Farewells are usually accompanied by one of two things.
One of them is joy—the cheerful sounds of celebration, and the hopeful gazes of those that bid goodbye to you.
The other is sadness—when the eyes of the crowd carry such heaviness that it brings a certain bleakness to look into their eyes.
Sometimes, it was an odd mix of both.
Thankfully, our goodbye to this place was more of the former, and almost nothing like the latter.
Fairy King Oberon, Aria, Drake, Larry, and everyone else we had managed to befriend in the known world were here to witness our farewell.
Their cheerful gazes met ours as we stood at the precipice of our next voyage; though we could leave from anywhere at any time, we chose the very battlefield that would have caused a memory of despair if not for our interference.
Moments earlier, we had said our farewells to the Goblins, but now it was time to bid everyone here goodbye.
The party we had was amazing, and everyone had enjoyed themselves to the utmost.
But now, that was all over.
It had become a time of solemn farwell.
"Will you be coming back?" The question that hung in the air was finally asked by Oberon, who looked me in the eye as he spoke.
I looked at everyone who was present, their gazes implying the same question.
Would we be coming back? That… was an unnecessary question.
"Of course." I responded with a smile.
I had so many more things to look forward to in this place. I had fought for this world, and I had grown so attached to this place in the short span of my time here.
'The people here have become family to me. I don't think there's much of that waiting for me back in the Aether Realm.'
In more ways than one, this was my new home.
'And everyone needs to come back home at some point.'
I glanced to my right and saw Karlia's smiling face. To my left was the Ursula, who woul also be serving as my companion on this new journey.
Everything was set.
"I guess I'll see you all later." The smile on everyone's faces infected me, and I could also see the surrounding Mecha Knights waving at me.
I, of course, waved back at them.
"It's time… [The World]." Once the pleasantries were concluded, I utilized the combined might of the Arcanas to generate a shimmering portal.
The swirling singularity stood behind me, Karlia an the Ursula. It warped space, and bended the laws that existed around us.
The sooner we left, the better.
"Take care until then." I said my final farewell, finally turning my back and facing the gateway that would lead to the final challenge I had to face.
"WE'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU!" The resounding chorus of the people behind me warmed my heart, and the intertwining fingers of Karlia as we locked hands together brought me comfort.
This was going to be the most dangerous task I had ever undertaken, and it made me worry endlessly about how much I had to lose.
However, I was fully aware of the potential loss that would occcur if I did nothing.
The love I had for my friends, my family, my creations… and my dear wife-to-be, propelled me forward.
I could not fail.
"The optimal time is here. We should venture forward." The Ursula's voice echoed in my ears, and I nodded in response.
She was right.
"You ready, Lewis?" Karlia's soft voice made me stare at her longingly.
And I suppose that was the final push I needed.
"I am."
With those final words uttered, we stepped into the abyss… and never turned back.
******
[LOCATION: The Aether Branch]
<TIME PERIOD: Over A Month Before The Lewis' Departure>
~VWUUUUSSSSHHHH!~
The world came into view as the swirling mass of contorted space parted to grant my allies and I entry.
"Haa…" A brief, but deep sigh escaped my lips as I finally breathed in the fresh air of the world around me.
It had taken a lot of time and effort, but we were finally back here in our original world.
"... It's good to… be back… home…?" I slowed down my speech almost as soon as I started it.
Moving closer to me from behind were Kuzon, Aloe, Edward, and Ciara—all of us who had just returned from traveling the worlds within the Aether Tree in order to return to our world.
However, upon arriving, we were instantly greeted by… strangeness.
"Is it just me, or is something wrong here?" Ciara was the first to break the silence as she looked as perplexed as the rest of us.
In response to her words, I said nothing.
It was still taking me a while to fully comprehend and process all that was happening around and within me.
Objectively speaking, there was nothing wrong with the landscape.
It looked the same, just like memory.
It was Ainzlark Academy, after all, where Neron's wedding had been held. We had returned to the last place we occupied before we were suddenly transported.
Yet… we could instantly tell something was off.
"It's not just here, Jared. It's everywhere. You can sense it too, can't you?" Kuzon drew closer to me, his tone carrying as heavy a weight as one would expect.
Kuzon had been the one most anxious to return, and now that we were here, I could sense the unease he was experiencing.
It nearly rivaled mine.
For one final time, I closed my eyes and probed the entire world… searching for anything, anyone that could explain what was happening.
But, ultimately found no one.
'Nothing again, huh?' I asked myself.
With widened eyes, I turned towards my friends, asking them a question I already knew they had no answers to. "Where…?"
That's right. None of us knew the answers.
"Where in the world is everyone?"
At least, not yet.
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
This is the end of the 7th Arc, and now we can move to the Final Arc of this novel.
It will be the conclusion of Jared's Story, and I sincerely hope you enjoy it as much as I will enjoy writing it.
I intend to pour everything into this Final Arc to ensure it is a well-deserved conclusion to this story, so please continue to support me as we progress.
The name of the last volume of this series is…
… The End Of All Things Arc.
Till then, readers.
Cheers!
Ah, and for the last time… please check out my new book.
