It was early enough that sun had even yet to begin to rise, but Chandra, Gideon, Jace, Liliana and Avacyn were wide awake. Driving along the country road in Chandra's truck, none of them said a word, but none of them dared to even attempt to get a little shuteye on their way to their destination. They had hardly even slept the night before, but an unexplainable energy kept them all awake, and it hung heavily in the air. And although nobody spoke, they all seemed content- there were no words for them to share, at least not then. At that moment, all each of them wanted to do was embrace the peace that passed over them as they drove.

"Hey, it's coming up." Jace finally pointed out as he leaned forward between the front and passenger seats.

"Do we need to park in a specific place?" Chandra asked, taking note of the chain-link fence they were approaching. The last time they had come, they had parked farther away, so it felt a little strange to park in plain sight right along the road. It felt like they were trespassing again, even though they weren't. Not this time.

"I don't remember anybody saying anything about parking spaces." Gideon shrugged. "I say we just park wherever."

"Middle of the street it is." Chandra snorted as they pulled along the fence, continuing to drive a ways down the road.

"You know what I mean." Gideon rolled his eyes, and the silence returned- comfortable, content, peaceful. No one dared to speak, no one dared to chase the peace away. They wanted it to last as long as possible, for as long as they could keep it up.

Chandra parked the truck along the roadside, near where they could see what looked like a door built into the fence, and at first no one dared to exit the vehicle. They basked in the silence a little more, looking out into the thick woods just beyond the fence. They all could feel it: a quiet call of something familiar. The pull from the past that still lingered in what lied beyond. Somebody sighed, someone else coughed, and the clunking sound of someone slightly cracking open a door finally broke the silence.

"Let's hurry up, I don't want to miss the sunrise." Liliana spoke up as she slid out of the car, followed fluidly by Jace and Avacyn who exited and stretched their limbs. Gideon joined them, but Chandra remained in the driver's seat, resting her chin on the wheel as she gripped it a little tighter.

"Don't tell me you're getting tired now, Chandra?" Gideon chuckled, and Chandra groaned in response as she pushed herself away from the wheel, eyes still fixed on the road ahead. Gideon had asked, but he knew she wasn't tired. The way she scrunched up her nose and furrowed her brow and bit her lip- Gideon knew she wasn't completely content. She had done so well until then, but he certainly hadn't expected her to stay quiet about her objection to what was about to take place for very long. With a sigh he crawled back into the cabin and ruffled her hair.

"Come on, at least try to act like you're not pissed off." He spoke softly, and she jerked away from him to open her door in frustration.

"I'm not pissed." She grumbled as she ungracefully hopped out.

"Hey, you forgot to hang the-" Gideon began to call after her before she slammed the door in his face. "-parking permit..." With a sigh he reached into the glove box where he had stashed it and hung it on the rear-view mirror himself. "Not pissed" indeed...

"If we make good time, we'll be through the wooded area in ten minutes." Avacyn informed them. "Not like last time."

"We're not blindly walking through the woods this time, thank god." Liliana laughed as she looked out towards the thicket. A wind blew passed them, picking up bits of dirt and dry pieces of grass. It felt as if Ravnica itself was telling them to move along. It was giving them a little push, like a mother bird nudging her chicks out of the nest.

"Well, I guess we'd better get going." Chandra sighed as she pulled a small, silver key from her pocket with a big, red tag attached to it. It said to return it to the designated place they had rented it out from, but everyone silently questioned if Chandra would ever actually return it at all, or not try and make copies, at least.

"It feels really odd we're not sneaking in." Jace laughed as they all walked to the door in the fence. "Maybe we should just melt down the lock, for old times sake." Everyone laughed but Chandra, who, despite Jace's joking, unlocked the lock that was keeping the door closed as they were meant to. Their collective laughs and chuckles died, each one of them noticing Chandra's odd behavior. Little by little, it was chasing the peace away. Or maybe it had been a fabrication all along.

