Sixty seconds.

  The Pit vibrated with barely-contained electricity. Dozens of Willowbound team members stood gathered around the main platform, where strings of soft fairy lights flickered along the edges of desks and computer towers. Empty plates and half-finished drinks sat forgotten on worktables as the entire studio pressed in toward the heart of the room. The giant screen overhead displayed the livestream’s demo reel, an atmospheric section of Lumio Forest’s misted marsh biome, but none of them were watching it anymore. Not really. Everyone was focused on Ariel.

  She stood at the front, her laptop perched on a clean black stand that had been wheeled out just for this moment. The deployment script was already written. The final build had passed every check. All that remained was to press a single key.

  Her fingers hovered just above it.

  She glanced down at the keyboard but didn’t move. Around her, the room buzzed louder. Holly stood beside her, vibrating with joy, one hand resting gently on the small of Ariel’s back.

  Ariel took a breath.

  This is it.

  She’d dreamed of a moment like this before. More than once. Years ago, curled up on the edge of a futon in her first apartment, she’d watched the credits roll on someone else’s masterpiece and wondered if she’d ever build something that truly mattered. Other nights, she’d lie awake replaying imagined interviews, fan reactions, game reveals in her head like lullabies. She’d envisioned fans crying over scenes, replaying boss fights, quoting dialogue. But this... this wasn’t just about the game anymore.

  It was about Willowbound. It was about the family they had built—Maddy, Jordan, Marissa, Lila, every developer, every tester, every intern-turned-hero. It was about the slow, careful rise from pain to power. It was about her—the girl with the perfect memory, the one who used to be afraid to speak up in meetings, now standing at the head of a team she loved with her whole soul.

  It was about Holly.

  Her eyes flicked to her wife, standing tall in a soft gold wrap dress, her mismatched eyes shimmering. Her cheeks were flushed from champagne and happiness. Ariel could hear the countdown starting faintly in the background, someone chanting from near the back of the room—

  “Ten...!”

  Ariel’s heart thudded in rhythm with the chorus.

  “Nine...!”

  The cursor blinked in the console window.

  “Eight...!”

  A low whoop broke out from somewhere near QA.

  “Seven...!”

  Ariel's hands were steady.

  “Six...!”

  “...I love you, Ariel”

  “Five...!”

  Ariel smiled, lips trembling just a little.

  “Four...!”

  She exhaled.

  “Three...!”

  Her finger found the enter key.

  “Two...!”

  All the joy in the world brimmed in her chest.

  “One...!”

  Click.

  The terminal responded instantly.

  Deployment in progress... Success.

  Live.

  A moment of silence held for half a second, and then...

  The room erupted.

  Applause thundered around her. Confetti cannons popped like champagne bottles, scattering colorful paper across the Pit. Someone screamed. Someone else jumped in place. Streamers tangled in the fairy lights. A dozen people raised their phones to record the moment.

  And the livestream chat, projected on a secondary monitor behind Ariel, exploded:

  “IT’S UP!!!”

  “I’M CRYINGGGG”

  “LOOK AT THE ART OMGGGGG”

  “WE’RE IN, BOYS!!”

  “WILLOWBOUND NEVER MISSES”

  “#RedPhoenixRises"

  “TY FOR THIS GAME ILYYY”

  Ariel was pulled into a hug before she even finished reading the last comment. Holly wrapped her up tight, arms around her back, face buried in her hair. Ariel’s arms curled in and held her just as fiercely.

  Neither of them said a word at first. They didn’t need to. The warmth between them, the crush of their bodies, the trembling in Holly’s shoulders. It said everything. Ariel pressed her face into Holly’s neck, inhaling the familiar scent of her skin, letting her chest rise and fall with Holly’s breath.

  Cheers continued to roll around them, people clapping each other on the back, shouting and laughing, but in that tight pocket of space between them, there was only stillness. Gratitude. Victory. Love.

  Then a flash of pink barreled through the crowd.

  “Auntie Reeeeed!” Lin squealed, launching herself forward.

  Ariel barely had time to pull back before Lin collided with them, arms thrown around both her and Holly in a three-person hug that nearly knocked them over. Her bright puffer jacket crinkled, and her tiny boots were speckled with confetti. Her grin was so wide it nearly reached her ears.

  “You did it! You did it! You made the forest real!”

  Ariel laughed, eyes wet, and dropped to her knees to scoop Lin fully into her arms. Holly crouched beside them, kissing Lin’s forehead.

