Running through the labrinyth would normally be far more difficult for the pair of seasoned Integrity Knights. Luckily, the man they ran in after had left quite the trail to lead them. Gashes in the walls, parts of the ruins torn to shreds and the bodies of fallen foes decorated their path. Eydis sighed. "This man didn't even try to sneak past..." Bercouli smiled. "However, because of his method of entry we know exactly where to find him Little Eydis." She couldn't argue with the commander's logic. While it wasn't what she would have done, without the obvious battle remains they would surely be lost among the hallways. Their tracking would soon be rewarded, as the two at last emerged into the final chamber. Dust was still barely settling, and the room was a total wreck. Sitting among the broken chunks of stone was a hunched over Kirito, Blue Rose at his side. Across from him, the unmistakeable figure of Quinella was tinkering with what seemed to be the broken Night Sky. It was clear she was using her abilites to fix the blade and restore it from its battle damage. On the floor, draped in a battered tarp, was the body of another Kirito. There was no sign of life coming from him, and another pair of the same swords lay next to him. Bercouli nor Eydis could make heads or tails of the confusing scene before them. "Boy." The old warrior called out, to which the ravenette looked over his shoulder with a somber expression. The dirty, lavender haired administrator looked up as well to see the face of her closest confidant. "Commander Bercouli. You look well." She greeted. "I can hardly speak the same of the two of you. You're both worse for wear." He replied, approaching the group. Eydis followed close behind, her eyes uncomfortably glued to the second Kirito on the ground. "Kirito... what is this...? What's going on here?" Quinella turned to her ally with a gentle tone. "You haven't told them yet, have you?" Kirito sharply inhaled, then exhaled. "This is far from the way I wanted to explain things." He arose from his seat and turned to them.
...
After explaining the truth in as much depth as he could, he looked down to his feet. "I apologize for the deceit. It was just not so easy to explain such a heavy reality." Eydis looked down as well, then back up with a surprised face. "Alls well that ends well though. You stopped the threat upon our world and destroyed the revived Emperor Vecta. I can hardly fault you when you shouldered so much responsibility and pulled through. You have my gratitude Kirito." The black swordsman chuckled and rubbed his neck. "I appreciate the sentiment more than you realize, Eydis. Thank you." Quinella smiled at the exchange, relieved. "It is finally over, then."
Bercouli finally interjected. "Not quite. This teleportation artifact you mentioned must still be destroyed. We must see to that." Quinella shook her head. "No. Leave that to me." She handed the Night Sky back to Kirito. It was fully repaired. "Take good care of her from now on. Okay, Mr. Hero?" The ravenette nodded and took back his sword. "Thank you for everything, Quinella. Give Diavel and Kibaou my thanks as well." She bowed. "That I will. Good luck to you. I doubt this is the last time we will meet. The coming days will prove that, I'm sure of it." The administrator daintily walked to a nearby wall, and eroded it with her powers, then disappeared through the hole.
The three looked at each other, then down to the lifeless body of the other Kirito. "So what happens to him?" Eydis reluctantly asked. Kirito shook his head. "Don't worry about it." Just as he spoke those words, the doppleganger's body shone a bright white and yellow, and began to disintegrate. The Sacred Power making up his body began to circle around the real Kirito, and permeate his body from every direction. Bercouli and Eydis watched on in amazement as their world's dual wielding swordsman became one with his template. All of the power and memories combined, and settled. Kirito clutched his chest. "I won't let you down. I promise." He then sheathed his two blades, and wrapped the copies up in the cloth that used to cover the body. After tightly securing them, he used some of the rubble to forge a third scabbard, and sheathed the Elucidator within it. After securing it to his waist, he quietly took the wrapped blades and began walking out. "Come. We can't keep Alice waiting any longer." The pair looked to each other and nodded, following Kirito out.
...
Alice looked out the window quietly. Her one azure orb shimmered in the candle light as she cleaned the dishes. The children were already in bed for the night, and she was all alone. As she cleaned a plate gently, she looked at her reflection in it. She placed a hand against her covered eye, the one lost breaking free from the Church's control. She thought about Kirito, what brought them together, and his smile as he left with Eydis. She managed to fake a smile herself, but was interrupted as she heard Amayori begin grumbling. She put the plate into the sink and looked into the moonlit sky. Alice could finally see three figures approaching the cabin. It was Bercouli and Eydis atop their dragons and most importantly Kirito who was flying beside them. She gasped and covered her mouth, then ran outside to meet them without hesitation.
