ELIJAH KNIGHT
"Get up, nerd!" a voice shouts. My eyes shoot open as I bring my arms up, ready to fight. "Who the hell do you think you're trying to fight?"
The familiarity of the voice begins to click.
"Damn it, Arthur. I was sleeping pretty well," I groan, rubbing my eyes as I stare into the blurry world.
"Here," he says while holding a hand toward me, a pair of black sticks resting in his palm.
I take them and I'm ashamed to admit that it took me a few seconds to notice he handed me my glasses.
Damn, I'm blind.
I put my glasses on and look up at him as he lords over my bedside. "What's the occasion?"
"We're leaving. Pack your shit. Oh, and give me your nub," he answers, chuckling at his last remark.
"Bastard," I grumble as I reach my stump of a hand out toward him.
He takes my wrist into his left hand and holds his right hand over it while turning it counterclockwise. My eyes widen to their highest extent as the nub where my hand used to be well... grows a hand?
My fingers, joints, the lines on my palm, and everything... they all return.
"Arthur... I'm sure you hear this a lot... but what the fuck?" I ask. He breaks out into a fit of laughter and thumps me on the forehead.
"Watch it there, Four Eyes. I can take it away if you want," he taunts.
"Nope! I love it! Very great!" I shout, whipping my hands behind me and resting them at the small of my back.
"Mhmm. As I said, pack your shit. We're going back to Xyrus," he reiterates.
"Why? Isn't it still occupied?" I ask, bewildered.
"As of a couple of hours ago? No," he answers.
"Wha- hell yeah!" I shout, shooting up to my feet. I sprint over to the 'dresser' I have in my room and begin ripping out clothes and storing them in my dimension ring.
"Come to the exit portal in 20," he says before my bedroom door opens.
"Got it!" I reply, excited beyond belief.
It isn't much in the grand scheme of things, but most of my happiest memories in this life were in Xyrus.
With each pair of clothes I stuff into my dimension ring, a memory resurfaces. The pillow wall between Arthur and when I first slept at the Helstea Estate. Figuring out Arthur and Tessia knew each other. Walking through the halls with Arthur and hoping, praying even, for some girl to choose me instead of gawking at him.
Maybe that last one is a bit weird.
Probably also worth noting those all have Arthur in them... huh... yeah...
Anyway, now that I've finished packing, I hurriedly race out the door and run to the exit portal only to find Arthur and his family waiting alone.
"Elijah... it's only been four minutes..." Arthur states, tilting his head slightly as he leans against the white stone portal frame.
"Wha-?" I mumble -mostly because I'm out of breath.
-------------------
After waiting for a while, we finally exit the Relictombs. For most of us, it's the last time we'll ever see that purple sky that took care of us for the past year.
I say 'us' as if I was there. Eh, close enough.
As the purple glow of the Relictombs ceases to be, the bright light of the sun beams down on me. Cheers ring out as people shout, yell, and whistle.
We emerged at Xyrus Palace on a balcony overlooking the gardens of the palace. Arthur, Tess, and Virion approach the railing and wave out at the cheering crowd beneath.
It's surreal.
"Please. Please. Settle down," Arthur calls out, his voice amplified by his own sound magic.
The cheers begin to subside before he speaks again. "To my fellow humans, our grandfathers, but to elves and dwarves, our fathers, fought a war. War ravaged our continent, our nations. It was because of this war that we fostered hate for each other that took decades before it even began to recede.
"The plague of war struck once again seven years ago in this very city. Even from here, I can see it. Off in the distance, Xyrus Academy lies in relative ruin in comparison to its former glory. Alacrya struck and slaughtered our children -your sons and daughters. While that may be true, I ask of you one thing, just as the war between humans and elves was perpetuated by the former king of Sapin's greed, this one had similar origins. The people of Alacrya were caught up in the greed of a power struggle between two tyrants."
Above us, a huge image display artifact appears. On the screen, a pair of contraptions not native to this world sit. Two guillotines rest on a stage as men and women begin to murmur in the crowd beneath.
Arthur picks up once more, "These tyrants have been felled. They remain powerless and will answer for their crimes. The world no longer has a need for them. Cruel as it may be, they have been sentenced to death by the populous of Epheotus, the continent of our supposed deities.
"This camera feed is live from Epheotus. Their executions are to be broadcast, and while it is a monumental occasion for the liberation of the continents, I ask that you show them the respect befitting all living beings. They are people just like us. They may live longer, be more powerful, and perhaps truly be superior, but nothing... and I mean nothing... can take away the emotions that even they feel.
