Scrolls of Eternity

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And so, you all continue to wander through life, knowing that your peers, the people that you had grown to know and to trust and to love throughout your shared traumas had to be out there. Someday, maybe you’ll know, but unfortunately for now, you are lost in a sea of monotony, of normalcy, smothered by those that were worried and are just now so happy to have their loved ones safe, and seeing the unfortunate faces of those that had lost looking to you all with such sadness, such hope that maybe they will see their own person safe and sound again.

All of this could hold true if you just continue to hope and to seek the truth.

You feel a tight feeling in your chest every time you pass some video game shop, wondering if one day you’re going to see that same title that you see flashes of every once in a while in the back of your mind.

You hold out with hope for the day your friends might return, and maybe you can play Scrolls of Eternity itself with a fun, good natured outlook, knowing that you would all be safe and sound once you left the game.

And perhaps you return to your everyday life, or perhaps you dedicate yourself to the cause of finding those who were lost in the game. Perhaps, years in the future, you find a room filled with strange machinery and sleeping bodies. Perhaps you do, and perhaps you don’t. For now, all you can do is live.

Life goes on, and so it seems does the aching feeling in your hearts, yearning for the simple collegiate life once more.

SCROLLS OF ETERNITY

THE END

When you are jolted awake, it is not together with your friends as you apparently had been for months during the game. It is not in a lab, lying comfortably on a bed. Some of you smell the soothing scent of the waves, wind blowing gently across you as murmurs resound, leaving you only to claw at your head desperately and face the confused citizens head on, staring at you, surrounding you. Some of you feel the dirt beneath you, damp as you are jolted awake in the middle of what you can only assume is some forest. Some wake up near campus, in some random building that you had only seen from the outside. All that you knew was that you were alone, and you had to make the long journey back to your homes, to families who believed you dead.

The whispers surrounding your sudden reappearances say a wide variety of things, but when they ask you what had happened to your friends you truthfully can answer that you don’t know. You don’t know where they were at the moment, you don’t know what plans the scientists or Hisato Kaneshiro’s colleagues had for the future of the ELYSIUM PROJECT, but you could say with absolute certainty that they were alive, although you weren’t sure if anyone would believe you if you were to tell them the full extent of what you had experienced.

The school issued statements of hope, statements of condolences as they swear to continue their search into the disappearance of the others, trying to bring them home because if even a few of you are alive there is a chance that all of you are out there somewhere. You aren’t sure how much weight these words hold, but all of the students that found themselves part of the explosions were offered their degrees immediately. You almost feel like it was to shut you up, to continue to sweep the true mystery of the explosion, of all of your disappearances under the rug. Of course, it is up to you whether you accept it or not, and of course the remaining faculty member is given paid leave for any distress as well.

And so, this is it. It seems like it’s quiet for an eternity, the silence weighing heavily on the atmosphere. You’ve all made your decisions, one way or the other, and it’s hard to think that this is an end, that there are those of you who, unfortunately, will not be given the option to leave, to be whole again. Those who were lost with the potential of never being found… And those that have chosen to go will be leaving it all behind. It’s a solemn moment, and no one dares to disrupt the ephemeral moment of tranquility, to even make too audible a breath until you are pulled cruelly back into the reality of the situation you have found yourselves in.

 It’s weird to see Calantha, your tormenter throughout this whole game, look at you all with a tender expression, so perfectly contrasting her demeanor that you had grown to know so well. Upon further reflection, however, you realize that you never really knew a “Calantha.” Hell, the one in front of you is simply one of many. A hand is extended, smiling twisting into a weary expression as you all know what’s about to come.

“Well, heroes… It’s time to take your leave.”

Slowly but surely you step through the portal, your world being overtaken by a wonderful, vibrant array of color and light and warmth, and you’d almost be able to ignore the final words you hear as Yamaguchi calls out to you. 

“By the way… Be sure to take the bag off when you wake up!”

[♫♫♫]

We are the stories we tell ourselves

The brave hero, the tortured soul

The Tyrant King, Hisato Kaneshiro, has died. This game, the world of Elysium that had kept them captive for so, so, so long -- it was over. They were finally free to leave this place and continue on with their lives, whatever was left of it.

...

… At least, for some of them.

Hanari Hokusai was a stubborn woman. Volatile, angry, stupidly, stupidly stubborn but not alive without some merit. Despite her anger, she could be patient. Despite her volatility, she could be gentle, sometimes. Despite her stubbornness, she always tried to keep her heart in the right place, aiming up high. She was raised with a golden spoon in her mouth, with a crown on her head, and chains on her arms as she lived in a cage, destined to be a bird caged and fly on a path she didn’t want to live.

… Was it right for her to be alive, able to live and have the option of leaving this place? She talked big words about being able to save the people here but...

The Altruist, the Pragmatist

They will tell you what they see

But you and you alone know who you are

An heiress. A survivor. A ‘Warrior’. A Person.

