"Are you ready?" Emilia asked, holding Ace's hand as they both stood within the ruins of Therion Academy.
"Yeah. It's something I have to do," Ace let go of Emilia's hand before standing in front of her. "Huu…"
Within an instant of Ace releasing a short breath, the air of Elderngard trembled. Ace closed his eyes shades of black and silver hues swirling around him.
"I am that which knows no bounds,
That which equates all beings in existence,
That which conquers all without distinctions,
For that is the path of all."
Ace's hair changed fully into a silver-white color as a black crown appeared atop his head and a scythe of black and silver formed from his shadow.
'To be honest, I don't know what will happen or what I'm about to do.'
Emilia then came to Ace's side as both of them gripped the scythe together.
'A way to fix everything…' Emilia thought, remembering the conversation she just had with Ace.
A single spell that would fix everything that happened and prevent what shouldn't have been. Whether it'd work or not, no one knew. But still, they had nothing to lose. And finally, for the first time, they were together side-by-side.
"Activate…"
The moment the words left Ace's mouth, the shadows beneath his and Emilia's feet swirled and expanded, glowing in silver hues.
The couple then raised the scythe together all the way back before swinging it down to the ground with all their strength.
The shadows then surged outward like an all-devouring tsunami, consuming Ace, Emilia, the ruins of the academy and the entirety of Elderngard in the process.
---
---
---
"Hahahahaha…!"
A distorted voice echoed within an expansive white space.
It originated from a dark red mass hovering in the air of the void.
"I wonder what you find so amusing, Nameless," the name echoed of a single old man's mouth.
"Hugo Hendrickson. So the remnants of your consciousness still persists within Akasha, oh Master Magus."
It was Hugo standing before the mass.
"Unfortunately, my time is also slowly coming to a close as you can see," Hugo's form started growing fainter and more transparent.
"I see. But I must admit that it is such a beautiful sight," the mass of dark red, Nameless, started being blasted into nothingness bit by bit. "To think that this is what you had prepared. Hehehehe…"
"Desperate times call for desperate measures as they say."
"A power capable of cutting even the very existence of Akasha."
{All shall revert to its rightful place.}
"Why, if it isn't the Will of Akasha itself," Nameless spoke out at the new voice resounding through the void. "To think that you would let yourself be consumed by that boy."
"Isn't that why he piqued your curiosity, Nameless? You were the same yet fundamentally different. In the end, the only variable was that young lady," Hugo chimed in.
"You truly are a fascinating human, Master Magus," Nameless' form once reduced by another portion.
"I hope in the next life, you will find another possibility for yourself, Nameless."
"Hahaha! Do not patronize me, Master Magus. You and I. Akasha and the world. We all simply fell to the scythe of the reaper that was born out of this fractured reality. I do not mind this end for he has shown a more than satisfactory sight."
"Such wishes suit you more than me, Master Magus…" Nameless was then completely erased, it's voice fading into the void.
"I suppose I should also move on. I have more than lived out enough of my lifetime. Let us hope this new reality is different from the one those children experienced…" Hugo added before also fading definitely.
{Yes. Let us hope it is.}
{…}
---
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---
With the morning sun filtering through the curtains of the bedroom, the broken fragments of a dream flashed through the girl's mind.
The first was that of the rain showering the earth intensely, and dark clouds covering the skies. Amidst the rain, two figures faced each other: One, visibly a boy, was under an umbrella while choking and looking down on the other one, a girl with glistening shoulder-length black hair, who crawled on the ground, completely drenched.
Following it were images of clinical tubes, a frozen landscape, a scorched inferno of a bloody battlefield and finally, unsettling, crimson-red eyes.
And at the end of the dream, stood two figures whose lips were on the verge of intertwining.
At that moment, a voice grogged out the girl out of the weightlessness of her sleep, the dream fading as she slowly opened her blue eyes.
"Time to wake up, sleepyhead."
With a deep yawn…
"Oh. Good morning, big sis," the girl rose from bed, her long black hair flowing with the sway of her head.
"And good morning to you too, Emi," Victoria Windsor greeted as she then pinched Emilia's cheeks.
"Mmm~ Stop it!" Emilia grumbled through her leftover sleepiness.
"But your cheeks are soft, my cutie pie of a sister," Victoria said with a teasing tone.
"Enough!"
"Okay, okay. Breakfast is ready, so you better wash up if you don't want to be late for school."
"Okay~"
After getting out of bed, freshening up in the bathroom and then changing into her school uniform, she went to the living room, sitting at the dining table as she ate her breakfast.
After a while, after finishing her breakfast…
"I'm off now!"
"Okay! Have a good day!" Victoria said hugging Emilia as if she was just a baby.
"Geez, sis. I'm 15 years old already."
"Completely irrelevant. Now get going."
"Okay. See ya."
After exiting the house, Emilia walked along the streets of the neighborhood with her school bag in hand.
At some point, taking her completely by surprise from behind with a hug.
"Gotcha!"
"Hiek! Mira!"
Mira grinned happily as she greeted Emilia.
"Mornin', Emi!"
"Don't scare me that!"
"But your reactions are always so fun~"
"That's no excuse!"
"Oh, what's this? The girls are at it again," another came out from the corner street earning a tongue click from Mira.
"Oh great. It's the idiot Frank again."
"Who's the idiot, miss washboard?!" Frank called out, pointing a finger angrily at Mira.
"What you say, you punk?!!" Mira retorted, clenching her fist.
"Haa… Really, can't you put up with one morning without your lovers' quarrel, you two?"
"Oh don't you start Ace?" Frank shot back.
Right behind Frank, Ace appeared, Emilia's eyes flashing to him momentarily.
"Hi, Ace," Emilia greeted warmly with a hand wave.
Ace remained silent, approaching her before putting a kiss to her cheek.
"Good morning, Emi."
Emilia's face brightened into a bit red shade.
'HOW CAN HE JUST DO THAT WITH A STRAIGHT FACE?!!'
"AAAHH!!!" Mira yelled out, pointing a finger at Ace for his bold move.
"Smooth move, Romeo," Frank whistled, impressed as he gave an approving nod.
"…" Ace simply shrugged off their reaction, satisfied with himself.
And hence, the four then walked towards their high school, the warm morning breeze accompanying their every steps.
~~~Requiem Break: The END~~~