A Miracle in Ruins
The battlefield had gone quiet.
Smoke drifted slowly through the broken city. Flames crackled faintly in the distance. The war… was over.
Lucan stood still, his chest rising slowly, the last traces of power fading from his body.
Then—
"Lucan…"
His heart stopped.
He turned.
Lyra stood there.
Alive.
For a moment, he couldn't move.
"…Lyra?"
His voice broke.
She smiled softly.
And that was all it took.
Lucan rushed forward, closing the distance instantly and pulling her into a tight embrace.
They held onto each other like the world might take it all away again.
Lyra buried her face into his chest.
"I thought… I lost you…" Lucan whispered.
"I thought I lost you too…" she replied softly.
Neither of them let go.
The Unexplainable
After a while, Lucan pulled back slightly, holding her shoulders, his eyes searching her face.
"How…?"
Lyra hesitated.
"I don't really know…"
Her voice was quiet. Uncertain.
"I remember the pain… and then everything just went dark."
She looked down at her hands.
"And then… I saw something."
Lucan frowned slightly.
"…What?"
"It wasn't a demon," she said softly. "It felt… warm. Calm. Like it was watching me."
A pause.
"And then I woke up."
She looked back at him.
"My wounds were gone. Everything was gone."
"…So I ran back to you."
Lucan stared at her.
Confused.
Relieved.
Unsettled.
But he pulled her close again anyway.
"…I'm just glad you're here."
Searching for Reika
The silence returned.
But this time… it was heavier.
"…Reika," Lyra said suddenly, pulling back.
Lucan's expression changed.
"…We need to find her."
They began walking.
The city felt different now.
Still.
Cold.
Bodies lay scattered across the ground—hunters, civilians… people who had been alive just hours ago.
Buildings stood half-destroyed, smoke rising into the grey sky.
No screams.
No fighting.
Just death.
Lucan walked in silence.
His eyes empty.
His mind drifting.
That vision…
The one he saw months ago.
Destruction.
Death.
Suffering.
"…It's happening again…" he thought.
"…I couldn't stop it…"
Footsteps approached.
Takeshi.
He stopped in front of them.
His usual sharp energy… gone.
Replaced by something quieter.
He looked at Lucan.
Then Lyra.
"…You felt it too… didn't you?"
No one answered.
They didn't need to.
The Discovery
They walked together.
Slowly.
Carefully.
As if delaying the inevitable.
Then—
They saw her.
Reika.
Lying on the ground.
Alone.
Still.
Cold.
"…No…" Lyra whispered.
She ran.
Dropping to her knees beside Reika, pulling her into her arms.
"Reika…!"
Her voice broke instantly.
Tears fell freely.
"Wake up… please wake up…"
But there was no response.
Takeshi stood frozen.
His fists clenched tightly.
His body trembling slightly.
But he said nothing.
Lucan…
Didn't move.
Didn't speak.
He just stared.
The same thought echoed over and over in his head.
"I couldn't protect her…"
"I couldn't protect any of them…"
"I'm still weak…"
Footsteps approached behind them.
Minato.
He stopped, taking in the scene.
His expression softened.
"…I see."
He walked forward slowly.
Placed a hand on Takeshi's shoulder.
Then looked at Lucan.
"…This isn't your fault."
But Lucan didn't respond.
Because deep down—
He didn't believe that.
Days Later — A Broken World
The war had ended.
But the damage remained.
Across the world, bodies were cleared from the streets.
Names were recorded.
Families mourned.
The number of the dead…
Was beyond comprehension.
Hundreds of millions.
A tragedy greater than anything since the Great War.
The world had survived.
But barely.
The Farewell
Memorials were held across nations.
Flowers filled the air.
Silence replaced chaos.
At the GSSA ceremony in Japan—
Rows of fallen hunters were honored.
Names spoken.
Lives remembered.
Lyra stood beside Lucan.
Tears streamed down her face as she held a flower in trembling hands.
Lucan placed a hand gently on her shoulder.
Grounding her.
Supporting her.
Together, they stepped forward—
And placed the flowers down.
For Reika.
For everyone they lost.
Then they walked away.
England — Recognition
In England, the atmosphere was no different.
Grief.
Respect.
Silence.
Draven stood among the hunters, fully healed but quiet.
President Cedric stood before them.
"The war has ended," he announced.
"The one responsible… has been eliminated."
Screens across the world lit up.
A name echoed globally.
Lucan Elias.
The one who ended the war.
The one who killed Renji.
In England—
Draven watched.
Silent.
Then—
"…Hmph."
A small smirk formed on his face.
Across the Sea — The Palace
Back in England's royal palace—
King Alistair and Queen Helena stood before the broadcast.
They saw him.
Lucan.
Their son.
Alive.
Recognized.
Helena's expression shifted slightly.
Something unfamiliar.
Something conflicted.
Alistair smiled faintly.
"…You did well, my son."
Japan — A New Name
Back in Japan—
Lucan stood quietly.
Watching the ceremony end.
The wind moved softly around him.
For the first time…
The world knew his name.
Not as a prince.
Not as a cursed child.
But as—
A hero.