  “Thanks, little star,” Holly whispered.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  The party carried on with jubilant energy. Someone turned the music up again, a pulsing synth track from the game’s soundtrack swelling through the Pit’s speakers. On the monitors, the launch dashboard was now visible to the team. The number of purchases ticked upward so fast it was almost comical, like watching fireworks ignite in real time.

  "We just hit 10,000!" someone shouted from the back, and another round of cheers followed.

  People danced. Someone cracked open a bottle of sparkling cider and passed it around. Lila twirled Marissa in a slow circle near the art team’s area, both laughing. Maddy hopped on a beanbag and started air-guitaring to the beat. Jordan recorded short videos of everyone, narrating in a calm mockumentary voice while dodging confetti.

  Ariel and Holly drifted through it all, hands linked. They were stopped every few minutes for hugs, congratulations, photos. Holly took selfies with anyone who asked. Ariel kept glancing back at the monitor, just to see the numbers. Just to make sure it was still real.

  By the time an hour had passed, the energy had softened into something cozier. People had found seats or pillows or laps. Voices were hoarser from shouting. Half the lights had been dimmed even further, giving the Pit a warm afterglow.

  One by one, people started to pack up. Some had early flights the next morning. Others simply looked too overwhelmed to stay awake.

  “Go home, you beautiful nerds,” Maddy added, giving Holly a wink. “You’ve earned it.”

  “See you two tomorrow,” Marissa called as she left with Lila, who waved sleepily.

  In Ariel’s arms, Lin was sound asleep, her head resting on Ariel’s shoulder, tiny fingers still curled in the fabric of Ariel’s sweater. She’d fallen asleep somewhere between the music and the confetti and hadn’t stirred since. Ariel rocked her gently, cheek resting against Lin’s soft hair.

  Jordan stepped over, smiling as he reached out. “I’ll take her.”

  Ariel nodded, gently transferring the sleeping girl into Jordan’s arms with practiced care. Lin murmured something unintelligible and snuggled in tighter against him.

  Soon, the Pit was only half full, and quieter by the minute.

  Only a few developers remained: those on the overnight shift, tasked with watching for any early bug reports or hotfix needs. They moved calmly among the quieter glow of monitors, sipping coffee and still occasionally glancing up at the purchase counter, which hadn’t stopped ticking upward.

  Ariel lingered near the central station, hands resting on the edge of the desk, gaze still flicking between dashboards. She hadn’t said it aloud, but it was obvious she planned to stay.

  Holly came up behind her, arms folding gently around Ariel’s waist.

  “Red,” she murmured, “It’s handled. Let them do their job.”

  “I know. I just…” Ariel glanced back at the team. “If something breaks—”

  “Then they’ll page you,” Holly said, nuzzling her cheek. “But you need to rest. You’ve done more than enough tonight.”

  Ariel hesitated, then looked to the team. “Are you all set?”

  One of the devs, a woman with tired eyes and a warm smile, gave her a thumbs-up. “We’ve got this, Ariel. Go be proud of yourself somewhere comfy.”

  Ariel looked unconvinced. Holly gave her a pointed squeeze.

  “If anything major happens,” Ariel said, looking directly at the overnight crew, “you call me. Not a message. Not an email. Call. Got it?”

  “Got it,” came the chorus of sleepy voices.

  Finally, Ariel nodded. She turned to Holly, who extended an arm.

  Arm in arm, they made their way to the elevator, confetti still caught in the hem of Holly’s dress, the last notes of the game’s theme playing softly over the speakers as the doors slid open and carried them down.

  The street outside Willowbound Studios was quiet, the distant sound of traffic echoing faintly under the pale glow of the streetlights. After the thunderous warmth of the cheers and the music upstairs, this hush felt almost sacred, like it was making room for something tender to unfold. It was the kind of quiet that asked nothing. Just offered stillness. The air carried the cool bite of deep night; A few drifting flakes of snow spun lazily under the glow of the lamps.

  Ariel and Holly stepped out onto the sidewalk together, arms still linked from the elevator ride down. They lingered there a moment, the building lit up behind them like an afterimage of celebration, its windows still warm with the last bits of movement and light.

  Ariel sighed and leaned into Holly’s side. “My feet are killing me.”

  Holly chuckled. “I love you, but you really need better shoes for these things. I told you not to go with the boots.”

  “They were cute,” Ariel mumbled, eyes half-lidded.