They all filed in behind Chandra, reverently entering the woods that separated them from the old Ravnica ruins. No one dared speak, allowing birds and crickets to do the chattering as they ventured deeper and deeper. Looking at the tops of the trees, through the thick bunches of leaves, they could see the sky slowly growing lighter, but within the forest things still felt like night time. Not that anyone brought a flashlight- they relied on the pull from the energy that still lingered there and the call of spirits led them along.

Quietly they marched along, not stopped by branches or roots or bushes, and the further they went, the more obvious it was that Chandra wasn't enjoying herself. Even when they made it out of the thick of the woods and could look out over the grand view of the old, crumbling city ruins, she could hardly muster the enthusiasm she had when they had first visited. She stared back at the old buildings and crumbling walkways as if they were mocking her.

The wind blew again, urging them to continue forward.

"Hold on, I just want to take it in just a little longer." Liliana spoke up as the others began to carefully traverse the steep incline before them. "It's beautiful... there's probably no other place like it."

"Yeah..." Jace agreed as they gazed down at the ruins. The place they had failed to protect once, the place they had fought to save, the place that stood because of them now- they could feel the spirits of old Ravnica thanking them wordlessly and quietly. The wind died down only for a moment, and a true hush fell over the land.

Ravnica continues to live on...

"Take a picture, it will last longer." Chandra's voice cut through the darkness, her boots scraping along the dirt as she began to slide down the hill alone. "Let's hurry up- don't want to miss that sunrise."

"Sorry about her." Gideon sighed as he shook his head.

"It's no problem, we figured she'd eventually start acting like this." Jace assured him. "I'm honestly surprised she kept up the facade all summer." Gideon gave him a tired half smile as if to silently apologize and thank him as he followed after Chandra.

"She probably didn't want to ruin the mood." Avacyn shrugged as she, too, began to make her way down the hill. "I doubt she wanted to make all those memories, remembering she was miserable and angry the entire time."

"It was a nice summer." Liliana nodded as she reached out to take Jace's hand. "It's one I'll never forget." Jace smiled as he warmly gripped her hand in response. He could feel it shake a little, and he couldn't help but notice her eyes grow misty as she looked out over the landscape, but with a deep breath and a long, drawn-out sigh, her quivering stopped and the wind began to blow again.

"Okay, I'm ready." She said with a smile, taking her first steps down the hill, leading Jace along with her.

"Like, what, you weren't ready before?" Jace laughed. She only looked back at him with a smirk in response and said not a word more as they returned to the company of their friends.

"Let's go to the tower we went to the last time." Jace suggested. "We'll be able to get a nice view of the sunrise from there." He looked to Chandra and smiled, but she only grumbled something he could hardly hear- maybe something about him being a dork or a moron, or both, he couldn't quite make it out- as she kicked at a rock that lay at her feet. Gideon nudged her, probably having heard what she had said under her breath, but she only nudged him back, a little rougher than he had.

"Hopefully we can make it in time." Liliana added, making the comment more to fill the air than anything.

"If we hurry, we should get there just in time." Avacyn said with a nod.

"Great." Chandra grunted sarcastically, and with her bitter comment the five of them were off again. Quiet washed over them once more, but there was something else- the pinpricks of nervousness, the slightest aura of worry, the heat of anger. Not that it was going to change anyone's mind, but the feel of the atmosphere around them had certainly changed. It lingered there as they continued through the ruins and as they made their way up the tower. No one dared to speak or bring it up, or attempt to lighten the mood. They could do that at the top- at the end of their journey and at the beginning of another.

"Thank the gods, we made it!" Liliana sighed once they reached the top. The air was cooler and the wind whipped by a little stronger, but it wasn't anything they couldn't handle. A slice of pink barely stretched across the horizon, a few beams of light cutting across the sky.

"Nothing like some good ol' cardio to make you appreciate a view." Gideon laughed as he joined her, the gasps and wheezes of Chandra and Jace at his back. Avacyn silently brought up the rear, not having even broken a sweat from their climb.

"Says the guy built like a tank." Jace quipped as he reached the top and immediately found a place to sit. "I bet you guys are going to tell stories like 'hey you guys remember Jace, the guy who couldn't even climb stairs?'"

