The night is hazed with cacophonic silence.
Darkness fills every section of the spaces, and lingers to spread its vibes.
Streets are empty.
Houses are unoccupied.
Lights are absent.
The black sky of Radiata ranges throughout the land like a blanket, but does not offer warmth.
Two humans walk, side by side, hand in hand, on the street that once held the life of faiths. One is a girl, with golden, blonde hair and green olive eyes. She is adorned in tarnished apple colors and orange cloths, with white gauntlets and boots. The girl glows with sparkles of light and gold, and her presence vibrates.
The other is a boy, no taller and no older than the girl beside him. His hair is a color of woodland brown, and his eyes as well. He wears plated armor, edges trimmed with silver linings, and sturdy brandishing. His hands are ungloved, and one of them is holding unto the girl's tightly. The boy's outlines are tarnishing, his silhouette blurs with afterimages, and his movements lead those inconsistencies of existence.
The two stand before a row of houses and rooms. They mimic the silence for a brief moment, watching the play of a world of immobile life.
Eventually, the boy's lips curve in an obscure smirk. "Hey, this is where Clive always hangs around during the day. He's always making goofy faces and this totally ridiculous pose like he's a black goblin trying to pray to a dead squirrel. You do remember Clive, right?"
The girl smiles slightly. "Of course, I do. It's not everyday you meet a country boy with the intelligence and usefulness of an orc's toothbrush."
"Oooo! Ouch! Cruel like a true dominatrix, especially when the guy's not here to let you whip him."
"I'm just calling it like I barely see it."
"Heh. That's the Ridley I've loathed and come to enjoy."
"Don't be stupid, Jack, not matter how insanely difficult that request might be for you."
"You're lucky you're pretty with your hair down, or I would have tried to see if I can still make my kicks hit."
"I heard you were doing a lot of that, like you were testing your reflexes and nerves of others on every person you came across."
"Yeah, it was all fun and games until I accidentally kicked this purple dude. He almost knocked my head a whole one-hundred-and-eighty degrees and made me a dead owl."
"Then luckily for me, he failed."
The boy does not answer, and turns his eyes to meet those of the girl's. After a moment, he smiles again, and pulls the girl further down the road.
-T-T-T-T-
Still holding hands, the two reach the double-door gates of a gigantic church, its starry white exterior contrasting greatly with the dark ink of the night.
The boy points at the structure with the index digit of his unoccupied hand. "Well, here's the pot that holds the medley of the devoted and a few money crazy priests. Not to mention a fat elephant with lips that can devour an entire crocagator without chewing."
The girl blinks. "Anastasia?"
"You've heard about her?"
"Yes, she's the only person I consider to be uglier than my father."
"Hehehehehe! Two lardos with one badmouth, you're getting crafty."
"Not difficult since there's no way to miss a target that big."
"Hey! I'm the only one allowed to make jokes around here! You stick with insulting."
She smiles, and pulls the boy closer to her. "Then joke away, Jack."
"Hehe, I'd rather joke all day, than be stuffed with hay."
"………………………."
"Awww, c'mon! That was funny, admit it! Laugh, giggle, fart, or something!"
But she just continues to smile, an expression literally brightened by her glow. "You really are an idiot," she says simply, and pulls the boy away from the edifice of faith.
"Hey, I'd rather be an idiot, than a man peeing on a chariot."
The girl just pulls the boy along the road harder, and the boy does not object.
-T-T-T-T-
They eventually reach the outdoors of the Theatre Vancoor, the warrior guild of Radiata. Like with the church, they do not enter, merely standing in front, hand in hand.
"Theatre Vancoor……," the girl mumbles.
"Yep. Greatest place I've ever gotten accepted into without pity."
"Jack…" The girl looks at him in mock astonishment. "You've actually forced yourself to admit that?"
"Well, it's kinda hard to pretend otherwise when your butt was handed to you on a busty axe……by a girl."
The girl giggles. "You were the worst swordfighter I've ever fought. But look at you now." She pauses for a second, then smiles bitterly.
"Yeah, I think I owe a lot to this place. I learned so much during my time spent running errands and talking to the weirdos. I…I learned about the meaning of true strength here, about protecting others." He looks at the top of the building's walls. "I didn't really understand what the chief was talking about back then, but now I truly know the meaning of strength, about protecting others. Though, it's just a single person for me."
