'He said he wouldn't be joining us to return home, but...' My thoughts echoed as I stared at Neron.
"You'll be coming back, right?"
In response to my question, Neron smiled softly and nodded gently.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" A bright glimmer shone in his eyes. "I have a wonderful wife waiting for me back home."
Once again, Neron reminded me that he was actually a married man.
"When you get back, tell Serah I'm looking for a place where we can spend our honeymoon." He added.
The way he said those words made me burst out in a chuckle.
"Roger that." I responded playfully.
"As for the rest of you, make sure you do your best. Constellations are watching you all now; Aloe, Serah... and you, Jared."
Crazy Neron did mention that his ultimate goal was for all of us to get accepted by Constellations.
"A time will come when they will depend on you. Make the best out of the experiences you've had thus far."
It really did feel like a final farewell.
"U-um... Neron, I..." Kuzon finally spoke up, stuttering as he hesitantly shifted his gaze.
'He's just sixteen in the end, isn't he? Sometimes I forget.' I smiled at Kuzon.
"... I'm sorry for doubting you!" He finally declared.
"It's fine. I completely understand."
I didn't think it was simply out of courtesy. Neron must have actually understood everything.
"I'm sorry for doubting you too." Aloe spoke gently, finally reverting to her old, loveable self.
'Whew!'
"I always believed you would never betray us!" Edward grinned innocently.
He truly was the best of us.
"Safe journey. And bring back a souvenir for me." Ciara grinned excitedly, almost as of she forgot all the things she said about Neron.
Or the horrible suggestion she made.
"Of course. Anything for my prized pupil." Neron smiled warmly at Ciara.
"Hehe! Stop it!" She could only blush and grin even more.
'Hold on, didn't she say she wasn't really close to Neron? What's happening right now?'
"How do you think I developed my Original Magic and Mage Mode? I figured out what I wanted and made the rudimentary steps on my own, but Neron taught me how to bring it to life." Ciara beamed.
"Hold on, you did?"
Neron shrugged slightly.
"Ciara is extremely skilled and talented. I guess it makes sense since she's from the lineage of the Apostles of Aether. I didn't even need to do too much."
"But why did she make it sound like you two aren't really close?"
"We aren't. She just comes to me when she need something." Neron smiled tiredly.
"Aww! Don't be like that. Let the souvenir be a couple's item. For me and Jerry."
"Fine. I hear you." He sighed, though maintaining his smile.
"What about you, Jared? Want a souvenir?"
"Sure. I'll trust you to give me something good." I smiled at him.
"The last gift I gave you ended up being a foundation for your development of Anti-Magic. It should be fun, seeing what else you'll be able to accomplish."
"I can't wait then."
We spoke for a little while longer, but considering the fact that time was of the essence—literally—Neron bid us a final farewell.
"When you see Legris, give him a big whacking for me, will you?" He finally said, standing in front of a swirling portal that looked like coagulating stardust.
"I'll try my best." I responded.
We both nodded at each other knowingly, smiles on our faces.
And then...
>VWUUUUUUUUSSSHHHHH<
... He vanished into the portal.
For a while, no one said anything. We only just watched in silence.
But the silence didn't last very long.
"Alright, Kuzon, let's go home." Ciara raised her voice, her tone trembling in excitement.
"Ah, yeah... let's go."
Our golden-haired Midas prepared the Blu-Blu, and was about to hit it before pausing at the last second.
"Hold on! I'm forgetting something!" He burst out, swiftly retracting his Aether.
"What is it? Can't it wait? Let's go homeee!!!" Ciara whined, showing her pent-up frustration.
Nothing mattered more to her than returning to see Jerry, it seemed.
'Now that we all know what her deal is, it's sort of cute.'
"Ah! I remember now. Jared, Crazy Neron told me to give you something."
Ah, yes. Kuzon did mention something like that in his story. It was rushed over, so I didn't remember until he raised the issue.
"Since we've reached the end of this odyssey, I suppose it's time to check out what Crazy Neron wanted me to see."
Kuzon brought out a small paper slip, no larger than a finger.
It was glowing with various colors, and I couldn't properly detect just how much Aether was locked inside it.
"Hmm...?" The moment I took it away from Kuzon, touching it with both of my hands, I felt a sudden surge of energy wash through me.
>VWUUUUUUUUSSSHHHHH<
'A-ah... ahhhh!'
Suddenly, I began to hear words in my head, and strange letters started swirling across my thoughts.
Meanings slowly started to form, and I began to comprehend what the words were all about.
This was a message!
I deciphered the message—no, more like it unfolded before my very mind.
It seemed like a very long process encapsulated within a second, but it finally drew to a close, leaving me breathless as I finally returned to my senses.
The paper slip slowly dissipated, and I was left suspended in motion with my friend stared at me strangely.
"Are you okay, Jared?"
"What's the matter?"
"What did the message say?"
"Can we go home now?"
The words of my friends, each with varying levels of concern, echoed in my ears, but I couldn't stop ruminating on the meaning of what I just learned.
"K-Karlia..." I whispered, grabbing my face with my palm.
"... She needs my help!"