"I'm sure you'll have plenty of other legacies to leave behind." Gideon laughed as he walked over next to him, choosing to remain standing. "Like 'Jace, the guy who tried out for the football team and got totally obliterated' or 'Jace, the guy who everyone thought killed a guildleader that one time'."

"Thanks, Gideon." Jace snorted.

"No, but for real, we'll remember you guys as good friends. Probably the best friends we've ever had." Gideon assured him. "We'll remember you as the guy who saved Ravnica from getting destroyed."

"Yeah..." Jace smiled weakly as he looked out toward the view, watching as Chandra walked out to the edge and took a seat by herself, her legs dangling over the ledge. "I bet Chandra's going to remember me and Liliana as the assholes who left her behind."

"She'll be fine, she's just not good at goodbyes. She'll bounce back eventually, so long as you guys promise to come back every once in a while." Gideon sighed. "You... are coming back, right?"

"Of course we are." Jace insisted. "Ravnica's our home, it's not like we'd ever totally abandon it."

"I'll hold you to that." Gideon nodded, watching as Avacyn sat herself next to Chandra quietly, watching the horizon with her without a word. She could probably empathize with Chandra the most, her father due to leave, himself, once she'd finished her schooling. It wasn't long before Chandra leaned her head on the quiet angel's shoulder, seeking comfort from her cohort.

"You guys, get over here!" Liliana called out to Gideon and Jace. "The sun's rising."

"Coming, hold your horses!" Gideon shouted back, offering Jace a hand to help him up. "Let's enjoy this last sunrise together."

"Yeah..." Jace nodded, a warm lump growing in his throat as he took Gideon's hand. The last sunrise... it had a certain melancholy tone to it that finally tugged at Jace's heart. Their last outing, their last adventure, their last look at Ravnica...

"No..." Jace changed his mind. "This isn't the last. We'll be back to see the Ravnican sun rise again, I'm sure of it."

Jace and Gideon joined the others just as the first peaks of gold rose over the horizon, lighting only the tallest towers and spires in the ruins. The warm rays of the sun reached them there at the top, bathing them in a soothing glow. Jace turned away a moment, giving his eyes a rest and catching a glimpse at Liliana who was looking unwavering at the horizon. Tears flowed from her eyes and ran down her cheeks as the first signs of emotion grew more and more on her face. She sobbed and sniffled as a frown tugged at her lips. Feeling his own eyes grow moist- the saltiness of tears beginning to sting them- he reached out and took her hand, and he felt her desperately grip at his.

We'll come back... we'll definitely come back.

Suddenly, Chandra stood to her feet, looking troubled, her eyes growing watery. Balling her hands into fists, she took in a deep breath and leaned back as far as she could. Before Jace or anyone else could even wonder what it is she was about to do, she bowed forward and shouted- no, roared into the air, her cry echoing all around them, reaching far below them to the shorter towers and ruined buildings. She didn't say a word, just yelled and yelled, her face growing red. And, much to Jace's surprise, he jumped as he heard Liliana join in with her, her voice cracking as she continued to cry. Soon Gideon and even Avacyn had joined in their chorus of furious shouting. And, not wanting to be left out, Jace eventually lent his own voice.

It felt good, better that words and promises and crying. It felt good to just shout into the wind, all of their worries and troubles and frustrations mixed in with the din. It drained him and relieved him. All of his worries and fears were expelled in his shouts and swept up by the passing wind.

"Well... that was something." Liliana sniffled, wiping at her eyes as a smile stretched across her face before looking out at the sunset one last time. "...I'm ready to go now."

"Me, too." Jace nodded as he turned to the others. "Thanks for coming out with us... and thanks for the amazing summer. Even if you don't think so, it really did help."

"We're going to miss you." Avacyn spoke up. "But just know that Ravnica will always be here waiting for you. We'll all be here, should you ever feel lonely out there in the multiverse."

"Hopefully the diner will be there, too!" Gideon joked. "When you come back, I'm treating you guys to a whole pie!"

"Hey, so long as you're paying." Jace smirked, looking to Chandra who had shuffled into the background with her hands back in her pockets. She looked down at the ground, her bottom lip poking out in an angry pout. She scrapped her shoes against the ground, refusing to look up.