  “And now your feet are blistered.”

  “I regret nothing.”

  They stood close in the cold, sharing warmth as a yellow cab rounded the far corner, headlights cutting gently through the falling snow. Holly raised her free hand and waved it once, sharp and certain. The cab’s turn signal blinked, and it rolled smoothly to the curb in front of them. Holly opened the door for Ariel, bowing with a small flourish. Ariel gave a half-curtsy and giggled.

  Inside the cab, they settled in immediately. The seats were worn and cracked in places, the vinyl squeaking softly beneath them as they sank into it. The dashboard glowed faintly green, casting a pale light over the space between them. A faint pine-scented air freshener dangled from the rearview mirror, swaying gently with the cab's motion. The driver said nothing, eyes forward, hands steady on the wheel, the engine humming low beneath their quiet breathing. It felt cocooned. Sealed off from the world. Ariel leaned against Holly’s side, eyes fluttering shut for a moment.

  “What do you want to do this weekend?” Ariel asked softly, her words slightly muffled as she buried her face into Holly’s shoulder.

  “Mmm. Sleep. Brunch. Watch something dumb. Rub your feet. Probably eat our bodyweight in leftovers.”

  Ariel gave a small, tired laugh. “Perfect.”

  Holly looked down at her. “You?”

  “Same. Plus maybe...” Ariel hesitated, then peeked up at her with a sleepy grin. “We take the ferry and go nowhere. Just ride it. You and me and some tea in thermoses. Cold cheeks. Quiet water.”

  Holly tilted her head, smiling in that slow, melting way she did when Ariel said something that made her want to cry. “God, Red. That sounds like heaven.”

  Ariel nuzzled against her, yawning.

  “Y’know,” Holly said gently, “we really should think about a vacation soon.”

  Ariel hummed. “You say that like we haven’t already been planning one in secret folders.”

  Holly blinked. “Wait, you made a folder too?”

  Ariel looked up with a mischievous grin. “We have matching hidden tabs. I checked.”

  Holly laughed, forehead falling against Ariel’s. “God, we’re disgusting.”

  Ariel smiled and closed her eyes again, the sound of the cab rolling forward blending with Holly’s quiet breathing. Her hand found Holly’s in the space between them and squeezed, their rings touching, catching the faint glow of the passing streetlights.

  The city rolled by.

  They held on to each other.

  The cab rolled on in silence. The city outside blurred into long streaks of gold and blue, occasional headlights casting brief patterns across their joined hands. Inside, it was warm. Still. The cabbie didn’t speak. The hum of tires on asphalt filled the quiet.

  Ariel had gone soft against Holly’s side, half-asleep now, her breath slow and even. Her head rested just beneath Holly’s collarbone, hair gently tousled from the night. She looked peaceful. She looked impossibly young.

  Holly turned slightly to look at her.

  There was something holy in that face when it was calm. Something that made Holly ache with how much she wanted to keep it safe. To keep it always. The faint freckles. The soft weight of her resting. The way she curled ever so slightly, even in sleep, as if trying to disappear into comfort. God, she was beautiful.

  Not just the kind of beautiful that made Holly stare across a café and forget how to breathe. But the kind that made life feel worth navigating. The kind that made Holly’s world quieter, clearer. Every part of Ariel was so intentional. Her gentleness. Her fire. Her wit. The way she could take apart a design document or collapse into a snort-laugh at a dumb meme. The way she loved.

  She was the bravest person Holly had ever met. Holly remembered the way Ariel stood up in that first meeting years ago, her voice shaking, hands clenched in her lap, but still speaking out when no one else would. She remembered how Ariel volunteered to do her first panel, cheeks pale but spine straight. That quiet, relentless courage had never left her. And Holly had never stopped being in awe of that.

  Her thumb brushed over Ariel’s knuckles.

  “I lo-”

  Headlights—too bright, too close—coming fast. Straight for Ariel’s side of the cab.

  Holly's breath caught. Her eyes went wide.

  There was no time.

  The world snapped sideways with a shriek of metal and glass as the truck slammed into them, a bone-jarring, explosive impact that folded the frame of the car inward with a violence that didn’t make sense. In that instant, Holly felt Ariel wrenched from her arms—the weight of her vanishing in a heartbeat, like breath pulled out of lungs.

  She reached for her, but the world was tumbling. Steel crumpled. The windshield exploded. Time shattered into jagged shards of motion and sound.

  And then—

  Nothing.