"Jack……"
"The second-in-command, this guy called Gerald, was so blinking cool. Pretty much as cool as General Dynas, even with his one eyed routine. Then there's this Thanos guy, heh, almost insults me as much as you, and he just sits in a chair all day, nurturing his hernia! A-and then there's Alicia, totally obsessed with her ancestor, goes to the grave almost everyday. And you would've loved to meet Sarge and Daniel, oh wait, you did, but under better circumstances―"
"Jack."
"Y-yeah?"
"It's alright, you miss them. It's alright to miss them."
"………….I-I know. It's just―"
"You followed your own path, your convictions. You didn't betray them."
The boy's eyes narrow slightly and he downcasts his gaze.
"I know if things were different, and the world wasn't in such turmoil. You would've fought alongside them, and I believe the sergeant and your friend knew that as well."
"……….heh, y-yeah, w-when the Sarge isn't drunk, he's actually pretty cool."
The girl grins. "So he's not cool often, huh?"
The boy grins back. "Oh man, Ridley! Didn't even miss a single beat. Now I remember why I liked bickering with you so much."
She grins wider. "Are you sure that's the reason?"
"Hey, I'd rather have my reasons, than commit too many treasons."
"Okay, Jack. It was cute in an idiotic way for a short while, but now you're just making an ass of yourself."
"And where the donkey leads, the ass follows. So lead away, Ridley."
The girl sighs in exasperation, and pulls the boy away from the empty building, but slowly, so he can keep his lingering gaze for a few moments longer.
-T-T-T-T-
The pair reaches a secluded part of the city, an ominous street that is darker with the infinite darkness of the night. Moons and stars are in forms of graffiti on the walls, and some barrels lie plaintively with other assortments of garbage. They keep on walking until once again, they both stand before a building, with a clock gear for a door decoration.
"This is the Vareth Institute, as I'm sure you know." The boy's voice echoes much more than before.
"Why would I know that?"
"Well, it's full of intelligent people, the kind of people you'd like to associate with."
"Jack, I'm not superficial. Amiable people skills are what I admire, not a brain full of supernatural or magical formulas, which is why I won't linger around someone like Genius more than necessary."
"Hehehe…..yeah, that guy's fruitier than a fruit basket and has self-esteem filled to the brim. Wonder what ever happened to him―" He bites his lip, and shakes his head. "Heh, s-stupid again, huh?"
The girl shakes her head. "It's alright, Jack. You're right, though, I would have liked to visit this place, even if just to see how insane everyone here was."
"Yeah, it was pretty crazy."
"So you have some good memories here?"
"I wouldn't say 'good'. More like 'outrageous.' There was this guy with silver hair, I think his name is Free-biscuts or something, and I swear to my dad's sword that he's a girl."
"Wait, what do you mean? You're saying this guy was a girl?"
"Err……I guess not, but he could totally be passed off as a girl. He even had a male stalker."
"Th-that wasn't you, right?"
"W-what? N-no! Ridley!"
The girl sighs in relief. "W-well, that's good. I was just sort of worried."
"Worried about what? Jeez, do I look like Charlie or something?"
"Um, a-anything else?"
"Well, I fought a giant-rat-king monster here, it was pretty wild. We were duking it out like pros. Never got to meet the thing again, but I know I would've beaten him on our rematch! Wonder where he is."
"Ummm……not to make it sound weird, but having a rivalry with a giant rat isn't something glorious."
"I wish there was a chance for us to fight again. Man to rodent. Sword to tooth. Hand to paw. Bathed to sewer-ridden. Man, it would so far out!"
"Jack, are you listening to me? Stop daydreaming about a giant rat!"
"I would parry his first attack, then counter with a cyclone plow. He'd be flabbergasted and need a few seconds to regroup himself, that's when I'll kick him in the nose and pee on him to disgrace him, and then―"
"Jack! Stop this instant or I'll make sure you pee on yourself!"
"―I'll……pwah?"
The girl sighs and pats the boy's blurry cheek. "You were going insane there, dummy."
The boy nods after a few moments. "H-heh, y-yeah. I think it's this place. It's injecting insanity into my…er, whatever I have left."
"Jack...," she coos as she stares at the boy with soft eyes.