"Chandra." Gideon said scoldingly as he lightly nudged her. "Don't you have anything to say to either of them." Chandra groaned angrily, seeming to retreat further and further inward as she slouched forward. With a frustrated snarl, she finally looked up, her eyes locking with Jace before she spoke in a voice that was just barely audible and partially mumbled.

"Ral has a gigantic crush on you..."

"Ral does wha...?" Jace muttered before smirking and snorting, which evolved into full blown laughter as Chandra returned to glaring at the ground. Jace grabbed his sides as he laughed, unable to keep himself from grinning. He should have expected as much.

"Chandra, come on, don't be like that." Gideon scolded.

"No, no, it's fine!" Jace chuckled, wiping at his eyes. "This really isn't goodbye anyway, so it's fitting. It's more like... we'll see you later."

"Yeah... later." Gideon nodded, his voice cracking a bit.

"Thank you guys for everything. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." Liliana cut in. "I wouldn't be who I am if it wasn't for you. You all have my eternal gratitude."

"I guess that means a lot coming from the old lady whose probably going to outlive all of us." Gideon joked.

"Hey, who are you calling old!?" Liliana gasped playfully.

"Lili..." Jace cut in, locking arms with her.

"...Right. If we don't go soon, we never will." Liliana sighed. "You guys better not ruin things while we're gone. And Gideon, you'd better treat Chandra right or else I'm going to come back to rot away your junk!"

"Yikes! There's a threat that has some bite!" Gideon smirked nervously.

"Alright..." Liliana said, turning to the horizon. "Let's go." Jace said nothing in response, only smiled and nodded as the two of them took a step out into the open air, over the edge. In one second, it seemed they were about to walk right over the edge, but in a blink of an eye and with a gust of wind, the two of them were gone. The remaining three stood in silence, unsure of what to do or what to say.

"Uurgh..." Chandra grunted before she pushed passed Gideon and Avacyn and ran to the edge. And with tears in her eyes she finally spoke, as loud as she possibly could- as if she was trying to hurl her voice across the Blind Eternities."YOU TWO BETTER COME BACK YOU HEAR ME!? IF YOU TAKE OFF AND NEVER COME BACK, I'M GOING TO HUNT YOU DOWN AND KICK BOTH YOUR ASSES! I'LL MAKE YOU WISH YOU NEVER LEFT!"

She hunched over, attempting to catch her breath as she sobbed. Tears fell from her eyes and dripped onto the ground.

"You'd... better... come back..." She gasped weakly.

Feeling someone rest their hand on her shoulder, she jumped, coming to find Gideon had come to join her. Her looked down at her with a reassuring smile, and she turned away, feeling her cheeks grow hot.

"They'll come back." He reassured her. "I know they will. Friends never break their promises."

"Man, every time we come back here, I swear- this place never changes."

Chandra and Gideon stood before the Ravnica Academy campus doors. All sorts of festive lights had been hung around the lawn and on the outside of the building, and a gigantic banner stretched from one edge of the doorway to the other, welcoming back Gideon's graduating class after ten years. Several familiar faces passed them by- all a little different from when they had last seen them. Some looked older, some looked a little more tired, some seemed more confident- it made both of them wonder how they looked now to the rest of them.

"I keep telling Avacyn she should try and changing things up, but she insists on keeping things the same" Chandra sighed. "The same tastes as her dad..."

"I think it's nice." Gideon chuckled. "I think I'd be a little sad if this place got a total makeover. Every time we come back here, it takes me back to when we were students."

"Oh, dry your eyes, you big sap." Chandra sneered as she locked arms with him. "Let's go see if we can find the others."

Arm and arm, the two of them entered the building. They lingered in the entryway for a moment, looking to the center where the floor tiles had been replaced- where the entrance to the old maze used to be. Obviously there was never any reason for Sorin or Avacyn to re-open the maze- it had served it's purpose long ago, and there was no point in sending anyone else into it's depths. Now it just rested beneath the school, holding nothing but memories.