As they landed, Alice's heart throbbed so hard she felt like she would die. Her beloved approached her alone, holding some kind of wrapped item, but she didn't care. "Kirito! Darling!" She called to him, running. She pressed into him and hugged him tightly. "Oh Stacia, how I was worried! I'm so glad you're okay!" But there was a silence. An odd, foreboding silence. She broke away from him and looked around at the knights who accompanied him. They wore faces shrouded in grief. "Eydis? Uncle? What's the meaning of this?" She finally turned back to her lover and her expression began to change. Her heart slowed. He had the exact same expression. "What... what's wrong... Kirito dear...?" He bit his lip and reeled from her question. "Alice... I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..." An ominous wind swept their hair to the side, rustling the grass and trees, as he held out the wrapped item to her. She held her chest as she slowly untied the knot and released it, allowing the cloth to drop. Under it was the Night Sky and Blue Rose, with the Memory Locket sitting on top. "What... it's just your weapons and the lo-" The knightress stopped, looking back up at him. It was then Alice noticed that the swords were still affixed to his back. She looked back down. They were there again. She breathed heavily as she began to sweat, looking back up. Everything suddenly clicked in her mind at once. Kirito's amnesia, his lack of romance initially, his focus on the locket, the mission... it all finally made sense.
Tears began to well up in her eye, as she stumbled back a bit. Memories of her Kirito smiling and waving her goodbye passed through her mind, then faded to this Kirito coming through the smoke and debris to her aid. "No... that can't... it's not... you're..." The blonde warrior held her head in despair. Bercouli closed his eyes bitterly, and Eydis looked away with tears of her own forming. Kirito tried his hardest to maintain composure. "I'm so sorry, Alice... I know how this looks... but I have no excuse... I lied. I am not the Kirito you fell in love with." He looked to the star-filled sky with remorse. He was prepared for a harsh reaction. He waited.
"Yet... even so... I still managed to fall in love with you, Kirito. This you." The ravenette's eyes widened as he looked back to Alice. He was taken aback by her words. Tears streamed down her cheek as she looked the man dead in the eyes. "Did... did he get justice?" The black swordsman shakily responded. "Yes... yes he did... I saw to it personally." The woman's mouth quivered. Little by little she lost what control she had of her emotions and ran to him, burying her face in his chest. She wailed in such horrible agony, her cries echoing throughout the forest. Eydis leaned against a nearby tree and began sobbing, covering her face with her hand. The dragons cried out in unison, as if letting the world know of their grief. Bercouli stood tall, looking away; the shadows of night masking his true expression. From the treeline, Quinella looked on. The lavender haired woman opened a Stacia Window and pressed a button, quietly teleporting away.
Kirito slowly pressed back into her, holding her head gently. He too, cried, sharing her pain and sadness. Yet even as the group aired their grievances, they cried out of relief as well. That no one else was lost in this tragedy... and that they still had each other.
...
Somewhere else, a hooded figure walked through a dark and monochrome hallway. The clacking of boots vibrated throughout the corridor, until the person entered into a much larger chamber. Dozens of familiar figures stood within it, conversating. The new figure's presence immediately caught their attention, and the entire room fell silent. The person walked up a short staircase to an elevated part of the room and turned to look upon them all. He huffed, and spoke in a very familiar voice. "Ladies and gentlemen, lend me your ears. We have a development. We have just learned that he has finally arrived on the scene." The crowd gasped and groaned. The figure lifted his hand. "This can only mean one thing... that the Council will make their move soon. The final act is about to begin." This statement was received with laughs and clapping from many of the other people in attendance. "Now is the time to strike. Now is the time to launch our final operation!" He slowly lifted his hands as the room erupted into cheering. The hooded figure grinned as two people came to his side. On his right, an ominous masked man dressed in forest camoflauge stepped from the shadows. Clouds of air shot from the sides of his metal visage as the red lenses glowed in the dim lighting. It was Death Gun, formerly Red-Eye Xaxa of Laughing Coffin. To his left, a well-dressed blonde elf approached. His gold crown seemed to twinkle as he held his elbow and stroked his chin with devilish intent. It was none other than Oberon the Fairy King, the Alfheim alias of Nobuyuki Sugō. The two chuckled menacingly as the hooded person stepped into the light and revealed himself to be none other than Kirito.
He folded his arms and smiled widely. "It begins. I hope you are prepared... other me."