Chaos was ready. They could see it in his serious red-eyed stare as he touched his blade. He closed his eyes, remembering that Dark Dranzer had made this for him, his closest friend having said that it'd be an advantage during the battle and Chaos wished he had been right as Suzaku's own blade had been customized by him yet it hadn't helped him against Kai.
Nemesis, Hecate, Hades, Gaea, Ouranos, Tartarus, Dark Draciel, Dark Dragoon, Dark Driger and Dark Dranzer were gone, just like before. It hurt him to lose them again, after how hard they had tried to leave their seals. Gaea hated the dark confines and Chaos wished he had been able to protect her from them.
'I am a useless, worthless human being.'
Chaos blinked, looking up. He recognized that voice. How was he able to hear Takao when the male kept to himself in his bubble that Takao had created to not be near Chaos? He could hear the boy listing how inhumane he was, making Chaos wonder how badly he screwed the human for life.
'I am not a human. Humans have emotions and I do not. I am only Master's puppet.'
Once, long ago, he used to think that about himself. He had been conditioned to think that way by the Elders and it had only been thanks to Night – gentle Night who was dead because of him – that he started thinking highly about himself. Takao had no one.
Once this is over, you'll be free to see the stars, one way or another. Chaos thought, closing his eyes. It would all end now. Whether it'd be his end or humanity's, he did not know. But the end was coming.
Whose end was coming?
~~~MIAB~~~
Third was tired and that was obvious. They had never seen her look so tired as she did now. Fifteen looked just as tired, if not more, than her. The two had been at each other's throats for hours – days in some universes, weeks in others and there was a universe where a century had passed – and they were tired of it.
"Would anyone else wish to contribute to the case of Seventeen's fate?" First asked, looking tired as she tried to keep track of the current conversation and what was occurring in the battle against the Forsaken Fallen. She ran a hand through her hair before standing, "So, it has been settled?"
"This is utter bullshit." Third muttered, although, in the silent room, everyone heard her. She glared up at First Elder, "Are you really going to do this? She's your sister and you're willing to kill her for a sin she's not guilty of?"
"It's been decided, Third Elder," First said in a no-nonsense tone, eyes cold and serious. She looked down at her younger sister – who was sprawled on the floor and bound there by the chains – who looked younger now, reflecting how powerless she felt. She looked six, for crying out loud.
First unclenched her right hand and a silver staff that looked as if it had once been part of Yggdrasil appeared. She looked at all the Elders that were seated on their thrones and ignored the lone seat that belonged to Seventeen before pointing the staff on Seventeen's head.
"Seventeenth Elder, the Elders have decided that you are guilty of the actions of the holy beasts for gifting them with unnecessary emotions that have caused grief to humanity. Your punishment is death."
~~~MIAB~~~
Everyone walked up the stairs in silence and it was killing Aya on the inside. Riku had stopped crying, only staring ahead with dead eyes that she hated to see him have. Shun was now being carried by Hikaru – something everyone had protested but Hikaru had blown everyone off, saying he had every right to carry his little brother – while the unconscious Rin was being carried by Kai.
The one leading everyone to Chaos's room was Tyson. Every time he took a step forward, he felt his heart clench, as if Night did not want to fight Chaos and was regretting his actions. However, he remembered Takao and that gave him the resolve to keep on going, no matter how scared he felt.
I don't need to be afraid of losing. I have faith in my bond with Dragoon and my friends. I won't lose.
Tyson returned to reality when he noticed he had finally made it to the top of the stairs. He looked at the double doors and took a deep breath. Behind this door, one of the most ancient and powerful beasts dwelled, prepared to battle him. If he lost, humanity was doomed.
Talk about "no pressure".
Tyson turned to face his friends for a brief moment before he pushed the doors open and entered Chaos's chamber. He paused, seeing who was floating on the ceiling. He spotted Hilary, Mariah, Emily, Zeo, Ozuma Kevin, Eddy, Spencer, Enrique, Miguel, Mystel, Lee, Michael and Ian, all of them connected to darkness tubes that seemed to be taking something out of them. It terrified Tyson.
"Like the decorations?" Chaos asked, appearing from seemingly out of nowhere. He looked just he always did, although he looked more serious. His eyes glanced at everyone behind them and then looked back, "Go ahead, my guests, your friends are waiting."
