Su Chen wanted to speak, but he found his throat seemed blocked by something, and no sound would come out. He wanted to reach out and grab them, only to find his hand passed straight through their bodies and closed on empty air.
"We will always be watching you," the three said at the same time. "Heroes never die, and the guarding never ends."
Then the golden light scattered, and the three of them disappeared as well.
Su Chen's eyes flew open. He found himself lying inside the Tent, with Ares sitting beside him, watching him with a worried look.
"Had a nightmare?" Ares asked.
Su Chen shook his head, sat up, and rubbed his eyes. "Not a nightmare. A good dream."
"A good dream?" Ares looked baffled. "You were drenched in sweat. I thought you'd had a nightmare."
"It really was a good dream," Su Chen said quietly. "Because I dreamed of them."
Ares fell silent for a while, then asked, "What did they say?"
"They told me to keep going." Su Chen stood up, walked to the entrance of the Tent, pushed aside the curtain, and looked toward the faintly visible north beyond the wind and snow. "They told me not to give up."
"Then we won't give up." Ares stepped to Su Chen's side and clenched his fist. "Let's go, Strategist. Dawn's almost here. It's time to move out."
Su Chen nodded, turned to the students inside the Tent, and said, "Get up. Pack your things. We're moving out!"
The students woke one after another, quickly packed their gear, and the thirty-three of them once again set foot on the snow, advancing north.
The wind and snow grew heavier and visibility worsened, but they did not stop, because they knew that ahead lay something they had to