Echoes of the Past
The icy wind of Greenland was left behind, but something far more powerful lingered in the air: an invisible connection pulsing between Rob and the Guardians around him. In a secure room temporarily set up as a resting area, the five of them sat in front of an artificial fire. No one spoke yet. There was no need.
It was Thea who broke the silence. Her normally playful blue eyes were clouded with a different kind of emotion.
"Rob…" she whispered. "I've been dreaming about things I don't remember living. Feelings, battles, laughter, even the sound of your voice... but in another place. Another time. At first, I thought it was just visions brought on by stress, but when I saw you standing... in front of that beast... it all made sense. I already knew you. Before I ever met you."
Alex lowered his gaze, clenching his fists.
"Same thing happened to me. At first, it was just impulses, gut feelings… but then scenes started appearing. Sometimes just a few seconds, but I knew I saw you leading us. Dying in front of us in a burst of light, yelling for us to protect the world. And the worst part is… when I woke up, I wanted to cry without knowing why."
Lee Ming nodded in silence, holding back tears she rarely let anyone see.
"I... dreamed about you too," she confessed. "I saw how you taught me to control my emotions, how we faced something so dark even fire couldn't touch it. I saw your shadow ahead of mine, always shielding us. I didn't understand what it meant until now."
Nikolav said nothing at first. He simply stared at Rob with the cold intensity of a soldier who never let his guard down. But finally, he spoke in a low voice.
"I don't believe in reincarnation. Or miracles. But I do believe in instinct. And mine tells me I trusted you long before this world broke. That… I had already followed you once."
Rob looked at each of them, feeling a knot in his throat that was impossible to swallow. He hadn't planned this moment. He didn't even know if it would ever come. But there they were: the four of them, reliving fragments of a past he held sacred in his soul.
"Everything you remember… is real," he finally said, his voice breaking. "You all died fighting for humanity in the previous life. And I… I watched you fall. I saw you break and keep going, over and over. And I never, ever stopped missing you. That's why I came back. To try and change that ending."
Thea slowly stood up and walked toward him. She hugged him—this time without jokes, without laughter. Just raw emotion.
"Thank you for not forgetting us," she whispered. "Thank you for coming back."
Rob felt his tears run freely. Then Alex stepped forward and gave him a strong pat on the shoulder, like a brother reunited after a century of war. Lee Ming joined them, and Nikolav, more reserved, simply said:
"If this is a second chance… we won't waste it."
That moment, shared between five people who had once faced the end of the world together—even if in another timeline—was more than a reunion.
It was confirmation that no matter how cruel fate may be, it cannot erase what the soul has etched in fire.
Shared Stories
The night continued wrapping the group in silence, but this time it wasn't a barrier—it was a refuge. One where words could flow without fear or judgment.
Alex was the first to speak, his eyes lost in the artificial fire's glow.
"When the United States collapsed... I lost my entire squad. I was left alone with thousands of civilians who didn't even know how to hold a weapon. I became their guide, their shield, their executioner when necessary. Every night I asked myself why I kept doing it... and every night, in my dreams, I saw a silhouette—yours, Rob—shouting at me not to give up." He paused, swallowing hard. "Now I understand. That voice kept me going when everything fell apart."
Lee Ming looked at him with respect, then turned to Rob.
"My country fell into chaos. The old authorities vanished. I was treated like a symbol, but that wasn't enough. So I stepped up. The first time I used my fire against a beast destroying an entire city, it was like something lit up inside me... something ancient. Something that told me I had done it before. Since then, every time I burn an enemy... I feel like I'm protecting something I still can't name. But now I know that something... was you. Was all of us."
Nikolav crossed his arms. His voice was as firm as ever, but his words carried an unusual honesty.
"I protected my people from the ice. Russia split into enclaves that only survived through brute force. I became a wall and a spear—a dictator, out of necessity. I'm not proud of it, but if I hadn't done it... they would've died. The first time a beast pierced my chest and I didn't fall, I didn't understand how I was still standing. But I felt it. Like a promise was pushing me. Now I know it was the memory of following you to the end. That memory... was my invisible shield."