It feels like a familiar story -- heroes simply trying to survive and find a way to pave the road ahead. Saving friends. Hanari always loved those kinds of stories, stories about heroes saving the day and it would always get her heart racing as she listened to her Uncle’s words.

But, being a hero was scary. Being strong and having strength alone wasn’t enough. Learning that you can’t always save everyone but you continue living to save those still out there. Living with your mistakes and regrets. Learning to open your heart because it’s emotions and love that make someone strong. Courage is born from fear and Hanari was a phoenix who would always rise up the flames, heart ready to burst.

Like a flame flickering ever so slightly, Hanari’s eyes look over at Kamiya and oh how her heart swells. She smiles at him, truly and honestly, smiling with eyes filled with warmth. She steps towards him and the fire in her chest parts like the sea and she reaches for his hand to hold.

Fire isn’t just destruction -- but also energy and light and love.

Now comes your part,

To cloak yourself in the fiction

“There’s a lot shit we gotta do once we get outta ‘ere, huh?” She says as she squeezes his hand. “But you’re damn right I plan on helpin’ everyone ‘ere. Everyone’s got their path they plan on goin’ -- an’ I wanna do everythin’ in my power to help.”

“I’ll study an’ study an’ study like hell until I know everythin’ there is to know about VR an’ all this shit! I’ll study medicine an’ become a doctor who will be here to wack the shit outta everyone once you open your eyes. I’ll utilize every bit of my fuckin’ families connections to help everyone ‘ere wake up with their memories. I’ll make sure it won’t take forever, so… this ain’t goodbye! Not yet!” She says with a smile.

To breathe life into the dead,

To give a voice to the voiceless...

Quieter now, Hanari speaks in a hushed voice to Kamiya and presses her forehead against his.

“I’ll go with you, wherever you go. So… don’t go anywhere I can’t follow, you big dummy. You’ve always.. always helped me more than you could ever know. An’ I um.. am really grateful for that.”

As we did that day, when you gave us our answer.

“I’m leavin’ too. I know that we’ll be able to do ‘cause you’re right by side.”

How touching.

Hisato’s execution goes unwatched by Hisashi, right up until the end. He can’t help paying attention long enough to watch the king’s head roll; guillotines have always fascinated him, after all.

The rest of everything after that… The tears, the goodbyes, the I love you’s thrown this way and that… The fact that Azusa has the gaul to cling to Arisa, as if she still had the right--

How touching.

His face settles into an obvious, nose wrinkled look of disgust at it all.

There’s a moment, though, that he spends observing -- a brief second of reflection, on himself, the people around him, and everything that’s happened here. He’s changed, certainly, but it’s just more of the same and foregone restraint. He has friends, somehow. A girlfriend, of all things. The biggest difference, really, is that he bothers caring at all -- and even then, that’s only sometimes.

Standing here, feeling nothing but faint annoyance, it becomes startlingly clear that through the entirety of this shitfest of a game… Hisashi hasn’t lost a goddamned thing.

Quietly, he huffs out a short laugh.

“Why the hell would I stay here? Ahhh… Saturday night Calantha…That’s Yamaguchi, right?”

Hisashi speaks casually, hands tucked into his pockets as he walks towards the portal. He pauses beside the fairy shaped avatar, regarding it with a tilted head. For an uncomfortable moment, he’s silent --

And then he smiles.

“You’d better hope the muscle atrophy from laying around did me in, hm? Ah - but even then, nobody’s impossible to find, you know. Aha! Ahhh... I am really looking forward to meeting you people in person one day. Because, you know--”

"I've always thought hunting for sport was a bit inhumane, but I'm starting to see the appeal."

He laughs quietly, pulling his hand from his pocket to give the fairy a friendly pat on the shoulder before continuing on his way.

Ah…

He really hasn’t learned a single thing, has he? If anything, all Hisashi Shimizu’s time in the kingdom of Elysium has done is solidify a single, unfortunate life lesson for everyone else:

Sometimes, bad people do win.

It’s not a pleasant sight, seeing Hisato Kaneshiro die, and Ami makes sure she stays holding Kushiko close the whole time in case she needs to look away. Perhaps this is what Hisato wants, and in some way the apt punishment for what he’s done to others, but watching someone die is always terrible. Especially when it’s someone you once called a friend. All Ami can hope for, really, is that death by beheading really is instant, and that at least temporarily, Hisato will have some relief from his burdens before consequences catch him again. Does he actually deserve that? She doesn’t know, but she thinks at some point, he did.

And then, as Azusa speaks, hugs her and says she loves her, Ami breaks into a sob.

“L-love you too, Azusa...it’s all going to be better someday, I promise…”

Terror grips Ami’s chest for a moment, but she breathes a sobbing sigh of relief when Arisa hugs Azusa and the vial shatters on the ground, the fears of watching another best friend die dissipating into gratitude towards Arisa for managing to break through to her. 