"Chandra! Gideon!" A familiar voice called out to them. Much to their surprise they turned to find Emmara, hardly looking any older, just like always. She still looked like a student, or maybe, at least, a visiting college student. Just like the school building, they could always trust Emmara to remain unchanged.

"Emmara, what are you doing here?" Chandra laughed. "This is a class reunion, and it's been ten years but I'm pretty sure you weren't apart of Gideon's graduating class."

"What, and I should miss my chance to see you two again!" Emmara pouted as she crossed her arms. "You two haven't stopped by in months!"

"...You're just hoping we brought along pictures of your goddaughter, aren't you?" Chandra finally chuckled, catching Emmara red-handed, judging by the guilty look on her face. Already, Gideon had taken out his wallet, stuffed to the brim with small, wallet-sized prints of their daughter's pre-school photos. "Sorry we didn't bring her along this time, she's spending the night with her Uncle Charles."

"Oh, goodness... I-I don't mind seeing you two, too!" Emmara stammered. "It's not like I don't miss you as well! I just don't get to see little Scarlet as often as I see you and, well..."

"Nissa still on the fence about kids, huh?" Gideon asked as he offered her one of each of the prints, knowing that she wouldn't want to have to choose just one. Emmara took them happily before sighing and resting a hand on her hip.

"She's always off on business, so I guess she has a point when she says maybe now isn't the time. If we're to have a kid or adopt one, she wants the both of us to be around all the time to raise it." She sighed. "Right now she's constantly traveling between here and Zendikar. It's still an uphill battle trying to return it to its former glory, or at least that's how it seems. That and her private investigation team is always finding new leads about Ashiok, so even when she's here, she's busy."

"Hopefully not too busy for you, I hope." Chandra grinned. "Or else I'm going to have to kick her sorry butt when she gets back."

"Oh, don't you worry about me, she showers me with enough affection between jobs, I could run off of that for weeks on end." Emmara assured her.

"How is the Ashiok situation, anyway?" Gideon asked. "Have they resurfaced at all?"

"She gets leads, and sometimes they seem like they'll pan out, but so far that's all they have been for the most part." Emmara shook her head. "But we're all keeping ever-vigilant. They're certainly still out there, and they can't keep running and hiding forever."

"That's the spirit." Gideon smiled before turning in the direction of the dance hall. "Are you going to the party... you're more dressed for work than anything else."

"Oh, well... to be perfectly honest, I still am filling out guild paperwork- it's that time of year again, all these new members funneling in." Emmara admitted. "Maybe if I finish I'll join you, crash you young kid's party."

"Heh, you're always more than welcome." Chandra laughed.

"Save me some champagne!" Emmara grinned back before she turned on her heel and ran back to her office.

"I'm glad she's doing well." Chandra sighed happily before turning in the direction of the party. "Hopefully everyone else is doing just the same."

The dance hall was awfully crowded when they arrived, more people standing and talking and drinking on the dance floor than actually dancing. They were all busy catching up, keeping people up to date about their lives, sharing what they had experienced since their high school days. The air was warm and full of laughter, people smiling and shouting excitedly and hugging- old friends meeting up again after years apart.

"Hmm, should we get something to drink before we start looking for people?" Chandra suggested just before someone called their names.

"Gideon! And Chandra, what a surprise!" The two of them turned to see Ral Zarek and Avacyn making their way through the crowd to them. Ral enthusiastically waved, and Avacyn slightly raised hers in greeting. Ral had hardly changed since high school- just a little taller and with more facial hair. He still dressed about the same, still acted about the same- just another thing they could trust would never change. Avacyn, on the other hand, had cut her hair much shorter, probably to keep up a more professional appearance as the dean of the academy. She always was very reserved at first, each time they saw her, like she had been when they first met her, but it never took too long to melt her cold exterior.

"Wow, Chandra you... have you even grown since high school?" Ral asked mockingly as he swiped his hand right over her head. "Just as small as ever, huh?"

"What about you? Just as single as ever, right?" Chandra bit back.

"Well, look who came out swinging!" Ral laughed. "What are you even doing here, it's been a while but I clearly remember you were in the grade below us in high school."