Thea, sitting next to Rob, held a warm mug in her hands but didn't drink. Her eyes were misty, her voice low and full of tender weight.
"I organized refugee camps in the middle of the snow. Children, elders, single mothers... they all came to me. I froze rivers to build walls, raised fortresses from ice, and slept only an hour a day so no one would be left unprotected. And in every face I saved, yours appeared in my mind, smiling, giving me calm. I didn't know why... but I felt like you were proud of me." She took his hand. "And now, knowing that you were... it changes everything."
Rob didn't respond right away. He just looked at them, one by one, his eyes clouded with pride, nostalgia, and pain.
"You... were my family. Not by blood, but by choice. You died for me... and for everyone. You kept living without knowing why you kept fighting, and still, you did. That… is more than heroism. That's love for humanity."
A long silence followed. Not awkward. Sacred.
In that moment, past and present fused together. They were no longer just survivors of a broken world. They were pieces of a greater bond—one that time could never erase.
"This time," Rob said with steady voice, "you won't die without knowing how much I value you."
And that promise was the spark that reignited the flame of their unity.
Visit to Rob's Bastion in Chile
Days after the reunion, Rob invited them to cross the continent to the bastion he had built with his own hands. The journey was swift thanks to his mastery of spatial displacement, but not lacking in emotion.
When they arrived, the Guardians fell silent. The Chilean bastion wasn't as imposing as others, nor was it ostentatiously technological... but it felt alive. There were replanted trees, children's murals, well-laid roads, and people smiling. In the distance, the training of young Guardians could be heard. It was a city rebuilt with soul.
And at the heart of it all—his family.
Victoria was the first to welcome them. She wore a simple dress, her hair tied back, and a warm smile brighter than the sun. Thea watched her for a moment before hugging her tightly.
"Now I understand why you came back," she whispered to Rob with a teasing smile.
Victoria, amused but curious, approached the Guardians. Alex scanned her with his eyes and then burst out laughing:
"Tell me something—don't happen to have a sister just as incredible, do you? Because if Rob hadn't beaten me to it…"
Victoria laughed, and even Rob shook his head with nervous chuckles.
"Relax, I'm just kidding," added Alex. "But I respect the woman who can make this guy blush."
Then Abby came running in a light blue dress, laughing like a human bell. Thea melted instantly.
"Heavens, she's an angel!" she exclaimed, picking her up. "And she talks like an enchanted doll!"
Abby looked at her and asked:
"Are you my daddy's friend?"
"Yes—and now I'm your magical ice aunt."
Everyone laughed.
Then Matthew appeared, walking with his already imposing 1.78 meters at just 12 years old. Nikolav stared, surprised.
"What the hell did you feed him? Mutated beasts?"
Matthew greeted them with a mix of shyness and pride. Lee Ming approached him and said:
"You're going to surpass your father. But first… try to match his nobility."
Finally, Apolo and Maya came running—his companion creatures. They had grown; it was clear. Their eyes gleamed with awareness, and their bodies radiated power.
"They too...?" asked Thea.
"A-rank," Rob replied. "I sent them on missions with young Guardians. They hunted, learned, and evolved."
Alex whistled in admiration.
"This bastion is a treasure… not because of its structure, but because of what's been built here."
And then, during a break in the afternoon, while they all shared fruit and cool drinks, Thea approached Victoria with a playful smile.
"You know? I envy you. Not just because of Rob. Because of this. Because you have a home that still smells like hope."
Victoria smiled kindly, but Thea lowered her gaze for a second and murmured:
"Sometimes... I wish I had been the one to find him first."
Victoria, without jealousy or pride, took her hand.
"But now you all have him. He brought you back."
In that instant, the union between both worlds—the old and the new—became tangible. The Guardians weren't just visiting a bastion.
They were coming home.