"Look on them not with disdain but with pity. Pity the lives that led them to their circumstances. But beyond that pity, remember those you lost, for they smile down upon us.
"When those men are brought to the guillotine, you need not look. You need not observe. Merely the knowledge is enough. Look away if the thought bothers you or if your stomach lacks the fortitude.
"I ask that I may have your undivided attention for a moment."
Arthur glances down at his feet and takes a deep breath.
"I... We all lost someone. Remember them well. We will see them again, sooner than you may think. Thank you."
Arthur waves to the crowd beneath before stepping back, receding from the view of the people.
Cheers erupt in the crowd.
"Godspell! Godspell! Godspell! Godspell!"
A blush emerges on Arthur's face as he turns to enter the palace.
Virion steps up to where Arthur was and begins to deliver a speech of his own.
"People of Dicathen, peace befalls us once again. Thanks to your persistence, Lance Godspell's unrivaled strength, and Alacrya's revolution, we can live in harmony again. While it may take time to shirk the prejudice, it is for the better that we cooperate and integrate the societies of the two continents just as we had begun to do with the races nearly a decade ago.
"As the first order of business, in a symbol of the union between the continents, I have an announcement. A wedding will take place. The continents will be joined in a manner that binds us so long as they live. I welcome to you the Commander of Dicathen's Armed Forces and Sovereign of the Sehz-Clar Domain of Alacrya.
Bairon and Seris approach the railing alongside Virion, waving down to the people.
When did that start?
As if she was reading my mind, Ellie nudges my side, "Close your mouth. You'll catch bugs," she giggles before continuing. "You should have seen the sexual tension in the Council meetings as of late. It was unbearable. Virion sure got a kick out of it too."
"Huh... that's new," I mumble.
As the murmurs from beneath the balcony begin to subside, Virion starts back up. "I understand that the speed may be cause for concern, but I can assure you, I couldn't make them wait anymore." Virion chuckles and holds his stomach while turning to Seris and Bairon.
"In two days, the ceremony will be held and we can all finally begin to realize the benefits of our integration. This is just the first step. More is to come but I ask that you withhold your anger. Withhold your ire toward the continent of Alacrya for the actions of those that slew your family on a battlefield is not representative of Alacrya as a whole. Many of those that came to fight never sought to hurt you and were caught up in dire circumstances where their families and livelihoods were threatened.
"Please try and be understanding. It may sound as if I'm out of touch, but remember that I have suffered too. My son, my daughter-in-law, my kingdom... those are gone too. For the longest, I thought I had lost my granddaughter too. It's because of this woman here, Seris Vritra, Sovereign of Sehz-Clar, that I can speak to their nature. She has been with us every step of the way throughout the resistance. She humanized her people and showed us that Alacrya is capable of so much more than the belligerence we've seen them exhibit.
"We are at peace. Long live Dicathen."
Virion raises his hand as if it were a toast and recedes from public view. He sighs heavily and glances over to Tess with a warm smile, "It's over, little one. Let's go find Arthur."
Tessia nods excitedly and they exit the balcony.
Ooh's and Ahh's begin to sound out from the crowd beneath. Gazes shift from Seris and Bairon to the display artifact above us.
Movement finally begins. Chains can be heard clacking and two forms finally enter the frame.
"People of Alacrya and Dicathen, I am Aldir of Clan Thyestes, the current leader of Epheotus, the land of those you call deities," he begins, glancing off to the side of whatever artifact is recording him as if he's reading a teleprompter. "To my side is my one you may recognize. To Alacrya, you would say High Sovereign, to Dicathen, you may simply say Agrona."
A third figure emerges from the side, a woman with blazing red hair and fiery red eyes grips Agrona by his broken left horn and brings his face into view. It isn't bloodied, it isn't pained, and it definitely isn't happy. He gazes into the image-capturing artifact with indifference.
"His execution is to be swift and with dignity, for it is all he has left," Aldir concludes.
Aldir steps out of frame and the woman places Agrona firmly on the bench of the guillotine, locking his head into place with the stockade. Not so much as a grimace emerges on his face. His fate is sealed and it seems he's accepted it.
The woman begins to speak, "Agrona of Clan Vritra, you are to be sentenced to death for your crimes against the continents. Your tyranny will go down in history books and your name will forever be infamous. Perhaps you can find solace in the thought that you'll be remembered at all. Have you any last words?"
"I finally met a foe greater than I. There is no shame in my failure," he recites.
