For his special visit to the nerds’ HQ, Wyn asks them to help locate certain souls on Earth. He waits patiently, observing the nerds zipping between floors in flying saucers and battling with fake laser guns in the space-themed halls.

  “We’ve located them all!” Marcus announces, huffing as he lands on the first floor, having just escaped a swarm of lasers.

  Wyn smiles – something he can still do – and follows Marcus to the elevators. Together, they ascend to a meeting room. Since Wyn can’t open a portal to places he hasn’t visited, meeting the souls himself would be inefficient. Instead, the nerds suggested discreetly bringing the souls directly to the room through portals while avoiding drawing attention from nearby souls.

  “Woah! Where am I?” a familiar voice exclaims. “Is that...Wyn?!”

  The meeting room is empty, with Wyn standing near a wall. In the center appears none other than Wyn’s long-lost friend, Budd.

  “They said the creator wanted to see me. I was expecting the red guy! I was so nervous!” Budd says.

  “Nah, I just work here. Not a creator. It was a ploy to get you here,” Wyn replies, shaking his head.

  In Tideland, physical embraces aren’t part of their culture, especially for people their age.

  “How have you been?” Budd asks.

  “You wouldn’t believe what I’ve been through,” Wyn answers, trying to sound as human as possible. The excitement he fakes comes off awkward, but Budd lets it slide, knowing the Wyn he once knew was always a little awkward.

  “How long has it been?” Wyn asks. “Must’ve been decades.”

  Budd is older now, though he maintains his appearance at twenty-five – the age, he claims, before his belly started to “grow out of control.”

  The two spend hours catching up, leaning against the wall as they talk. It’s during this time that Wyn learns how deeply Budd mourned his death. Budd had been upset that Wyn left without a word, wishing he’d had the chance to talk him out of it.

  After Wyn’s death, Budd continued his life, earning a promotion to Head of the Data Science team at the new company just a couple of years later. Beyond that, life hadn’t changed much – until the world itself did.

  During the battle between Light Force, Dark Force, and Wyn, Budd had been working from home that day – and so was his wife. His family worked outside the city, keeping them all safe from the destruction.

  Now, with his new life, he spends most of his time gaming and occasionally helping the nerds to earn tokens for travel and hotel stays with his wife. For Budd, the new system is far better than the old one, and knowing his natural family will live forever is a huge plus.

  “No more stupid governments. No more overwork,” Budd says.

  Wyn, however, doesn’t share the full truth. He only tells Budd that he was sent to Hell and witnessed the changes that brought about the new system. He claims to live on Earth, but his profile is nowhere to be found – a result of his deep involvement with the nerds. To ensure he remains impartial and doesn’t favor any group, the nerds have hidden his profile entirely from the system.

  “I got rid of governments. That’s how they came to value me,” Wyn lies.

  “You’re a big shot now! Congrats!” Budd exclaims. “See? Someone did see your worth after all!”

  Budd’s words strike Wyn hard. Even without emotions, he pauses, momentarily stunned as memories of his life on Earth surface. The past, needless to say, wasn’t pleasant. Yet, he had his worth – it just took his journey through Hell for others to finally see it.

  With little else to discuss, Wyn suggests they share a bowl of ramen together, just like old times. Through Marcus, the nerds promptly bring in a table and two hearty bowls of ramen. As they enjoy their meal, their conversation drifts to the past – how they first met and the experiences they shared while working at the same company.

  After they finish, Wyn claims that he has to get moving, and the two bid goodbye.

  “Better summon me so we can meet again, okay?” Budd says.

  Wyn smiles back, and in an unexpected move, Budd opens his arms, though he doesn’t step forward.

  “Come on! Give me a hug, will you?” Budd says.

  Wyn steps into the embrace, and suddenly, images of his friends flash through his mind. For the first time in ages, he feels the faintest trace of emotion. He wants to cry – but he can’t.

  As the nerds open a portal to return Budd to Earth, Wyn leans against the wall, lost in thought. Budd reminds him a lot of Yu, though Wyn feels their friendship is fading – and he knows it’s from his side. No one will ever come close to replacing his former team, the ones with whom he shared both happiness and sorrow.

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  “Who do you want here next?” Marcus asks, interrupting Wyn’s thoughts.

  Wyn had considered meeting his parents, but he couldn’t face them after everything he had done and put them through. He’d felt ashamed before, and even now, with no emotions, he chooses to honor those past feelings. Instead, he asks the nerds to look after his parents, ensuring they stay safe and happy.

  With that, the next group of souls to emerge in the meeting room are Yu’s former idol friends, all nine of them finally together. The atmosphere is nothing short of awkward, as Yu’s friends don’t know Wyn. He decides to keep it brief, expressing his gratitude for their support of Yu until the accident. While he doesn’t explain exactly who he is or what happened to Yu, he urges the nine of them to continue performing as a group to honor Yu’s spirit.

  “The only wish Yu would’ve had for you all is to see you continue chasing your dreams of becoming artists,” Wyn says. “I’ll have the nerds find a stage for you. Keep singing, whether as individuals or as a group.”