The boy grips the girl's hand, which is still touching his cheek. "Sorry, Ridley. I didn't mean to make it sound s-so…so……"
The girl stops him by gracing her thumb over his lips, and his in turn takes a step closer.
There the two stand, almost in embrace, as a pillar of golden existence and the other as a haze of fettered shadows.
A beat.
"………………let's go, Jack."
"…………yeah." He nods. "Let's keep going."
-T-T-T-T-
"……………Black Town of Night and Lust," the boy declares as they step into an even darker street than before.
"That's a rather………intriguing name."
"Yeah…there was a lot of 'nighting', but didn't see much lusting………I think that's a good thing, right?"
"Y-yeah. I would guess so……"
"The thieves and bandits all hang around here. I had some run-ins with the members of the Void Community, too. I didn't really enjoy it."
"Were you hurt, Jack?"
"A little. They managed to capture us when I was still in Theatre Vancoor and gave us quite the beating, though Sarge was the only one with the severe bruises."
"Was this when your squad was hired to protect the princess?"
"You heard about that?"
"It was the talk of the castle for a few days, how the princess was kidnapped. Y-you were much of the topics discussed."
"Oh…….I'm guessing they weren't full of sympathetic camaraderie."
The girl frowns slightly. "No…not by a long shot. And that wouldn't have happened if I didn't―"
"I told you, Ridley. It wasn't your fault. It was that bastard, Cross. A whole lot of this was his fault. May he rot in hell." The boy's face takes on a look of hardened loathing.
The girl grimaces at the boy's expression, and looks around at area. "This place is starting to give me the creeps. Let's get out of here, Jack."
Jack looks incredulous, but nods. "Okay…let's……let's keep going."
-T-T-T-T-
The boy and girl walked away from the city of Radiata and out to the outside world through the Faucon Gate, where the immaculate presence of the night greeted them as before, only with certain amounts of life.
The night's wind is a lukewarm one, and the few traveling pyreflies made a glowing, magical path for the two to walk along.
They travel along the earthy road, always hand in hand, but now so that their hands are intertwine with their arms as well. The pair walks ahead, occasionally looking aside at the surrounding world, but always keeping their focus on each other.
Several minutes pass, until they reached a dead-end destination.
"We're back……. at the Ressan Tree…," the girl says with a certain joy hidden in sadness.
The boy, now a heavy apparition of dust and shadows, nods, and speaks with a distant, fading voice: "Yeah……it looked so much better before…"
They stood there, once again like before, but this time, after a few silent moments, the girl breaks free from their linked handhold and sits at the tree.
She looks at the infinite space of the sky, at the absence of the millions of stars, and finally at the boy, whose presence is but fleeting image from what it was the first time they sat together at the tree.
She smiles at the boy and pats the space next to her. "Come on, Jack…sit down."
The boy smiles back, and complies.
He sits next to the girl, and places his hand atop of hers.
The girl blinks at the action, smiles, scoots very closely to the boy, and rests her head on his shoulder.
The boy tenses slightly at the girl's actions, but recovers quickly and rests his head atop of hers.
They now sit in such a fashion for many moments, both basking themselves in the inevitable, and in the moments before.
"…………………………remember the last time we sat here, Ridley?"
The girl nuzzles her nose into the boy's neck. "Yes……..I-I r-remember……it wasn't long ago………"
"Yeah……you were pretty selfish that time, saying what you wanted and running off to the end of the world. I had some stuff I wanted to say to you, too."
"I know. I'm sorry for that, Jack. But I had my own convictions to follow."
"It's okay. It was tough for you. Your destiny was one I didn't think I could handle. But it doesn't matter, I'll follow you to…….well, 'the end of the world', figuratively and literally."
The girl smiles. "And I am grateful…"
"I…….I don't think I have much time anymore, Ridley. I'm not very observant in a lot of things, but I can feel myself……going somewhere…"
The girl tightens her hold on the boy's hand.
"So I'll just finish what I never started." He looks down at the girl.
