I think I'm going to take a break from writing before I start the sequel to this (plus I need to think of a title for it).

Well, writing this has been enjoyable, and I'd like to thank everyone who's stuck with me throughout this, for their support, reviews and friendship. :) I love you guys.

I'll stop getting emotional now.

So, this epilogue is set in March 2017 (about 51.2 months later, for the numerical significance). The sequel's going to be set at the date Ruhtra mentioned - 2079 - onwards.

Here we go.

I've finally decided to show my face at a world conference. I can't trust my brothers to do all the work with representing the United Kingdom instead of me. Also, I do have to do something with my life, after all. I can't brood forever.

Ever since that night, the night when I failed to save Emmakala, I closed myself off from the world. I stopped answering my phone, stopped replying to my emails, and rarely left the house except to buy essentials.

My brothers came over to my house one day. They might be a bunch of nuisances, but it seems that they actually care about me. Of course, when they asked me if I'd like them to take my place at meetings, I just told them to do whatever they wanted and bugger off. They said something else, about Peter possibly helping out as well, but I told them I simply didn't care and ushered them out of my room.

Maybe people have sent me some complaints, but it's not like I've been paying attention. I can't stop thinking about Emmakala. I flick through her poetry book as often as I look in the mirror, checking to see if my hair has changed back to black, my eyes to red.

I've never seen my blonde hair and emerald-green eyes as such a bad thing before.

Sleeping is torturous. The only time I sleep is when I literally can't keep my eyes open, and collapse out of exhaustion. Then, in my dreams, I can only see Emmakala. I can only hear her voice, crying out for help, as tears stream down her face from the pain.

A few times, I've actually dreamt about the dream world. I've tried to save Emmakala so many times, dashing past dead namuhs, searching the caves, but every time she comes into view I wake up. Obviously, that's not the 'real' dream world. It's just a normal dream to fill me with false hope.

It feels so wrong to be happy and sociable when she's trapped in a world of nothing but blistering pain and... emptiness. Silence. There's no hope of anyone rescuing her.

And she can't die. The Fae can only die of natural causes once their purpose in life has been fulfilled. They could probably commit suicide or be murdered (which rarely happens but it does, unfortunately), but that's impossible in Emmakala's state.

I wonder how it feels, to be truly alone. Not the feeling I've experienced, solitude through Splendid Isolation, voluntary loneliness, but being the only person alive in a dead world.

I've tried so many spells to return to that dream world, but nothing works. She's been trapped there for a few years already, and it'll be a few hundred until she's released... if ever.

If only I could un-think those last two words. I wish I knew what's going to happen next, but the only person who knows what's happening next is Emmakala.

I hope that she's seen the point in time when she'll be rescued.

Maybe she knows what's happening here, that the recession has worsened. I used to stay in this modest house because, well, it's rather quaint and homely, with a forest nearby and no choking pollution. But nowadays, I don't think even I could afford to get a much larger home. I'm not too sure why exactly money is shorter - I've only heard snippets of conversations from people walking past.

In fact, it's because of the recession that Fialina left; she had to help Gwimiri and Dricien with their business. I saw the note she left a few months after her disappearance. I suppose I felt slightly better after seeing it, but her not hating me doesn't release Emmakala from her prison.

She also said on the note that she'd stay in contact, but I'm not staying in contact with anyone anyway. It makes no difference.

I don't even open my letters anymore. Every time I leave the house, there's always a small mound of unopened mail, which I shove aside.

Sometimes, though, there are notes. Messages from people who, after knocking on the door and receiving no response, just put a note through instead. I just can't ignore them.

That's how I found out that Auvien and Jolene's business closed down. I've had a note from the former, in small letters, telling me that Gwimiri offered for him to help out with the business as well, and from the latter, saying that she's trying to find a job elsewhere. Her handwriting is graceful, almost eloquent in itself. I had to read it twice to focus on the actual meanings of the words.

I hope that they're all okay.

The train stops, ending the last leg of my journey. The conference hall is just around the corner. As I make my way over to it, I check the time; three minutes until the meeting begins.

I stop outside the door. Once I walk into that room, everyone will be there. They'll try to talk to me, and ask me where I've been all this time.

I consider turning around for a second, but then I decide to just walk in. Lazily, I push the door open and begin to walk to wherever my brothers are, so I can tell them that they don't need to stay.

