By the time Sean and Jessica woke up the next morning, Xander was already back in his seat at the top of the loft, staring out the window as though the past night’s fiasco had never happened.

Jessica offered a warm smile and a wave but Sean mostly ignored him, instead climbing down the ladder and walking toward the makeshift well Xander had created. Even in the brisk morning air, the frozen well steamed. Realizing he had no cup, Sean made the mistake of dipping his hand in the water for a drink, only to withdraw it immediately. He shivered against the frigid cold as he examined the skin that had gone red almost immediately. It was like reaching into a tub of ice at a fraternity party, searching for that last submerged beer. Or, at least Sean assumed that was what it was like. He never actually went to a fraternity party.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Jessica approaching and smiled. If times were different, if they weren’t running for their lives and the planet wasn’t being destroyed, he might actually get invited to a fraternity party. He was dating the head of a sorority, after all. His brash smile faded as he realized that wasn’t exactly true, since if the world wasn’t ending, he still wouldn’t have had a chance with a sorority girl.

“Let’s go for a walk,” Jessica said as she reached his side. She slipped her arm in his and laced her fingers into his hand

“Are we going for a walk or going for a walk?” Sean winked.

She glanced over her shoulder to where Xander still sat stoically, his legs dangling out the window as he stared off into the distance. “I need to talk to you alone… about Xander.”

Sean nodded, but a frown crept onto his face. “This really isn’t a euphemism, is it?”

“Clearly you’ve forgotten about mentioning sloppy seconds,” she remarked as she walked past him.

With a wistful sigh, Sean hurried to catch up to her. They walked for some distance into the woods until the barn was no longer visible. In the middle of the sparsely populated forest, it was easy to forget there was a world war happening. Aside from the faint smell of ash in the air, it was almost peaceful.

“So what did you want to talk about?” he asked, even though he already knew it was about Xander again.

“I’m worried about Xander.”

“I’m not,” he replied dismissively.

Jessica frowned and crossed her arms. Sean was suddenly aware of why it was better not to be in a committed relationship. He was constantly walking a fine line between being brutally honest and having to consider the right thing to say. Being honest was more like himself but having a little tact meant he might actually get in Jessica’s pants again.

“I’m serious, Sean. I’m worried about him.”

Sean shrugged as he sighed. “We all are. He’s going through some heavy stuff right now.”

“No,” she said. “I’m not worried about whether he’ll do the right thing. I’m worried that he’s doing it for the wrong reasons.”

Jessica walked over until she knew she could whisper without being overheard. “He’s doing all this for Sammy, right? But you and I both know there’s a chance Sammy’s already dead. If he finds that out, I need to know if he’s going to quit.”

Sean shook his head. “Xander may not seem like the type, but he won’t quit.”

“Won’t he?” she asked matter-of-factly. “Since day one, everything he’s done was because he was trying to save Sammy. He risked everything for her. He didn’t find the Wind Elemental because he was feeling altruistic and figured the Elemental’s power could save the planet. He did it because the other three Elemental’s combined could defeat the Fire Elemental and set Sammy free.”

“And you’re now wondering if Sammy was already taken as a host and, God forbid, is actually dead and Xander finds out, will he lose his only purpose for fighting?”

Jessica nodded, glad he understood. “Exactly. Is it really that far-fetched?”

Sean sat down heavily on the grass. He knew his friend better than anyone, probably better, though not as carnally, as Jessica. Yet even he had to admit Jessica made a great point, one he hadn’t even considered.

“I really don’t know—”

The wind kicked up around them, billowing the leaves aside in violent gusts. Xander flew down quickly from the canopy above and settled onto the forest floor. Sean looked up at his friend nervously but was glad to see only genuine confusion on his face.

“What are you guys talking about?” Xander asked as he emerged from the awning of leaves.

Sean stood and shook his head again. “Just working through ideas.”

Xander stepped beside his friends, and the underbrush began to sway with the growing breeze. “I need to talk to you both.”

Jessica looked nervously toward Sean before turning back toward her ex-boyfriend. “We’re all ears.”

“You’re right, Jessica, I can’t just sit around feeling sorry for myself. I need to act. But you were wrong, too. Trying to help individuals is getting me nowhere. Trying to save each individual farmer in France is doing nothing to stop the Fire Caste.”

Xander placed his hands on his hips and chewed on his bottom lip as he considered the right words. “Something last night made me realize that no matter how much good I do, I’m only one man against an army of Fire Warriors. I can waste all my time fighting every Fire Warrior I come across, and I may win every battle, but in the end, I’m going to lose the war. There are just too many of them and too few of me.”

“Of us,” Sean corrected. “It’s our planet, too.”

Xander nodded. “Too few of us. If I want to end this, I need to take out the Fire Elemental once and for all, and I can’t do that until I find the Earth Elemental.”

“Do you know where to find him?” Jessica asked.

Xander shook his head. “No, but I think I know how to find him… or her… who the hell knows anymore. If the Earth Elemental wants to be found, and I think he does, then I should be able to sense his location.”

They stared at one another, each lost in their own thoughts. It was almost over. It was hard to believe that after finding the Earth Elemental, they could finally defeat the Fire Elemental and bring this insane war to an end. One last step in an otherwise painful adventure.

Sean glanced back and forth between his two friends. “Are you, like, doing it now? Do you need candles or something? A quiet place for meditation?”

Jessica sighed heavily. “Let’s go back to the barn.”