"Ridley, I know we didn't get off on the right foot, or left foot, for that matter. Either way, it was the wrong foot, and I think I did despise you a bit at first. But I later realized it was only a big bunch of things…like envy, jealousy, admiration……and maybe a little bit of a c-c-c-c-c-c-crush……" He fidgets a little. "I had a great time in Theatre Vancoor, but I really did miss the times we spent together, with the captain, being in the Rose Crochon brigade, whatever that name means. Getting fired from the knights was a big bummer, and even more so when I couldn't stick around to see how you were doing after the transpiratation. I wish I stuck around your birthday party a little longer, but I didn't want to punch Cross and ruin your day. I…I thought we had all the time in the world for you to come by whenever you wanted……of course, when you did, we got into a different situation altogether. But it was okay…it was for you, even if it meant conquering a fort all by myself. Heh, you would've loved to see what Natalie was doing……but I guess you had your own problems. Th-then I wanted to apologize because I broke my promise to save the old wheezer, but I know you forgave me already, cuz that's how you are………………. W-what I wanted to say with all of this……is th-that……you're the most important person to me, Ridley. I'm guessing you already know by now, but I just wanted to h-hear……myself say it. You're the person who gave me true strength, because I want to protect you the most, above everyone else in the world. And I w-wanted to keep on protecting you, until time stops for us. E-even if it's becoming the short end of the stick for me, I still feel the same way. I think…I think that's the reason I'm still around……so I can protect you a little longer. From what, I don't know, and I don't care. It's okay……because you're my Ridley."
The girl sniffs and whimpers slightly. "……Th-this is the reason I didn't stay long enough f-for you to t-talk. You might've been able to convince me t-to s-stay."
The boy smiles, however a barely noticeable one in his state. "Me? Convince the almighty Ridley Silverlake out of anything less than outperforming everyone in the world? Don't be silly."
The girl giggles very slightly through some moist eyes. "Y-you're one to talk, Jack Russel, the one who was so adamant on fighting an orc just to prove you're an idiot."
"Hey! It was a cool idea, maybe not a smart one, but cool like a winter pool. Besides, I got to kick some major orc butt later."
"I wouldn't expect anything less from my Jack……. or anything more, for that matter."
The girl releases her handhold with the boy, and then with both arms, encircles the boy in a tight hold with her cheek next to his.
The boy lips part to speak, but relents, and savors her embrace.
The castle of Radiata simmers in the background as a domain of the dead and the future den of the new age of humans, awaiting light to be filled in the crossroads of the lands.
Pyreflies move away from the grasses and begin to surround the couple, like sprinkle dusts of stars that fell from the night sky. The girl aglow and the boy shadowed, the Ressan Tree holds as their pillar to savor and rest, before the time comes.
The pair hold on to each other…
…for as long as they can.
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"N-no……," the girl suddenly mutters, albeit loudly.
The boy fazes for second as he startles. "R-ridley?"
She breaks away from the boy and backs up to face him, and points at him. "This will not be how everything ends, Jack Russel! I refuse to let you cower away and allow all we've fought for to simply disappear!"
In a voice of whispering volume, the boy stumbles. "Egads? Wh-wha―"
"You say your strong desire to fulfill your mission is what keeps your lingering existence, right? So prove it!"
"P-p-prove it? H-how?"
"Aren't you the best swordfighter of Radiata, and son of a dragon slayer, Cairn Russel? Then show me your supposed 'true strength'! Or is that just a wishy-washy trash you said just to be stupid?"
The shadows of the boy flashes slightly, and his body solidifies mildly. "R-ridley…this…this is kinda beyond my―"
"As I see it, you're breaking another promise you made to me."
The boy balks and his mouth hangs agape.
"You've conquered numerous strong foes and even managed to defeat the Silver Dragon. I think you should be plenty strong already to keep this promise, unless you're still just all talk like the first time we met!"
"Damn it, Ridley!" The boy shouts, with a more powerful voice, "You know I would do whatever it needs to keep this promise, but the change of the world is something I can't beat up with a sword!"
"Do you love me?"
"…………BWAH?"
"I said: 'do you love me?'"
"L-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l―"
"Jack, this is not the time to be blushing like a tomato with high blood pressure."
"What was that? You're the one who looks like she just got concentrated sunburn on her cheeks!"
"Th-that's not the point! If you love me, you'll overcome this obstacle or I won't ever speak to you again!"
"What kind of a threat was that? It won't make a difference!"
"Yes it would, now start trying!"
"By doing what? The Silver Dragon is dead and the only way to do anything that would be significant is k-killing you, the vessel of the Gold Dragon! And I won't do that even if I have to marry Charlie!"