Tyson was about to ask what he was talking about when he spotted Raul, Oliver, Zeus and Ming-Ming behind the powerful beast. Julia almost cried as she finally caught a glimpse of her brother. She rushed towards him and Raul ran to his sister. The two met halfway and their embrace made everyone else smile.
"I thought I'd never see you again." Julia whispered to Raul. She knew she wasn't one for sentimental words, that's what Raul would always tell her, but she had been possessed for weeks by a psychotic spirit while her brother had suffered a similar dilemma. Showing some weakness was okay now.
"I missed you, Julia." Raul said and the twins broke away from their hug. Ming-Ming and Oliver had a less sappy reunion with their friends while Zeus collapsed in Garland's arms.
"Tell Brooklyn that I'm putting you in charge of him," Zeus muttered, "If he listens to you from now on, maybe we won't be in this situation again." He hummed, closing his eyes, "That'll be nice." With that, Zeus finally let his human tamer take over.
"See," Chaos said, gesturing at his guests, "I can take care of your people. I even served them tea."
"Did Dark Draciel make it?" Max asked the spirit, "If so, it was probably terrible tea."
"No, it was good tea. Chaos said that Dark Dranzer made it." Oliver assured the blonde.
Chaos rolled his eyes before his eyes landed on Tyson's figure. He stepped forward, "You know what you have in your heart, Tyson Granger, child of the skies. For that reason alone, I will not kill you." He took out his blade, the beyblade glinting in the little light the room had.
Tyson took out Dragoon and they noticed he began to float. When he blinked, his eyes were scalene-like, mirroring Dragoon's. His hair was being moved by an invisible wind and the blue aura that surrounded him was brighter than ever, to the point where everyone could see it, not just Kenny. Scales seemed to form around his eyes, making him seem more like a dragon.
"That's something you don't see every day," Chaos applauded, his own eyes turning darker. Shadows formed around him and the room shook with his power, "Let us dance, child of the skies."
Tyson nodded, his whole body coursing with power he had never felt before. He could feel Dragoon's presence and the two were one, controlling Tyson's body in perfect synchronization. He got into a battle position, Chaos mirroring his actions.
This was it. Everything that had happened had led up to this moment.
Tyson felt his grip on his launcher get tighter. Takao, Ann, Rin, Riku, Shun, Hikaru, Hiro, Nami, Raul, Julia, Kaori, Kai, Max, Ray, Kenny, Daichi, Hilary, everyone, he thought as he imagined his friends in his mind, I'm fighting for you and the whole world.
Dragoon, Night, give me strength.
"Let it rip!" The three fighters yelled.
The blades spun rapidly and crashed in midair, a vortex of wind and darkness surrounding them. The wind was powerful, making everyone fall to their knees to avoid being swept away. Kai grunted, placing Rin gently on the ground and making sure he wouldn't fall victim to the howling winds.
"This is amazing!" Aya yelled, her voice almost lost in the wind.
The wind was indeed strong. However, the darkness was stronger. It sliced through Tyson's skin, making him bleed as if it was an arsenal of knives. He groaned but then he felt a warm light surround him like a barrier, healing the most serious of wounds. Well, he hadn't expected this much from just a piece of Night's soul. He only wished that it could extend to his friends as they were being sliced by the darkness.
The twister of wind and darkness faded as the blades separated, rotating in front of their respective bladers. Chaos's face contained lines of darkness while his red eyes were completely black like a void. Tyson, on the other hand, had formed more scales that were visible in places the darkness had touched.
"Wicked." Tyson/Dragoon said, grinning widely.
Chaos's eyes turned red once more as he smirked, "This is just the beginning."
The two stared at each other before, at the blink of an eye, they vanished. Kai turned his eyes to the ceiling to see the duo wasn't there. He looked around and they could only see their blades speeding towards each other at speeds that seemed to be impossible, each hit making the castle shake.
'Mortal eyes cannot see, Kai.' Dranzer said before he formed a bond with his tamer. Kai's eyes burned brighter as Dranzer lent him his sight. Immediately, he saw Chaos and Tyson/Dragoon fighting with punches laced with darkness or light, the two flying whenever it happened that one of the two was sent flying.
"They're fast." Ray noted, his own eyes glowing while his eyes shape had turned more cat-like. Riku's hands were clenched tightly together, as if he was praying. He closed his eyes and muttered something no one could hear.