Union and Strategy
That same night, after a simple yet heartwarming dinner filled with laughter, stories, and affection, the Guardians gathered with Rob on the highest terrace of the bastion. From there, much of the valley could be seen, softly illuminated by solar torches. The air was cold, but the warmth of the conversation held them close.
"It's been a blessing to see you laugh again," Rob said, watching as Matthew played in the distance with Apolo and Maya. "But we know peace never lasts long."
Everyone nodded.
"And that's why," he continued, "I think it's time to formalize more than just an alliance. We need a network. A real one."
Alan, who had discreetly joined the conversation, projected an interactive map of the continent onto the holographic table.
"Thanks to the help of María and our tech team, we've created an independent monitoring and telecommunications network. It doesn't rely on unstable satellites or the Survival system's nodes. It's land-based, secure, and encrypted. And the best part: it already connects Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, and Paraguay. With your help, we can expand it."
Lee Ming's eyes lit up.
"Could it cover Asia in the future?"
"With resources and collaboration, yes," María replied. "But the key is to start with trusted bastions. Places led by people who, like Rob, don't seek control—only balance."
Alex lightly tapped the table with his fist.
"I'm in. We can't let each bastion fight alone anymore. That's what doomed us in the past life."
Thea raised her hand with energy.
"I support the network. And I propose a shared emergency protocol. If a bastion falls, nearby ones respond. No more abandonments."
Nikolav nodded.
"We can share training, resources, safe routes. Our strength only matters if it's collective."
Mohammed, who had been listening from the doorway, stepped in.
"And let the network have an ethical dimension. Not just tactical. Let it remind us why we fight."
Ali nodded solemnly.
"And let it remain invisible to those who still believe they can rule humanity from the shadows."
It was then that Alan smiled.
"We can do it. We already have the system's codename: Nexus Network. And you… are its core."
Rob looked at them with pride, a new strength in his eyes. The same strength that once led battalions, now rebuilding the world with trust.
"Then it's sealed," he said. "We're not just allies. We are Guardians of tomorrow. United. Prepared. Awake."
And through renewed laughter, firm handshakes, and determined gazes, something much greater than an alliance was born.
A new future began.
Epilogue – What We Are Now
Night stretched like an infinite mantle over Rob's bastion. At the highest lookout, the Guardians stood or sat in silence, gazing at a sky full of stars. They didn't speak—because they didn't need to. What had been shared over those days said more than a thousand speeches ever could.
Thea was curled up in a blanket with Abby peacefully asleep on her lap.Alex was polishing one of his favorite weapons while Matthew asked him excited questions about calibers and combat, thrilled to be talking to a "real hero."Lee Ming was teaching Victoria how to braid a fire flower over a cup of tea.Nikolav gently stroked Maya with unexpected tenderness, while Apolo rested at Rob's feet.Mohammed and Ali prayed silently in sync from a corner, their faces peaceful.
Rob said nothing, but his gaze lingered on each moment. Every face. Every gesture.
They were the reflection of something he had longed to see his entire other life.
Not the end of war—But the rise of a shared home.
Victoria walked over and hugged him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes," Rob whispered. "For the first time… yes."
She kissed his cheek and stayed at his side. The silence endured. But it wasn't empty—it was full.
It was then that Thea, staring at the stars, said:
"Do you think the past can be redeemed with a present like this?"
Alex answered without hesitation:
"I don't know if it redeems anything… but I do know that this time, we won't fail."
Lee Ming looked up at the sky.
"Because this time… we have memory."
Rob looked into the deep sky. And even though he knew dark days would come again, that beasts would roar once more, and that the figure in the shadows still watched them...
He was not afraid.
Because this time, he wasn't alone.
This time, the soul of the world was no longer asleep.
And as the first lights of dawn crept over the Andes, Rob whispered to himself:
"No matter how many times the world tries to reset… as long as we remember who we are, we will never be broken."
[End of Chapter 30 – Fragments That Unite]