  Then, Wyn expresses his desire to meet with Mira and Lisa’s parents, as well as Lisa’s abusive ex.

  “They’re all currently serving their time,” Marcus informs.

  “Is that so? Where and how long are they serving?” Wyn asks.

  “The parents are in Anxiety’s room, serving a century. Lisa’s ex is with Maya and Cerberus, serving two decades.”

  “Increase the ex’s time to a century, and bring the parents to meet me. I need to see them.”

  When Mira and Lisa’s parents see Wyn, they quickly thank him for bringing them out of their punishment.

  “You must be God! We’ve served You and only You our entire lives. Thank you for saving us, our Savior!” they say.

  “I’m God, alright,” Wyn plays along. “But I’m not here to save you. I’m here to tell you that your daughters were wonderful and didn’t deserve parents like you. For the crimes you committed against your own daughters, you will serve your time for eternity, rotating through different punishments endlessly,” Wyn announces, his gaze fixed on the parents, though his expression remains neutral. “If I have time, I’ll torture you myself,” he adds.

  The sisters’ parents cry, pleading for forgiveness, but Wyn doesn’t change his mind. Portals open behind them, and Wyn kicks the father, then the mother, sending them through the portals to continue their punishment.

  The next souls Wyn wishes to meet are Anish’s wife and daughter. At first, the two are frightened to be alone in an empty room with Wyn, but they quickly relax when Wyn mentions their beloved Anish. He praises Anish and tells them how much the man longed to see his family once more. Wyn decides it’s best for them to have closure – to learn that Anish no longer exists. Anish’s wife and daughter cry at the news. Wyn doesn’t comfort them; in fact, there’s little he can do for them, as he doesn’t want to contradict the non-crony system he and Dark Force promote, with the exception being his own family.

  “Be a good girl to honor your father,” Wyn says softly to the girl. “Take care of each other. I wish nothing but the best for both of you,” he tells the family before bidding them goodbye.

  Wyn moves on to James’ parents, who are currently serving their time for fifteen years. While Wyn wishes to pardon them in honor of James, he doesn’t want to set a bad example. Instead, he tells them how much James wanted to thank them for the great life they gave him and how James had hoped to help them with their debt issues.

  “You’d be disappointing your wonderful son right now if he were alive,” Wyn says. “After you’ve served your punishment, please be good for him. Your son gave his life for all of us to have the new system. Do well to honor him.”

  James’ parents cry, murmuring, “Our baby, James.”

  Last on the list is David’s family, but Wyn is quickly informed by Marcus that his entire family no longer exists. At first, Wyn contemplates visiting David’s parents instead but decides against it, as David barely mentioned them when he was with him.

  Wyn also considers meeting with those who wronged him in the past or those he hated or disliked. However, he ultimately refrains, not wanting to abuse his authority as a divine being.

  “That should be all. Do you need anything or anyone else?” Marcus asks as he walks back into the room, along with Cateto, who quickly leaps into Wyn’s arms.

  “Next time, give me a heads-up. I don’t want you to fall,” Wyn says.

  “I’m a cat. Falling is nothing,” Cateto replies with a smile.

  Wyn thanks Marcus and asks him to extend his gratitude to the nerds who helped locate and bring all the souls to him. As usual, Wyn stops by the dome to admire the statues. However, there’s a familiar figure standing in front of them, hands gently gliding over Yu’s statue.

  Feeling someone behind her, Christine looks back and is startled to see Wyn. Her eyes immediately well up with tears. She wants to say something but instead walks away, leaving the dome.

  “You were always on his mind, even when he had to defend Hell. And while he didn’t mention you in Heaven, he still thought of you. I know it. I just do, because he was my friend and my brother,” Wyn says, causing Christine to pause. “You left a scar on him.”

  Christine remains silent, her back still turned to Wyn. She mumbles something under her breath, but it’s incoherent. Her shoulders tremble slightly before she clears her throat. When she finally speaks, her gaze stays fixed on the floor, her voice wavering.

  “Like, I don’t care how you think of me, but my time with your team, especially with Yu, was, like, the best time I’ve, like, ever had…in my entire existence.” She then leaves without ever looking back at Wyn.

  Wyn lets her go and leaves the dome before the elites can join him this time. As he reaches the tent area, he strolls around his former teammates’ tents.

  “I’ve never entered anyone else’s tent besides mine, come to think of it,” Wyn says.

  “Would you like to visit them now?” Cateto asks.

  “That’s alright. I’m only here just to see, for one last time, where a good bit of our memories took place. My tent, the team meetings, the parties, the sleepovers – they’re all still vivid in my mind,” Wyn says. “Plus, I don’t want to see Mira’s collection. Or maybe, we should build a museum for it,” he jokes, though his face and voice remain neutral.

  Cateto smiles. “So, you’re going through with it after all this time?” he asks.

  “I have to. This time, it’s mostly for me – it's what I want.”

  Wyn opens a portal and, alone, heads to the area where the gray bands once sought refuge before being sent to Earth. He asks Marcus to call Dark Force to meet him there.