"May Fate smile down upon you," the woman says solemnly before she singes the rope to her side, allowing the blade to begin its descent. With a dense thud, it makes contact with the stockade beneath, severing Agrona's head without issue. His head begins to roll to the side before it ceases from his horn getting caught on the edge, leaving his lifeless eyes to stare intently into the image-capturing artifact.
Aldir returns to the frame once more, "And to the second, Kezess Indrath, descendant of the greatest asura to be, Arkanus Indrath, and former ruler of Epheotus." His gaze shifts back to the camera as he bows and takes his leave.
A man with midnight-blue skin and piercing azure eyes enters the frame with Kezess in tow. The dragon remains just as indifferent as Agrona as he's placed into the stockade of the second guillotine.
"Have you any last words?" the leviathan asks.
"None," Kezess answers coldly.
"May Fate smile down upon you," the man says as he cuts the rope to his side with a dagger. Just as with Agrona mere moments ago, the blade slams into the wood beneath. Kezess' head rolls unceremoniously into the basket at the side.
Just like that. It's finally over...
--------------------
ARTHUR LEYWIN
"Brat, don't give us false hope like that!" Virion shouts angrily. It's the first time I've ever been on the receiving end of his bad side.
"Gramps... I'm not. It's something that was bestowed upon me. I genuinely think I can do it," I answer.
"Then what? Are things just supposed to go back to how they used to be?" he asks.
"I don't know, Virion!" I snap in response. Our gazes meet and expressions simultaneously turn apologetic.
"I'm sorry, Gramps. I shouldn't have snapped like that," I apologize.
"No, Arthur. I'm equally at fault. I shouldn't have yelled," he replies.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Three knocks sound out on the door to the room.
"Come in," I call out.
The door gently creaks open as a head of gunmetal hair peers through the crack. Two bloodshot, emerald eyes appear and stare at Virion and I. "Are you two still arguing?"
"No- well... yes... kind of. You can come in Tess," I answer while walking to the door. It creaks again as she pushes it open and enters the room. "Are you okay?"
"No, Art! I'm not okay. Can you do it or not? Stop talking in hypotheticals!" she shouts as she weakly and repeatedly punches my chest.
"I- I don't know Tess, but I'm going to try regardless," I answer.
A hand graces my shoulder, causing me to turn my head.
"It's okay if you can't, Arthur. We've made it this far and we can keep going afterward regardless," Virion advises.
"Thanks, Gramps. I just need a little time," I reply, pulling Tess into a more firm embrace. "Just a little time."
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REYNOLDS LEYWIN
Another stroll through the clouded region in the 'sky.'
After a few more steps, I approach the metaphorical edge. Every day for the past couple of years, I come to this exact spot and watch over my family in solemn silence. At times others will greet me like Adam or the Eraliths. None of their time makes me as happy as watching Arthur, Ellie, and Alice go about their lives.
At least my sacrifice was worth something. I'm sorry I can't be there with you.
Arthur holds Tessia tightly as Virion observes from the side. He looks to the ceiling as a pair of tears leak from each eye. His gaze gradually moves around the room before his head rapidly stops. He turns and looks up... at me...
What?
Tears stream down his face ceaselessly as we make eye contact... at least I think we do...
I only have the chance to think for a few seconds before I hear it... my son's voice.
'Do you want to come home, Dad? We're waiting for you.'
My whole world is rocked. He... he can see me?
"Just jump, Dad. I'll catch you."
He smiles with one I only ever saw in the mirror when I was a young man.
From this world or not, Arthur, you'll always be my son.
I allow myself to drop from the ledge of the clouds. I don't even fall. I merely just continue to exist as if nothing ever happened.
I look down at myself. A brown shirt, khaki pants. Hairy arms, just as I had left them, and most importantly, my legs.
I glance over at Arthur as a wide range of colors begins to oscillate around us.
"While you may have died once, Dad, it wasn't your fate to stay that way," Arthur says, pulling me into a hug.
My vision blurs as the dots of black, white, and every color of the rainbow become indiscernible blobs. Tears stream down my face as I reciprocate the embrace, feeling the warmth of my son for the first time in years. His heartbeat against my own, his tears falling on my shoulder and his almost annoyingly smooth hands clasped around my back.
"You're home, Dad, but you're just the first of many."
A/N: To my readers, thank you so much for sticking with me through broken schedules and a hiatus. It's been a pleasure to write LTTBK and I hope you were equally as pleased reading it. Epilogues coming out soon! New fic idea is in the works. Expect it in the summer. Anywho.....
Naz out!