"I'm Gideon's plus-one... what's their excuse." Chandra lightly snarled as she pointed behind Ral and Avacyn to both Lavinia, who was holding Avacyn's hand, and Tajic, who was holding Lavinia's other hand.

"Oh, dear, do we stand out that much?" Lavinia nervously laughed. Lavinia had grown out her hair only a little bit since high school, but still had the rather masculine build she had before. She had jumped between a lot of careers after her school days, eventually settling in on playing in an orchestra that traveled all over Ravnica. Chandra had made sure to buy all of their CDs she could find, and see their performances whenever possible. Tajic had easily settled into the life of professional football, which hardly surprised anyone. Him and Gideon often met on the field as opponents on different teams, keeping score of who one and lost and treating each other to drinks afterward. It as a tradition they had kept for years that was still going strong.

Avacyn, Lavinia and Tajic had yet to officially tie the knot, although there were always talks sparked by late nights and, often times, alcohol.

"What are you two doing here?" Gideon asked. "It's not like we don't see you every once in a while. Unless, of course, you're just here for the open bar."

"Oh... you know why." Lavinia sighed, resting her hands on her hips and aiming her gaze elsewhere in the room.

"We're all thinking it." Tajic nodded, and the rest of them smiled hopefully. There were always an empty space big enough for two whenever they met- during holidays or football games, or birthdays and weddings. They were always hoping, during those times, that the empty space would get filled. Always hoping...

"I mean, yeah, it's not like they stuck around to graduate, but it would still be appropriate for them to return tonight." Ral said eagerly. "It makes sense."

"I bet you have fantasies of what Jace looks like now, a full grown adult probably all weathered and worldly from traveling the multiverse." Chandra teased. "No one has been stopping you- you have a spark. You could always go off after him."

"Oh shut up." Ral rolled his eyes. "And you know I'm far too busy at the lab to even consider planeswalking- and you're one to talk!"

"Excuse me, sorry for having a kid and book deadlines!" Chandra snapped, crossing her arms. "Parenthood really fills up your schedule- not that you'd know."

"When are you publishing your next book?" Avacyn pipped up. "I've already read your last one several times."

"Avacyn... honey... you know my stories are mostly read by young teenagers, right?" Chandra chuckled, although she couldn't help but feel flattered at least one of her friends read her books regardless of the reading level. "Still... at the pace my editor is slave-driving me, I'd say I'll finish the next installment before the year is over."

"Excellent!" Avacyn smiled, lacing her fingers together. "I know you don't planeswalk yourself, but the way you write your fantasy, I would have thought you visited other worlds before."

"I just take away from what I read in the ol' secret library, that's all." Chandra blushed as she rubbed the back of her head. "Thanks again, as always, for letting me continue to use that place to research for my stories."

"Any time. It's always nice to see a familiar face around the academy. The kids here are so eager to grow up and get out of here it leaves me almost dizzy." Avacyn admitted. "Or maybe time is just passing by more quickly because we're getting older."

"Says the angel whose age is in the quadruple digits." Ral joked.

"Come on, let's catch up more over some drinks!" Tajic announced, making his way over to the refreshments.

"Ah-hah! So you did come here for the free booze!" Chandra exclaimed.

"I never said I wasn't."

Chandra sat against the chain-link fence on the roof, two opened and empty beer bottles at her side. She stared up at the night sky, feeling incredibly small (and not to mention more than just a little drunk). She sniffled, her eyes watering a bit and blurring her vision. The party down below had begun to clear out, although Gideon and the others had yet to clear out themselves. They were all still hopeful, even though the party had gone on for hours, and for drink after drink, and was starting to reach the endgame. The festive lights that had been hung around the building had been shut off, and the music in the dance hall could no longer be heard, thumping away. And, just below her, Chandra could hear people calling to one another, making themselves useful and taking down the banner hanging at the door.

"They promised." She told herself, her words slurring together as she spoke them. "...They promised all of us..."

"Chandra!" At first she thought she was hearing things, but soon Gideon wandered into her vision, looking more than happy he had finally found her. "I finally found you. I really should have just checked up here first- you never change."

