"Did we… win…?"
Caleb's daze did not last long, because the Void creatures were collapsing one after another.
It seemed truly unbelievable, but the feeling of Kai'Sa beside him, almost hugging his ribs hard enough to break them, told him the truth.
This was real. This was not a dream.
He let out a long breath. Once he returned to Zaun, he could finally get a good night's sleep.
"Governor, Mecha Kha'Zix… was destroyed."
Ekko's voice carried a little dejection. He also knew the value of that Mecha suit. In the short term, there was no way they could build another one.
"Destroyed is fine. For the Twin Cities after this, having Malphite is enough."
Caleb waved his hand and pushed the tactless Ekko back into the PROJECT team.
Thankfully, there had not been any tragic scenes among them, like Vi blocking an attack for Jinx, or Lucian sacrificing himself this time to save Senna.
Ashe, however, silently removed her helmet and walked up to Caleb.
"Olaf died in battle."
Olaf had come with the two of them, but had not received a "new skin." In the end, he had fought without fear of death, forcing himself to hold the front line until the final moment.
"I'll personally visit his village when the time comes."
Hearing that the berserker who liked calling him buddy, and who always swung those two axes, would never return, Caleb felt pained as well.
But Olaf had gotten exactly what he wanted. From the monsters of the Freljord, to the Ursine, and finally to the Void, his final path had been more than worthy.
A warrior could not accept the day when he grew old and weak, forced to cling to life.
Perhaps dying on a battlefield that could be called epic, even legendary, while leaving behind a proud record of battle, was what they truly yearned for.
From beginning to end, Caleb had never tried to persuade him otherwise.
Since Olaf had already understood what this meant, and since he had ultimately wanted to return to his roots, he would not have stayed long in Caleb's city anyway.
If Caleb had arrogantly gone on about how precious life was, that would have been forcing him into something he did not want.
Berserkers were born with endless rage in their blood, rage that resisted the bitter cold of high mountains and snowstorms.
Whether that rage burned at its fiercest until the very last moment, or burned slowly for the sake of lasting longer, everyone made their own choice.
After returning to the deserts of Shurima through the portal, Caleb first had Yuumi send everyone back to their own territories.
Especially Ashe and Sejuani from the Freljord. A matriarchal society truly could not go a single day without its Warmothers.
And yet these two had taken a boat and leisurely made their way to the Twin Cities, then followed him into the Void plane for one massive battle.
After this, however, Caleb would organize a meeting. The celestial realm, the Freljord, the Twin Cities, Shurima, Ixtal, and Icathia would ultimately finish exploring that lifeless Void plane.
Everyone would divide up the resources inside.
Caleb silently put away the Blade of the Ruined King, along with the two intact World Runes.
In Demacia's petricite forest, Caleb would eventually have to temporarily seal these powers away.
Above the sky, perhaps there was still a pair of eyes watching this place.
But before Caleb received any message from the Aspects, he would not concern himself with that being again.
That being's years were so long that even the Aspects seemed short-lived. This stretch of time was probably no more than a short nap for him.
So Caleb simply came to terms with it.
His own life was short enough. He probably would not live long enough to see the Dragon King come destroy the entire continent.
After returning to the Twin Cities, the people of Zaun still lined the streets to welcome him. Piltover's attitude, on the other hand, was much more conflicted.
After the Void Empress was dismantled, Caleb temporarily could not feel any corrosion in his body either.
"I told you the World Runes were useful."
Caleb patted Ryze on the shoulder, and the old mage smiled somewhat apologetically.
Kassadin, who had appeared halfway through the battle, had gone to Icathia together with Jax.
The people there were suffering. Shurima's Sun Disc and Ixtal's rainforest might be able to help.
Perhaps, like Warwick, he still had not found the right time to talk about it.
As for Noxus, Caleb directly surrounded it with the Black Mist he released.
There was no deeper meaning to it. He was purely scaring them for fun.
The headquarters of the Sentinels of Light, meanwhile, changed its nature and decided to do more good in the world.
Caleb was very satisfied with the current situation. Kai'Sa even had the mood to learn how to dance in high society.
According to her, Caleb would eventually have to attend a ball. After all, the Promenade was Zaun's territory.
As his dance partner, she could not let him embarrass himself when the time came.
It was another sunny day.
Zaun's orders came in without end. After all, Ixtal and Shurima together covered almost all of the southern continent.
Renata was so busy she almost worked herself to death, while Zeri fumbled beside her, helping organize everything in a panic.
A Chem-Baron who still refused to give up took a left hook from Vi, and while he was fleeing in disgrace, a pair of enormous claws pressed him to the ground.
Ekko silently hummed a new tune, wanting to practice a track from the band's new album.
Jinx, meanwhile, was boredly flicking her rocket launcher beside him.
Caleb lifted his head, waiting for the sunlight to shine down from directly above Zaun.
It seemed that in that dream, he had done the same thing, leisurely waiting for the most beautiful moment of a day, even of a lifetime.
The victory banquet was held at the Lytton Restaurant. After Caleb had once eaten there for free and then left a review, the owner had made quite a few innovations to the menu.
Of course, this meal definitely would not come out of Caleb's pocket.
There had to be a proper beginning and a proper ending.
Under the cover of night, Caleb went with Ryze to Demacia's petricite forest.
The World Runes were buried beneath a towering tree, and Ryze even deliberately set up restrictions around them.
By the time they returned to the Twin Cities, it was already deep into the night.
The night-shift workers smiled and greeted Caleb as they headed toward their mining district to begin work.
With technological innovation, and without the bloodsucking Chem-Barons, life in Zaun naturally improved.
Once the hole in a reservoir was patched, the water inside would naturally fill back up.
These little moments of happiness and small beauties made Caleb genuinely feel that everything was very interesting.
The starry sky remained clearly visible. The wind Janna had transformed into still gently lingered around him.
In the end, she had ignored Caleb's words and followed him into the dangerous lands of the Void.
But since the matter had been resolved, Caleb would not say anything more.
When he returned to his room, Caleb froze slightly at the sight of Kai'Sa sleeping on his bed.
And in the short time he stood beside the bed, Caleb was directly hugged around the waist. He decided that spending one night on this bed would have to do.
It seemed like a dream, yet also seemed like reality. Caleb found himself among the stars.
Not far away was a huge dragon head as black as ink.
Its dragon horns were imposing, but between them, he could faintly see a white figure.
Have these last few days been comfortable?
The voice sounded exactly like the system's mechanical tone, and only then did Caleb suddenly feel as though everything had become clear.
Not far away, Aurelion Sol, wearing a crown, stared fixedly in this direction, yet he could do nothing.
"So, what you're saying is, I actually still have a lot of things to do?"
If Caleb had to define his blood with a single element, the element he would choose would be wind.
Free and uncertain, but even a brief rest was enough to feel happy.
Clearly, beyond Runeterra, there was a new sea of stars waiting for him in the universe.