Tyson/Dragoon must have been throwing at least twenty punches – laced with light, thanks to Night's influence – per minute but Chaos was faster, avoiding each punch with inhumane speed. Whenever he threw punches covered in darkness, Tyson was unable to dodge at least five of them. And they hurt like hell whenever they connected with their target.
"You're not getting into the spirit of things, Ty," Chaos said in a childish voice before his eyes turned black and he vanished, appearing behind Tyson, digging a shard of darkness where the heart was located, "Eternal Anarchic Space."
Tyson and Dragoon both screamed of physical pain while they felt their joined soul room tremble with dark power. Tyson fell to the ground next to his blade, the beyblade fairing as badly as its master. Tyson convulsed on the ground, his pupils wide as he tried to stop the pain.
"Tyson!" They all yelled.
'IT HURTS!' Tyson and Dragoon yelled in unison while Chaos dropped to the ground, muttering something under his breath. Kai recognized that attack from the day that Night had died. Like that time, the area around Chaos's blade turned black and small white lights began to form as the blade floated in the sky. Chaos smirked, "Extinction of Cosmos."
"Oh fuck." Tala said, loud enough for everyone to hear.
If Tyson thought he had been in pain before. Then, his whole body felt as if it was being sucked of all of the energy and he yelled loudly. Everyone else did too, as the attack hurt everyone in the radius that wasn't Chaos. When the attack finally stopped, everyone fell, some of them unconscious. Like before, Chaos felt the beasts protecting their tamers before they too fell to slumber.
Despite it all, Tyson's blade was still spinning, indicating the battle was not over.
Chaos tsked, "This will be a problem."
Tyson felt that everything was over. He was suffering through physical and mental pain, something no one deserved to go through. He felt himself slipping before he saw a pale hand rest on his cheek. When he opened his eyes, he noticed it was none other than the infamous Night.
Night muttered something to Tyson before brushing his hair aside. The pain in his soul room subsided but his physical pain had not. It was something he could live through, though, so he didn't complain.
"I tried to hold it all back," Night's voice spoke through the veil of darkness and pain, "But you managed to hit Chaos too many times. I am afraid that I cannot stop them from flowing into you, Tyson. I'm sorry, Ty-." His voice vanished, leaving Tyson hollow.
Then, unwanted memories surged into his mind, making Tyson convulse on the ground. He saw memories of Chaos inside a black tower – loneliness, fear, pain, sorrow, longing "I want someone to be my friend" – and memories of the Elders – fear, respect, hatred, love, admiration, love, pain. He saw memories of Night – friend, love, warm, love, friendship, laughter, love, sorrow, "I love you" – and memories of the Forsaken Fallen – friends, love, protect, love, "must protect them" – before they went to Earth.
He saw memories of the other holy beasts – love, friends, family, love, "they're my light" – and memories of Erebus – friend, love, friendship, funny, "good friend", betrayal, regret, hatred, sorrow. He saw memories of Daisuke – jealousy, "you took my family", eventual respect, then love – and Sasha – annoyance, friendship, longing, love, "stay with me".
Finally, he saw Chaos's memories of his last moments – "why?", betrayal, family, love turned to hatred, curse, mourn, sorrow, fear, terror, hatred, love, hatred, love – and his time in the seal – curse, regret, sorrow, loneliness, longing, fear, pain, "just like before" – before he was finally unleashed.
Seeing all of this, feeling all of this, Tyson shed a lone tear.
Chaos had suffered through all of that? His memories had started with loneliness, sorrow, fear, pain and longing and that's how the memories had ended. That was unfair. Chaos deserved more.
No, the Forsaken Fallen had deserved more.
Chaos had suffered the most but he hadn't been the only one in pain. Everyone else had been too. He thought of Dark Dragoon's last words to Dark Dranzer, words that no one but he knew of, and the pain in his heart that had nothing to do with Chaos's attack increased.
"I'm sorry. I love you."
The Forsaken Fallen had been the unfortunate pawns of the cruel design of fate. They had fought Eden's Rapture – friends, enemies, friends, enemies – to save their family and the world and were rewarded with only insanity, regret and a deep sorrow. While they were still reeling from those horrible events, they were betrayed by the family they had saved and sealed away, forced to be alone with the emotions that turned them into the beasts they were now.
