matthew smiled.
"Deal."
Kael nodded.
"Deal."
Ozias extended a hand.
"Deal."
One by one, the others placed their hands on top.
Until all five were connected.
Just like when they were children.
Just like when everything was simple.
Zeven smiled.
"Deal."
For a few moments, nobody moved.
The promise hung in the night air.
A promise between friends.
A promise that would survive worlds.
Far below them, Stonehaven continued to shine.
Unaware that five of its sons were about to leave forever.
Or at least...
Long enough for forever to feel real.