You Already Won

Chapter 157 153: Figure It Out

"Crazy how it's sunlight in the lounge and rooms," North said as he walked over, "and then you take a few steps and boom—outer space."

Tinsurnae looked up at him, confused.

North smirked.

"Crazy how life gets."

Then he sat down beside him on the bench and leaned back like he belonged there.

For a second, neither of them said anything.

Then North turned his head slightly.

"So what's up with y'all two?"

Tinsurnae frowned immediately.

"Why are you talking like we're friends?"

North gave a lazy shrug.

"Considering what we've been through… and how you held back when fighting me…"

His red eyes flicked toward him.

"I'd say you're at least a little fond of me."

Tinsurnae stared at him.

"You're an arrogant man," he said flatly. "And you wouldn't understand."

North leaned his head back against the bench and chuckled.

"Maybe."

A beat passed.

Then—

"I just broke up with my multi-timeline girlfriend," he said. "I think for the second time."

That made Tinsurnae blink.

"So I think we're both in the 'important woman hurt our feelings' mood right now."

Tinsurnae slowly turned to look at him.

"You and Destiny?"

North nodded once.

"Yeah."

He looked out into the stars.

"It was fun while it lasted."

Then his expression softened just a little.

"But she's a strong, independent woman."

He looked back over at Tinsurnae.

"Sometimes you gotta let 'em go so they can grow more into themselves."

Tinsurnae narrowed his eyes.

"Are you just venting to me?"

"Yup."

"I thought you came to talk to me."

"I did," North said. "But halfway through, I decided to talk about me."

Tinsurnae stared at him.

"Selfish."

North shrugged.

"Would you have listened to me anyway?"

A pause.

Then—

"Maybe."

That got a real laugh out of North.

Then the humor faded.

And North looked at him properly this time.

"Listen, man. I don't know what happened with you and her."

Tinsurnae's jaw shifted.

"You still won't call her Caroline?"

North frowned and turned toward him.

"You will?"

That actually seemed to catch him off guard.

Tinsurnae looked away.

"She didn't have a name before," he said quietly. "So…"

North blinked.

Then sat up straighter.

"So you're just okay with her taking someone else's?"

"I didn't say that."

Tinsurnae rubbed his temples.

Hard.

"I just…" he muttered. "I thought we would be together forever…"

Then he exhaled.

"And the things she was saying about Rhan…"

North's expression changed.

"Sounds like," he said carefully, "you just don't want to believe what she was talking about."

Tinsurnae looked at him.

North's red eyes—those black sigils slowly rotating inside them—met Tinsurnae's green ones.

"We Unraveled," North said. "Seems like you Unraveled long before the rest of us. Yet, you didn't remember that until recently."

Tinsurnae said nothing.

"There's too many gaps in your memory," North continued. "At least according to her. But she has evidence to back it up."

A beat.

"So demand answers from Rhan."

North's voice sharpened.

"Don't sit here and wallow."

He stood from the bench.

"Stand up and do what she's doing now."

Tinsurnae looked up at him.

"…What's that?"

North looked down at him.

Then said simply—

"Forging a legacy."

And pushed off from the bench.

Tinsurnae watched him for a second.

Then asked quietly—

"Was that for me… or you?"

North didn't answer.

He just kept walking.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Behind him, Tinsurnae looked down at his hand.

Then slowly clenched it into a fist.

———

North stepped back into the wide open walkways of TI-09.

Curved glass architecture stretched around him, suspended above layered greenery and floating platforms that drifted at varying heights through the station. Streams of soft light flowed through the space like controlled sunlight, gliding across polished surfaces and drifting lantern-constructs that hovered silently in the air.

Everything about the place felt too clean.

Too beautiful to be natural.

North looked back once toward the ship bay.

Then turned his attention toward the rest of the station.

Narloic definitely had some interesting architecture.

Now—

Time to go find Ozzy and Tabia.

After wandering around for a bit—and mildly harassing the reception desk—North finally found the arcade floor.

And it was…

Well.

Imagine an adult Chuck E. Cheese designed by people with too much money and access to interdimensional technology.

That was basically the vibe.

Bright lights.

Massive game stations.

Prize counters.

Floating holographic scoreboards.

Way too many things blinking at once.

There weren't a ton of natives around, though.

Mostly because of the facility's release rule.

Two days.

That was the limit.

Once you were healed enough to not be a liability, they pretty much expected you to get your ass out.

Which honestly made sense.

This place was basically built to contain and stabilize major disasters.

And after the Fortune Holder—

They had no shortage of those.

Still, the lack of patients and chaos made one thing very easy.

Finding Ozzy and Tabia.

Especially because Ozzy was laughing like a complete madman.