"No," Tyson said aloud, startling Chaos as he hadn't expected the male to talk. He got to his knees on shaky legs, feeling blood coming from wounds the two attacks Chaos had thrown out.
Chaos frowned, "No what?"
"Things are going to be different," Tyson said, memories of the genuine smiles that Chaos and the others gave surging through him, "You're not too far gone yet. Your grey skies will be replaced with the blue sky we live under. You're not lost to us!" With that, a silver aura surrounded Tyson, making Tyson's clothes form into white robes with blue designs. Little stars surrounded him, making Tyson and Chaos wonder where they had come from.
"I am glad that I am not the only one that saw it."
Chaos's eyes widened while Tyson turned to see Rin was standing next to him. His blue eyes, however, were white, indicating that Night was the one in control. His hands were in a praying motion before smiling, grabbing Tyson's hand, "Save my loved ones, Tyson."
Tyson nodded and lifted the joined hands, "Let's do this, Dragoon!" He wasn't fighting for just humanity now. He was now fighting to save the Forsaken Fallen from their dark thoughts.
His blade glowed and the dragon shot out, giving out a roar. Night felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Max. Max nodded at him before his green aura mixed with Night's and Tyson's. Tyson's free hand was now enveloped by a very warm hand and the blunette knew it was Kai. The two hands on his back were just as familiar, Tyson thought as his blue aura mixed with white, green, purple, red and gold.
"Let me hear you roar, Dragoon!" Tyson yelled as his power and the power of his friends powered Dragoon's next attack. Chaos was trying to form his own attack, concentrating at the task at hand.
"Let us bring this story to an end, shall we?" Night said. Tyson, Kai, Max, Ray and Daichi nodded before turning to face their enemy, whose attack had also finished forming.
Chaos yelled, "Infinite Cosmo Obliteration!"
"Yggdrasil's Sacred Tempest!" Tyson yelled, his eyes glowing a bright silver. Dragoon roared loudly as he headed straight for the epicenter of Chaos's attack. The silver branches of Yggdrasil seemed to bind Chaos before the blue dragon's attack landed.
Chaos's blade shattered before, moments later, Dragoon did too.
The world was enveloped in light, wind, fire, earth, water, darkness and electricity and that also occurred in worlds too far and too numerous to name. The worlds all pulsed with energy from the clash before, finally, everything came to a stop.
In the small dimension that the Forsaken Fallen had inhabited, the castle had finally stopped shaking and the smoke had cleared. Chaos was on the ground, staring up at the sky that was now visible as the attack had destroyed the ceiling. He smiled at the blue skies and closed his eyes, "Thank you."
Chaos began to leave his human body and returned to his bit-chip, prepared to rest at long last. It seemed that it had been his end after all. With that, Chaos was now in his seal and Takao was back.
Kai groaned, getting on his knees. Tyson was out cold and it seemed that his connection with Night and Dragoon had ended. Night was standing up, whispering what seemed to be an incantation, while Daichi was helping Max to his feet. Ray had run to the others while also checking up on the ones they had thought to be lost to the shadows. Kaori was hugging Hilary and Mariah, apologizing for what she had done to them when Nemesis had control over her.
"It is time to return to your home, everyone," Night said as a portal behind him opened up. He smiled, "I knew you could do it. I had faith in you all since the beginning. You did not disappoint me, my beloved heroes. Take care of yourselves. I may not be actively in your future but I shall watch over all of you fondly. Farewell." His eyes turned blue and he began to fall, Rin taking over.
Kai caught Rin before he fell, however, and turned to the others who all looked exhausted. He hoisted Rin to his shoulders as if the pale boy was a sack of potatoes before walking over and carrying Tyson over his shoulder as well. He looked at the portal, "You heard Night. It's time to go home. The battle is over."
~~~MIAB~~~
Tyson woke up in a dark room that he had no memory of ever being in. He blinked, sitting up and was shocked when he came face-to-face with a raven-haired male that was floating inside a substance that looked like water. The male must have been around sixteen years old and was dressed in simple black clothes that clung to his body. He looked like he was sleeping, though Tyson wasn't sure if he was.
"You did it. You sealed away the Forsaken Fallen."
Tyson turned around to see someone was hiding in the shadows. He stood up to get a better glimpse of the speaker and was silent as said person came out from the shadows. He took a step back, "You are-."