"They still don't... lock the doors to the roof." Chandra chuckled, her head lulling to one side weakly, the world spinning as she moved even slightly.

"Heh, this reminds me of the night we got together in high school." Gideon mused as he took a seat next to her. "Remember, you ran up here all upset, because Jace kissed Liliana. You were so mad, I was afraid you were gonna set me on fire."

"Thank the gods I didn't huh?" Chandra lightly laughed.

"Yeah..." Gideon sighed as the two of them looked up at the stars in silence.

"...Gideon?" Chandra pipped back up. "... Do you think they forgot their promise?"

"Ah, I don't think they'd ever do something like that." Gideon assured her. "They're probably just busy out there... wherever they are."

"What, and we're not?" Chandra groaned as she clumsily stood to her feet and turned to face the fence. She laced her fingers through the criss-crossed metal and choked back a sob. "You're constantly traveling across the country for football, and we're raising and kid and I'm constantly writing, and yet we always make time for our friends! Whenever they want to see us, or there's an event where we might see them, we drop everything and go! Hire a babysitter, rent a hotel room, drive for hours- even if it's just for a night at a bar! We're busy and we make time, so why can't they!?"

"Chandra..." Gideon gasped slightly as she messily wiped away her tears and sniffled drunkenly.

"You think they've forgotten about us, Gideon?" Chandra asked sadly. "Like... maybe they've been to so many new and interesting places and met so many people they've totally forgotten all about us."

"No, never!" Gideon gasped as he, too, stood up and pulled her to his side. "They'd never forget about us, I'm sure of it. Plus, it would be really hard to forget someone like you."

"Always the flirt..." Chandra weakly chuckled. "I'm sorry I just... I'm drunk and emotional and I got my hopes up for weeks..."

"There, there, no one's judging you." Gideon spoke softly as he rubbed her back. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed they didn't show, too. But they will, some day... they promised."

"Yeah... they promised..." Chandra muttered.

"Hey, let's say we go downstairs and grab a few more drinks before they kick us out." Gideon smiled, reaching down to gently take Chandra's hand. "It'll be warm, probably, but it will do the trick."

"Heh, now you're speaking my language." Chandra laughed as they turned to leave. However, as they did, they came to find two other people walking out onto the roof from the stairwell. Two familiar people- familiar people who they hadn't seen in years.

"J-Jace... Liliana!" Chandra gasped, feeling her legs grow weak as she practically fell against Gideon.

"See, I told you they'd be on the roof!" Liliana smirked. "Classic Chandra, never change."

"Jace! Liliana!" Chandra cried again, pushing off of Gideon to hurl herself at her long-lost friends. She threw her arms around Liliana, who happily embraced her back. "You- you- you actually came! You came back you-" Chandra pulled away with an insulted gasp. "You never called or visited for over ten years! You bastards!"

"Helped yourself to a few drinks, huh?" Jace laughed.

"It's your fault, you assholes drove me to drink!" Chandra accused. "What's the big idea, showing up to a party when it's almost completely over!? Did you leave your manners in the Blind Eternities!?"

Jace had grown at least a few inches, now much taller than Liliana. He looked much more adult, no longer looking a strange combination of a teenager and a child, and had a light dusting of stubble across his chin and jaw. Liliana, on the other hand, had hardly changed. Her hair was a little longer, and she had a more traveled air about her, but she still remained how she appeared when she had left- the years being altogether very kind to her.

"Sorry about her, she has been helping herself to the alcohol downstairs." Gideon apologized as he made his way over, obviously holding himself back since Chandra had enough drunken enthusiasm for both of them. "It's... it's really good to see you guys..."

"Oh my gods, Gideon, are you crying!?" Liliana gasped with a smirk. "Looks like even big, strong men like you are still slaves to emotion."

"Hey, can you blame me!?" Gideon grinned, wiping at his eyes. "You guys... it's... it's been so long I..."

"Oh man, here come the water works!" Jace laughed. "Glad to see we were missed so much, we were worried maybe you'd forgotten us."