North didn't even need directions.

He just followed the sound.

And sure enough—

There he was.

Apparently, Ozzy had won the Jenga competition.

Staying true to his title.

North smiled the second they came into view.

He ignored the stares from the others nearby and walked straight toward them.

Ozzy was sitting at the table in a hospital gown. His locs were tied back behind his head.

His right arm was still gone.

So was his left eye.

And his remaining eye sat half-lidded with a lazy, unbothered look he somehow carried.

But his smile—

That shit was eternal.

Tabia sat beside him in her own hospital gown.

Her teal-and-white hair still shimmered faintly like a living flame, streaked with traces of violet and ember-light. Her crimson eyes looked like fractured stars now, though dimmer than usual. Indigo markings traced her skin, pulsing softly beneath the surface, and the molten coral crown grown from her essence had shrunk noticeably—smaller now, dimmer.

Both of her arms were still in casts.

And yet—

The second she saw him, she smiled.

Ozzy did too.

Then Ozzy motioned lazily toward the seat across from him.

"Take a seat, my sleeping beauty."

North snorted.

Ozzy leaned back slightly and gestured around the table.

"These bozos don't get love, y'know."

North looked at the others around them, then back at Ozzy.

Then chuckled and pulled out the chair.

"I bet they don't."

And sat down.

North looked at Tabia first and smiled.

"Heard you was MVP of defense against Jack," he said. "Good shit."

Tabia blinked once, then smiled faintly.

"Thank you," she said. "And you have my gratitude as well."

Her crimson eyes shifted toward him.

"For disrupting everyone's self-imposed wills. We would have lost if you hadn't."

North waved it off immediately.

"Nah. Ozzy could've handled it."

Ozzy smiled without looking up from the tower.

"We were gonna die."

He carefully placed another block on top.

"Horribly."

That got all three of them laughing.

North leaned back in his chair a little.

"Didn't know they had Jenga here."

Ozzy looked up at him.

"Oh, no no no," he said. "They don't."

North blinked.

Ozzy gestured proudly at the tower.

"I found these little rectangle things and started stackin'."

Tabia sighed.

"He taught half the floor how to play."

Ozzy clenched his fist dramatically.

"And then," he said, voice full of conviction, "I showed them why I proudly carry the title of—"

He pointed to himself.

"Jenga Champion."

North snorted.

Ozzy pulled a block from the middle of the tower with infuriating confidence and slid it onto the top.

Then pointed at him.

"Your turn, Northy."

North laughed and reached forward.

And after that—

They just talked.

Pulled blocks.

Set them down.

Built the tower higher.

Then threatened its collapse.

And somewhere in the middle of it all, the conversation became about everything and nothing at once.

The battle.

The bullshit.

The dead.

The stupid things people said right before almost dying.

The even stupider things people said after surviving.

Tabia talked more than North expected.

That was a nice surprise.

And another surprise—

The game kept going.

Way longer than it had any right to.

Long enough for the tension in North's chest to loosen without him realizing it.

Long enough for the room to stop feeling like aftermath and start feeling like life again.

Then—

Ozzy laughed.

A softer one this time.

"Ha…"

North looked up.

Ozzy was smiling at him.

Not his usual grin.

"You're great."

North blinked and shook his head.

"Surprised y'all didn't go see everyone off," he said. "I know you already said your goodbyes and all, but…"

Ozzy didn't even look up from the tower.

"The mission was to help you win," he said simply. "And we did that."

He slid another block free with careful fingers.

"The connections we made along the way were bonuses."

Then he glanced up at North with a small smile.

"Plus… you found us when you were ready."

That made North pause for a second.

Tabia nodded beside him.

"Besides," she said, "we have news for you."

North frowned slightly.

"News?"

Ozzy and Tabia exchanged a glance.

Then Tabia answered.

"From our goddess. Mi'Lentra."

North sat up a little straighter.

Ozzy nodded.

"Right," North said slowly. "I mean… I still got a plan, sorta, to get back to the Jafar Empire, but—"

"The deal doesn't have to go through."

Ozzy said it casually.

He pulled another block from the tower and set it on top.

The structure was getting thinner now.

North stared at him.

"…Why?"

Ozzy exhaled through his nose.

"Our goddess was injured during the fight between the Supreme Houses of Vari and Basingal."

That made North's expression shift.

Ozzy's own smile faded a little.

"And," he added, "they ended up killing the enemies she was supposed to kill for her side of the deal."

North blinked.

Oh.

Ozzy leaned back slightly.

"I told her I didn't want to lie to you."

North looked at him more carefully now.

"And since she just made me her Chosen—"

North's eyes widened.

"She did?!"

