Alma 112 Epilogue: The Last Sunse

Velvund and Haydn understood. They knew what the pitiful boy desired and why he had admitted his "crimes", as the boy had called them.

They'd come to the conclusion that he would never listen to them. That he'd never accept what they really wanted to tell him — that the blame did not lie solely his shoulders as he had claimed.

That they, in fact, understood that he was not as terrible as a person as he thought himself to be…

He had erred. They wouldn't deny or excuse what he'd done because of the relationship they possessed with him, but they knew he was no villain. What had happened was simply the unfortunate result of many ill-timed elements.

A pure and noble intention.

Youthful naivety and temptation.

The intoxicating allure of overwhelming power.

It was obvious to them what had happened to the boy. They'd once been in his shoes a long time ago. As a result, they could not find it in themselves to punish him the way he wanted them to.

Of the two, Velvund had been hurt the most. It pained him in a way that could not be described.

He had not been able to keep the promise that he'd made to the boy.

History, once again, had repeated itself. What Velvund feared the most had occurred in the end. He had failed the boy.

He could not blame the child for what he had done. He, of all people, had no right to do so…

In the end, it was Haydn Kingscrown who had made the call since Velvund had been unable to.

Out of mercy for the pitiful, foolish boy, the Crown Prince of the North did the only thing he could do for him…

He gave the boy what he wanted.

A punishment befitting for the sins the boy thought he had committed.

Henceforth, he would be declared dead in both the North and the East.

By the end of the day, the North would announce that the Lord of Evergreen had died in battle. Following suit, the East would do the same and confirm that the Stainless Prince had died.

That was the cover story that they had decided to use for his punishment.

For his crimes, Reed had been banished from the North and the East.

Reed was to never set foot in the lands of Men or Alf. He was not welcome in them, nor would he ever be again…

In reality, they could not enforce such a punishment on him, but it didn't matter. Deep down, Haydn and Velvund both knew that Reed would honor the punishment. It was what he desired.

He would not break the word he had given them when he accepted the punishment.

Thus, the time had come to depart. Reed made peace with the decision and decided to get his affairs in order. He didn't have a lot of time left, after all.

There was someone Reed wanted to meet one last time if he had survived. After inquiring about whether he was alive or not and his whereabouts, Reed set off to find him. He thanked everyone for listening to his tale and bid sent them off after they all said their goodbyes…

He had decided to get a couple of words in with the person who had taken care of him when he had first arrived.

It felt like an eternity since he'd last spoken to the old goat...

Reed never thought the day would come when he'd return to the Spire.

The scenery had completely changed around the Spire. Life had begun to grow where there had once been only snow and ice. A brand new era of growth had come for the North that he would never witness — that alone hurt him inside.

It's no longer the Spire — the North I once knew.

When he walked into the Spire, he smiled. It was all still the same as he remembered, down to the last little detail. He warped up a couple of floors and arrived in the dormitories, which were now inhabited with new trainees.

The poor trainees recoiled in surprise and fear when they noticed the Anima fluctuations around Reed. When they backed away nervously like frightened mice, Reed chuckled in amusement.

He remembered when they had once felt the same way — he and his beloved friends. When all it took to make them feel dread was one of Instructor Axtorius's infamous gazes and a single wave of his index finger...

Where had those carefree days gone? He didn't know…

Reed grinned and said, "...How's it going, fellas?"

The trainees looked at each in pure confusion and then one of them said, "W-Who are you, sir? We've haven't heard about this..."

"Excellent question, brat! I'm Instructor Axtorius's greatest protege and I've come here to teach as a new instructo—"

A large hand suddenly landed on one of Reed's shoulders and he involuntarily shuddered out of reflex.

O-Oh… I didn't think he'd STILL have this sort of effect on me. Damn it…

"What doing do you think you're doing to my students, fool? Don't go thinking you can take my job from me so easily just because you've grown up a little bit…!"

Reed raised his hands in surrender and said, "I was just playing with them a little bit… Honest! I'd never try to take your job, old goat… The last thing I'd want is for entire generations of Chosen to think of me as a bogeyman, haha!"

Axtorius chuckled and said, "Good, good. I'm glad you still understand your place around here… kid."

They hugged each other, heartily laughed and for a brief moment, Reed felt as if he had traveled back in time.

He felt real happiness. He felt safe. He felt like he'd come back... home.

Afterward, the pair holed themselves up in Axtorius's office and caught up with each other and eventually, they reached the heart of the matter — why Reed had come to visit Axtorius.

Reed eventually gathered his courage one last time and regaled to him everything that he had told the others back in the Reef. What he had gotten himself into since he had graduated and left the Spire.

The mess he had caused… and the punishment that had been given to him.

Axtorius grinned and said, "What'd I tell you? Got yourself in trouble just like I expected you would! I told you that you'd get pulled into trouble whether you wanted to or not. But I have to admit, you've outdone yourself, kid. Exceeded my expectations by a country mile, haha…!"

"I'm glad at least one of us is enjoying themselves," said Reed with a distraught expression on his face.

"Come on, don't be like that, kid. You did well for yourself by the end, so don't beat yourself up too hard. Keep your chin up, properly reflect on what you did wrong and move on, alright? Don't let get too caught up in the losses either — remember and honor the fallen, but don't let them turn into demons. Don't let them haunt you…" said Axtorius in a melancholy tone.

Axtorius patted Reed's back and said, "Listen, this probably isn't going to be the last time you'll mess up. We're only human, after all. You're going to stumble a bit, but don't give up on yourself, you hear me? Keep moving forward and eventually, you'll get past all of this and more…"

Reed slowly nodded and said, "…I'll try."

"Good. Trust me — it'll be alright in the end. I know it doesn't feel that way right now, but you'll understand in the future..."

And so, the mentor and his student carried on for a while longer, but eventually, their time came to an end. They smiled, hugged, and bid each other farewell…

The sun had begun to set over the horizon by the time that Reed had finally left the Spire. Soon enough the day would end…

She had been waiting outside of the Spire for him when he had left.

Reed gazed at the setting sun and then said, "I'm done."

"It's almost time, Ka'an. There are only a couple more minutes left until…"

"I know…" said Reed with a pained, bittersweet expression.

He gazed at the golden-amber sky in silence and savored the sight.

Lu'um quietly walked over to Reed's side and gazed at the sky with him as well. She'd walk beside him until the very end and beyond…

There was a lot he would have to reflect upon and process in order to one day move past what he had done. Perhaps one day in the far future, he'd forgive himself. Maybe. But right now, he couldn't. He was still immature and felt unfit as a person who possessed such incredible power.

He needed to grow into someone who could properly use what he'd been bestowed with responsibly. Make sure it never controlled him ever again.

What he'd come to realize was that he was a danger to the world as he was right now. He had bitten off more than he could chew and it'd cost him dearly.

The world did not need another disaster-in-the-making; it was better off without him.

Reed made his decision.

As the final, fading gleam of the sun shone across the North, two people vanished into the twinkling night together…

In pursuit of the light of day, peace and redemption.

For the whole world and... themselves.

Chapter end