"You remember what the Silver Dragon said, right?"
"Errr……"
"The Twin Dragons exist because we humans wanted them to exist. Humans desired guardians to safeguard us and to secretly rule us. This desire is what keeps this changeover repeating, and now we can put an end to it."
"Uhhhh……not that I understand, b-but I don't think Zane would appreciate humans returning―"
"Zane doesn't have a say in this, you do."
"Wh-what? Me? Wh-why?"
"You're the only human left of this world. As a vessel for the Gold Dragon, all I can do is to await its true awakening and for a new era of humans to be born. And I think I like this era well enough."
"B-but what about you?"
"I'm a vessel for the Gold Dragon, not the dragon itself. Desire their eternal absence and I think it leave before it overtakes me."
"Wh-what about the old wheezer? O-or the other fairy creatures? A-and the whole unbalancing of the elements and stuff?"
"We'll deal with that all later. Like you said, we humans don't know when our lives will end, so all we can do it go out there and do our best, each and every day. So start doing the best you can!"
"I-I don't know what to start doing!"
"Think hard, Jack…………remember all the people that you're happy you've met. Think about them, think about the fairy creatures too, think about me, about a future for all of us."
The boy grips his head as he sits with his eyes clenched.
"Remember the good times and bad times……with the captain, with all your friends, with your sister. 'Knights of the same brigade are as family'. Think about your family, Jack."
His skin turns to thick murk and his body trembles slightly as he shudders constantly.
"W-we don't need the dragons, Jack. I believe we're enough to govern ourselves, to live for ourselves and for the world at the same time. We can reach an understanding to the fairy creatures, like your father did, like Sir Gawain did. We still have to discover the source of algandars and fight it alongside the fairy creatures. Everyone still has much to accomplish, and we can't do that if all humans vanish."
Eyes harden, and skin pulses, the boy grinds his teeth as he continues to shudder every once in a few moments. "G-gahhh……nnnnnghhhh!"
The girl also gives a yelp as she hugs herself. "Th-that's it, Jack. We're s-strong enough for ourselves, for each other. And……and I think Hap a-agrees with me."
The boy's eyes flashes a slight red and he moves away from the Ressan Tree to kneel on the ground. "Arrggghhh………! R-ridley………captain Ganz………Adele………"
The girl yelps again and stumbles to the ground, writhing in pain. Her golden glow strengthens and concentrates on her chest. "J-Jack…"
Eyes still painfully shut, the boy groans and moans. "Nnnnnnghh…!"
His body suddenly pulses as small shadows spike out like projectiles and his eyes open with an eerie glow.
The golden light brightens……
It focuses……
And then……. FLASH!
-T-T-T-T-
An elf with wings of light and hair of forest green color and texture is afloat the woods of the city known as the City of Flowers. He laughs and he cackles, uncaring of the darkness that fills the sky.
"Brother, it has happened. The Gold Dragon has awakened, and all humans are exterminated, powerless against the tides of the changeover! Your sacrifice has not been for naught, for you have created the perfect vessel for the dragon to take form. She has become the key integration of our final cheer! The golden beam that transcends space and the darkness proves this! We elves and all fairy creatures are rid of the human filths and algandars once and for all! Hahahahahaha!"
He continues to laugh, relishing in his joy when-
FLASH!
-he sees an enormous beam of light shoots from the grounds near Radiata and into the blackness of the sky.
"Wh-what is this? The…the Gold Dragon should have awakened already? What is happening here? What was that light?"
He flies high above the ground, eyes unbelieving, astonished, and confused.
He watches the light beam into the infinite planes of the heavens, and disappears…only to become a single star, the first one, of the night sky.
And the elf could only watch, and wonder.
-T-T-T-T-
The girl now lies, relaxed, on the grassy ground. She breathes slowly and rhythmically with her hands at her sides.
Gradually, her green eyes reopen, 'awakening' from her sleep.
She watches the sky with half-open eyes.
She sees a single bright star glistening in the previously loathsome dark night.
She hears a voice in her head, a soft, warm voice, but doesn't answer back, not yet, but will eventually.
A pyrefly lands on her cheek, and it glows softly, but the girl does not take notice.
She turns her head to the side…
A beat.
…she smiles brightly, and her eyes are as warm as the pyrefly.
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"That's my Jack."