Ozzy immediately held up a hand.

"Hold the telephone and balloons."

Tabia smiled faintly.

Ozzy pointed at him with the block still in his fingers.

"I was finishing my sentence."

North leaned back, shaking his head once.

"Bro, that's huge."

"I know," Ozzy said. "Try not to make it about me for three seconds."

North snorted.

Ozzy's expression turned more serious.

"The point is," he said, "the option to back out is yours."

That line sat between them.

North looked down at the Jenga tower.

Then slowly reached forward and pulled another block free.

Set it on top.

And thought.

He laughed and leaned back in his chair.

"Alright," he said. "Lemme run y'all through my thought process real quick."

Ozzy and Tabia looked at each other.

Then back at him.

Ozzy gestured grandly at the table.

"Sure thing," he said. "The stage is yours."

Then he pointed at the tower.

"And it's your turn."

North nodded once, reached toward the stack, and started talking while eyeing the blocks.

"Okay," he said, "so let's lay the groundwork."

He carefully touched one block. Then another.

"A team called the Occulted Moon came all the way from who-knows-where…"

He slid one loose just slightly.

"…saved me and my friends…"

He pulled it out a little further.

"…helped us survive…"

He set it on top.

"…gave us a place to recover…"

Ozzy placed another block.

"…gave us time to breathe…"

North placed another.

"Their captain went out of his way to go above and beyond in damn near every possible aspect."

Ozzy smiled quietly.

Tabia placed her hands in her lap.

North pulled another block.

"The vice-captain healed my people."

He set it on top.

"One of their crew fell in love with my friend."

That got a laugh out of Tabia.

North smirked.

Then shook his head.

"And somehow, through all that…"

He reached for one more block.

"…you think I'll abandon you?"

Ozzy's smile widened.

Tabia's crimson eyes softened.

North pulled the block free—

And the entire structure immediately collapsed.

Blocks scattered across the table.

Ozzy leaned back and grinned.

Tabia laughed.

North stared at the mess.

Then looked back up at them.

"…The deal's still in place."

Ozzy nodded once.

Tabia smiled.

North pushed himself up from the table.

"Alrighty," he said. "Now I gotta go find that Mehqi guy, get my gifts, and—"

He paused.

Then looked back at them.

"Speaking of gifts… did y'all get yours?"

Ozzy nodded.

"Yup. Standard options."

He started counting on his fingers.

"A weapon. A treasure map. Or a favor."

North blinked.

"Hm."

Tabia tilted her head slightly.

"Useful options," she said.

Ozzy grinned.

"Tabia got a weapon."

He tapped his chest proudly.

"And I got a favor."

North nodded slowly.

"Yeah… that's dangerous."

Ozzy smiled.

North stepped back from the table.

"Well," he said, "I better get going then."

Ozzy made an offended face.

"Aww. So soon?"

North looked between the two of them.

"Well… aren't y'all leaving too?"

"Nope!" Ozzy said immediately. "Tabia's arms need one more day and I'm still sore as a working mule."

North chuckled.

"Fair."

He nodded once.

"Alright then. I'll see y'all again."

Ozzy stood up fast enough to make the chair scrape.

Then immediately pulled North into a hug.

North blinked.

Then hugged him back.

Ozzy's voice was quieter when he spoke.

"Sorry you lost so much."

That made North go still.

Ozzy held on for another second.

"And I'm glad we avenged our crews."

North exhaled slowly.

Then smiled.

"Well…"

Ozzy pulled back and frowned.

"Well what?"

North's smile sharpened.

"Not fully."

Ozzy blinked.

"Not fully?"

North's red eyes gleamed faintly.

"Qui Tensigon."

Ozzy stared.

North's grin widened.

"I told you."

He cracked his knuckles.

"I'm coming after the author."

That made Ozzy bark out a laugh.

Tabia laughed too, shaking her head.

North stepped over and hugged Tabia next.

More gently.

"Thanks," he said. "For being the stable rock during all the madness."

Tabia blinked once.

Then smiled softly.

"And for helping with Sšurtinaui."

Tabia nodded.

"Thank you," she said, "for allowing the memory of the crew to move forward."

That one landed deeper than North expected.

But he smiled anyway.

"No problem."

Then he shrugged.

"Kind of my whole thing now."

Ozzy dropped back into his chair and immediately started restacking the Jenga pieces.

"Go get 'em, Blood Prince," he said.

Then, without missing a beat, he looked at Tabia.

"C'mon. Use ya toes."

Tabia stared at him.

"No."

North laughed as he turned and walked out of the arcade.

And as the noise of the floor faded behind him—

So did the last bit of hesitation.

He wasn't staying here another day.

It was time to go back to where it all began.