"Recognize me?" The male asked, his dark eyes looking at Tyson with malice.
"You're Erebus." Tyson replied, looking around to only see several raven-haired boys floating in containers like the first boy he had seen. He noticed that they all looked familiar, although he didn't know from where. Erebus placed a hand on one of the containers, gazing fondly at the raven-haired boy, before smirking at Tyson.
"Correct, Tyson Granger, child of the skies." Erebus said, "Tell me, do you know your sins?"
"Do you know yours?" Tyson shot back, taking steps back every time Erebus took steps forward. He didn't have anything to protect himself with and this was a problem when he was in front of this beast, the one that had started this mess of beasts versus humanity. He bumped into one of the containers, making the boy inside stir.
"My sins are not something a human should speak of lightly," Erebus responded, "Your sin, your greatest sin, Tyson Granger, is the sin of sealing away my precious Chaos." His white hair began to float while Tyson could feel darkness surround him. Erebus looked pissed.
"Why did you presume that you could seal what was mine?" He asked and Tyson felt fear course through his veins at the devilish look that Erebus had on his face. Chaos had never been a frightening figure to Tyson yet Erebus, who was weaker than Chaos, did. Perhaps it was because, unlike Chaos, Erebus wouldn't hesitate to kill him.
"For your unforgivable sin to be cleansed, you must die!" Erebus yelled and darkness gathered in his hands. He rushed towards Tyson, prepared to kill the defenseless human.
Tyson dodged the attack and began to run, Erebus cackling as he followed. The blunette hid behind a container and gripped his chest. He heard his heart pounding loudly and he was afraid that Erebus could hear it. He wished he was anywhere but here. He wished-.
"Found you!" Erebus laughed as Tyson's chest began to emit a soft silver glow. Before Erebus could land his attack, Tyson felt himself float and vanish. He closed his eyes and opened them to find himself flying above the heads of people he had never seen before.
"Tyson?!" One of them said aloud, surprised.
"Where am I?" The teen asked, floating down and standing next to a little girl that he recognized from the memories Chaos had accidently passed to him from their battle. He kneeled down next to the girl, "Seventeen?"
"How are you here?" Seventeen whispered, gazing at Tyson with something akin to wonder, "Humans have never been able to come here. How did you do it?" She glanced at the Elders behind Tyson, "Did anyone do it?"
"We haven't brought humans here since we created mankind. The only one who was closing to coming here was Daisuke, centuries ago." A male – Fifteen – answered as he glanced around the room, "How did you come here, Tyson Granger, child of the skies?"
"To be honest, I have no idea," He answered before standing up. He looked around, feeling as if he had seen this place before. When he looked out the windows, the teenager finally recognized this place as the place he and Kai had found themselves in during their battle in the World Tournament.
"There must be a reason, child of the skies, for your arrival to our chamber," The Sixth Elder said, looking at Tyson with curiosity. A small part of Tyson told him that it was because he looked a lot like Dragoon. Perhaps that small part of Tyson that had said that was the piece of Night's soul that was asleep inside his heart.
Wait. Tyson blinked, staring at the people in front of him as if he had barely seen them. These were the Seventeen Elders, the creators of the universe. If anyone could do anything to help with fate's design, it would be them!
"I think there is." Tyson thought aloud before turning to the lords and ladies of the universe – or universes – and spoke, "In this last battle, I saw the memories of Chaos. I felt his happiness, his love, his sadness and his hatred. I could feel how lonely he was inside his dark prisons. He saw the corruption of humanity throughout the ages and that sucks for him. He started seeing all of humanity as corrupted beings and that is what led to all of this. I'm sure the other members of the Forsaken Fallen felt the same way."
"I agree." Third said, leaning back on her seat, "Preach, Ty, preach."
Tyson grinned at the female and decided that he'd be great friends with this Elder. He cleared his throat before continuing, "So, as my grandpa would say, the Forsaken Fallen need better 'prison digs'."
"Prison digs?" First asked, looking amused at the way Tyson had phrased that. Everyone stared at her in awe, as she hadn't looked like that in almost centuries. A smiling First was a good thing, they all agreed.
"Yeah." Tyson nodded, "You have several dimensions, some of which you probably don't use. Instead of putting the members of the Forsaken Fallen alone in some dark prison where they'll be alone with only their thoughts and emotions again, put them together in a place where they'll be happy."