"That's what we thought!" Chandra gasped, still clinging to Liliana. "And you shitheads still haven't explained why you're so late! You missed a perfectly good party!"

"Sorry I just... I wanted to visit my family before we swung by here." Jace apologized. "Needless to say, things got emotional and we couldn't just pop in and leave right away."

"How are your parents anyway?" Gideon asked. "Last I checked, I don't remember you even told them you were leaving."

"They were pretty pissed, trust me." Jace laughed. "But... it was still really good to see them. It seems time has... softened their hard feelings between them and me." He looked down at the ground and genuinely smiled, letting out a small, satisfied sigh. "It was nice to see them."

"What about us, huh!?" Chandra asked. "You're happy to see us, too, right!?"

"Of course, of course! You've... you've grown... I think." Liliana laughed.

"Ass..." Chandra chuckled as she finally pushed away from her and dabbed at the tears in her eyes.

"Well... we have a lot to talk about." Liliana laughed. "I almost don't know where to start."

"I imagine so." Gideon agreed. "So why don't we start with some drinks and see where that takes us. I'm willing to stay up all night listening to you guys' adventures if I have to!"

"Well, you just might." She smirked. "And a drink sounds absolutely lovely."

"... You guys go on ahead." Jace spoke up. "I want to stay up here for a little bit longer... collect my thoughts."

"Oh, what's this, waxing nostalgic, I see?" Liliana teased. "Fine, we'll call for you if we decide to leave before you decide to come down." She turned to travel back down the stairs, Gideon and Chandra close behind.

"Now, Gideon, you're going to love this- let me tell you all about Theros..."

Jace chuckled to himself as he ventured further onto the roof and out to the fence. He looked over the campus grounds- at the town where he used to live. It had hardly changed- a few more buildings here, a new addition to the dorms there, but for the most part it was the same. The place that had remained in his mind all throughout his travels had remained at a standstill, as if it had been waiting for him to return. Sure, they had released a lot of magic and mana from the maze that lay below the city, but change was gradual- he knew that all too well. But he had faith things were changing for the better on Ravnica just by how things had gone over with this parents.

"Maybe this place will return to it's former glory some day..." He mused to himself.

"Hey!" Jace jumped as someone shouting at him tore through the peace. He turned to find Chandra, a mere few steps away from him, frowning sharply in his direction.

"O-oh, Chandra! I figured you'd gone downstairs with Liliana and Gideon..." Jace admitted, blushing a bit.

"You're late!" She growled.

"I-I'm what?"

"You're late! You missed way too many things, Beleren!" She continued to shout, pointing an accusing finger as she approached him. "You missed Gideon's graduation and my graduation, mine and Gideon's wedding, you missed football games and concerts and- dear gods, Jace, you missed the birth of my daughter!"

"O-oh, you're a mom now? Congratulations!" Jace smiled nervously as Chandra poked him in the chest as she listed off the things had had missed out on.

"Say you're sorry!" Chandra demanded.

"Wh-"

"Say you're sorry or I'm going to light your hair on fire!" Chandra repeated, adding a probably very real threat.

"Alright, alright, I''m sorry!" Jace exclaimed as he put his hands up in front of him to defend himself. "It's hard to keep track of time in the multiverse! Things get out of hand really fast out there, trust me! But... even so, I'm sorry. I've missed out on a lot, I know. But I'm here now, so you can tell me about all of the things I missed."

Chandra looked up at him, her frown still solidly on her face before a small sob broke through her lips. And, with that, Chandra was all tears and crying as she pressed herself against Jace's chest. He went rigid for a second, ready for her to get violent at any second, but as she continued to cry he relaxed and reached around to rub her back.

"You're a jerk!"

"I know."

"You're a big, forgetful asshole!"

"Yes, yes, I know."

"You owe me a lot of stories!" Chandra shouted as she pulled away to look up at him with tear-filled eyes. "You owe me so many stories! And they'd better be good- usable!"

"Usable...?" Jace questioned before he laughed and patted her on the head.

"Alright, you got me." He smiled warmly. "Let me start at the beginning... Let me tell you everything."