It feels as if everyone's eyes are on me. The room becomes quieter and quieter, and out of the corner of my eyes I can see people staring at me, mouths agape.

I spot Scotland's red hair, and make my way over to him. It turns out that he's saved a chair for me all this time, hoping for my return. I turn the corners of my mouth up slightly, in a forced smile, and sit down, trying to ignore the crowd accumulating around me.

The voices all blur together, all asking me where I've been, why I haven't turned up, what the matter is. Among them are France, joking about how he thought the black sheep of Europe would never return, Romania, who seems genuinely concerned, and Prussia, who comments on how unawesome my absence was.

I tell them all to sod off, no matter whether they really care or if they're just teasing me, but none of them stop speaking.

After too long, I slam my hand on the table and yell at them to leave me alone. Some of them, like France and Italy, retreat - obviously. Others stare at me with wide eyes, not speaking. Romania eventually puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Whatever it is, I'm here for you," he says, smiling, beckoning his cousin closer.

"Um, yeah, what he said," Prussia laughs, then becoming a little more serious. In a quieter tone, he asks me whether I want to talk about it. Prussia being serious for once is surprising in itself, but caring as well?

When I don't reply, he says to me something about how he and Romania are always ready to help, and he doesn't want to see me feeling unawesome (that isn't even a word). I turn down his suggestion to go drinking so I can open up a bit more and talk about it. Alcohol would just make me feel worse.

Prussia pats me on the back and stands up, facing the gathered crowd.

"Right, everyone, England's going through some difficult times right now. If any of you bother him," he folds his arms threateningly, "you'll face my Prussian might. Is that understood?!"

The assembled nations nod fearfully. Since Prussia's usually so laid-back, or flaunting his apparent awesomeness, such a display is rare. They usually laugh whenever he mentions 'mighty Prussia' - "you don't even have an army!" - but this time, he's shown his true ferocity.

He returns to his seat next to Germany, who stares at his brother in mild shock and possibly admiration. Everyone else, having some sense, also returns to their seats. Romania respectfully keeps his distance, knowing that I don't wish to talk.

Then, such pure emotion overwhelms me. Not because of Emmakala being locked away, nothing like that, but after holing myself up for so long, I've almost forgotten what it's like to have someone... care.

I can't remember the last time I cried in public.

It feels like ages, but in reality it's only a few minutes until the clock reads nine o'clock. Egypt stands up. Being the host country, he's expected to speak, but there's no way he could speak in front of so many people.

The last time Egypt was the host country for a world conference, Germany had to introduce the meeting instead.

But, to my surprise, he introduces the topics for today's meeting with ease. I can barely recognise his voice, since he so rarely says anything. I don't think I'd even know it was him if I couldn't see him.

A glance around the room quickly reveals that I'm the only one who's surprised.

"Oi, Scottie," I whisper, nudging my brother next to me. He stirs, as if he's just drifted off already, and lazily turns to acknowledge me. "Where did Egypt get all of this confidence from?"

He looks over to Egypt with a blank expression, as if he never took any notice of this fact.

"He's been like this a few years," he replies. "What, did you close yourself off from everyone for that long?"

I laugh drily at his attempted humour, and start paying attention to the actual meeting, or trying to.

Egypt seems so happy. Maybe he could never speak because of what he saw in his dreams. But now that he's been liberated from those memories, he's happier.

Then I notice something else - his eyes are green. They were brown last time I saw him. His hair might have changed colour as well, but I can't see it past his keffiyeh. He really did suffer the same things as I did.

At least I've done some good.

Hopefully, in the future, I won't have to stop him from killing all of the namuhs there and then. That would most likely cause a paradox.

Or, who knows, he might actually help the namuhs because he believed every detail of their story?

I dismiss the thought. That's ridiculous. I know he's family-oriented, and probably sees Atsu as family because he's a clone of him, but there's no way he would go that far.

In fact, there are some other people who probably have something against the namuhs as well. I suppose I do, but I'm more to blame for Emmakala being stuck in the dream world forever.

No. Not forever. There has to be a way to free her. Wouldn't the namuhs be able to transport me there, were I to gain their trust?

I guess all I can do now is wait for the future, and plan ahead to 2079.