He looked down, remembering a distant memory where all of the Forsaken Fallen members – Nemesis, Hecate, Hades, Gaea, Ouranos, Tartarus, Dark Draciel, Dark Dragoon, Dark Driger, Dark Dranzer and Chaos – were all happily running through beautiful green meadows, acting like carefree children rather than powerful beasts that could destroy humanity. They all deserved that. They didn't deserve to be alone where they would suffer.
"That's a great idea," Second said, standing up. She looked around to see no one had stood up and blushed, "Um, well, I just-."
"Relax, Second," Third said, standing up and nodding, "I was thinking about doing the same thing." With that, all but one Elder stood and Tyson noticed it was the Fifteenth Elder. First Elder glanced at all the Elders and nodded.
"It's been decided, then." She turned to face Tyson and smiled. For a brief moment, that kind and gentle smile made Tyson think of home. First Elder walked towards him and placed her cool hands on his hands. They were small hands, Tyson noted before First placed a kiss on his forehead, catching him off guard. By the blank looks of the other Elders, neither were they.
"Thank you," She whispered, "for saving those who I thought I had been lost from me forever." She closed her eyes, her voice serious, "Eden Rivers, Riliane, Tsubasa Mizushima, Yudai, Nico Tsukino, Saori Ogata, Rikku Yamamoto and Aria Umezawa. Don't forget them, Tyson."
Tyson had no time to react before First pulled away, her gentle features disappearing as her face was suddenly cold and professional-like, "As the sentence of the Forsaken Fallen has changed, so will the sentence of the Seventeenth Elder. I propose an idea that will resolve both problems."
'Don't forget, child of the skies, guardian of destruction. This might not be the end.' First's voice resounded inside his head before she pushed him and he fell, yelling out of reflex. He reached out for her before the world turned dark and he wouldn't stop falling. His eyes were heavy and he felt compelled to close his eyes. Then-.
~~~MIAB~~~
Tyson woke up on the ground, people speaking around him loudly and he could hear someone crying. He was resting on someone's arms and, when he looked, he saw it was none other than his father. Bruce was holding him tightly, apologizing for something, while Hiro and Grandpa were looming over him, Hiro leaning heavily on Grandpa.
"Oh, Aya!" Tyson looked to see Aya sobbing in the arms of a young-looking couple who were, without a doubt, her parents. Her father – a blond man with light blue eyes – and her mother – a brunette with purple eyes – were showering Aya with kisses, her mother crying of joy.
Tyson looked around to find Nami hugging a woman with long black hair and light green eyes and a man with navy blue hair and blue eyes, the trio conversing in English. Nami was laughing, tears streaming down her cheeks.
The twins were hugging an older woman with blue hair and brown eyes, the woman squeezing them tightly and crying of joy, running her hands through the scars the twins possessed. Hikaru was smiling, hugging the woman tightly, while Shun was crying, the woman trying to comfort the younger twin.
Kaori was surrounded by brunettes who were all crying. Her sisters and brothers were apologizing for the mean things they had told her while her father stared at her as if seeing in her a new light while the only blonde – her stepmother – was kissing the girl's cheeks, laughing at seeing Kaori once again.
Tyson tried to find Riku and Rin but saw paramedics leaning over someone, Kai shouting Rin's name. A paramedic yelled "Clear" and then they said that his heart had started beating again. They carried the person – Rin – onto a stretcher and the ambulance drove off.
"Wha-?" Tyson mumbled as his father continued to fuss over him, eyes seeing all his tired and wounded friends. He looked up at Hiro with tired eyes, "How did we get out?"
"Kai led us out, with a little help from Night," Hiro replied, "Grandpa called the ambulance and we're all heading over there right now. Riku, Ann, Takao and Rin went on ahead in the first ambulances but one is coming for all of us soon." He winced, "We all need it."
"Great." Tyson muttered, his eyes fluttering shut, "We're all okay. We're all okay, right? I sealed Chaos away." Hiro smiled down at his younger brother and nodded. Tyson was happy at that before he closed his eyes, falling asleep once more. Anyone would have tried to wake him up but, after what he had done, they knew that Tyson deserved rest.
After all, it was finally over.
Right?
Wrong, the universe whispered.