“I’ll be out right behind you, Kamiya-san...I can’t stay here. The things it falls to me to do for everyone...I can only do them outside of this world. ”

At the beginning of this, she probably would have jumped at the chance to run away from her life--one she didn’t see a future for, so she simply kicked and screamed against it uselessly. She became a phantom thief in hopes it would give her some sort of excitement. She fought with her mother and defied the way she wanted her to present herself at every turn even if she was ultimately powerless against her. If someone told Ami a few months ago that she could stay here forever and not have to go home, she would have said yes and never looked back.

Now? Now things are different. She has so many promises to keep and things to do in the world outside that it’s impossible for her to stay here. Hearing Aina speak confirms as much to her.

“...thank you, Aina-sensei. I-I hope I can do right by what you say. I...I’ll tell your daughter that…you’ll be back.”

Ami is trying desperately to wipe away tears, the feelings coming from leaving people behind overwhelming her. Yes, she's telling herself it's not the end and she really does think they can do it, but she's still scared. She's still going to be sad while she waits.

But then Chiharu takes her hand… her friend, Chiharu, as they’ve both stubbornly been at each other’s sides through everything. And now they’re both going to stubbornly fight so the people they love can live happy lives. 

“Right. One moment, Chiharu-san.”

She smiles, and gives Kushiko, her personal Elysium, the biggest hug she can before stepping back to speak. Ami understands the fears her beloved has and why she needs to watch over those she cares about: it’s not in Kushiko’s nature to leave people to the unknown. That’s why Ami knows what they both need to do.

“...don’t stay too long, alright? When we know for absolute certain Yoshiko-san will be safe and when she’ll wake up...come home. We can go home together. Until then, I’m talking to you as much as I can through those servers—Yamaguchi and the others are going to be sick of me, just watch!”

They’re doing the same thing, just in what they believe is in their power right now. It’s going to be ok even if their duties take them to different places for a while—what’s a month or so compared to the lifetime they’ll have together?

[♫♫♫]

“Let me out of here this instant. Let me out of here right now. I don’t care about your perfect world or your perfect life or your stupid kingdom. This is not my home. It never has been.”

Ah, if only it was as easy as that.

They knew from the beginning – that their wish would never be answered. It was mostly the confusion that caused their outburst. So much of this place was out of their control, far from their mind, or anything 'Amarantos' had ever experienced. Perhaps it was worth the attempt, if only for the pity points, to make Hisato realize how he’d torn their family apart with a killing game that they saw as nothing but meaningless.

Deep in their heart, Aina Funai knew that they had resigned themselves to an eternal slumber the moment Ami stabbed them in the chest. No, even before that, the moment they asked Ami to kill them was the moment that they'd given up their chance at a normal life. It was set in stone now – eternal, immovable, frozen, just like the people Amarantos the gorgon has turned to stone. With the deaths of Hisato, they could leave this place. Maybe not now. Maybe not for a while. But some day, perhaps.

They watch as Hisato’s head comes off, a horrible thing, really...

With a smile.

The game is over. The king is dead.

And they know, it’s unfortunate that they’re stuck in here for now, and while they might not remember their daughter or any of their life before this trial... but optimism fills their heart for the first time in a very long time. They know that Motoko will be left in good hands. There’s Ami’s promise to take care of her, and Chiharu’s promise to become a doctor…

The world is looking hopeful.

For once, they don’t cry at death. They keep the smile on their face. Now that they know this is all fake, they can finally look people in the eyes with some semblance of confidence.

They inhale deeply.

“Ami Sakurayama… thank you... thank you for everything. I am sure Aina… no, I… I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.” They put their hand over their chest, letting out the exhale. “You are a good person.” Something Aina has said to Ami a few times. The truth of it can be determined by Ami, but they hope that she’ll believe them this time.

And then, their attention then turns to their discarded kitsune mask. Their temporary shield from the world. They pick it up from the floor and hold it close to their chest for a moment. You have served them well. But they know now. There's no more hiding that they need to do… because humans… are good. Probably.

Most of them, anyway.

“Thank you, everyone. You are… erm, a strange group… and there is a lot I still do not understand... but there is one thing I do know. I want... I want to see you all again some day. As the person I was before all of this happened.”

Another smile.

“Please tell my daughter... please tell Motoko... that she’ll see me again soon.”

So that was it. The Tyrant King dies, the heroes get to go home, and the saviors get to return knowing that none of this is real. Maybe their memories will return, maybe they will wake up and return to a world they don't remember. Maybe they return to a world they do remember and everything is so much more horrible. 

Wakka is simply standing there, hugging herself and pulling Arisa's jacket over her shoulders. None of this feels right. It doesn't feel right to her, the bitter-sweetness in the air. Tears, smiles, and exhaustion seem to be the choices and Wakka doesn't feel like any of them fit her right now. 

She is staring at nothing, unmoving, letting everyone speak to each other and leave. The only thing Wakka is thinking about is her promise to the Tyrant King. 

What she knows is that she will leave this castle and hunt down Hisato. She knows she will find some normal person with no memories of their sins and is unware why a woman is pulling a sword on him. She knows this rage burning through her veins will push her to kill him over and over, as many times as it takes for him to Stay Dead. Finally...

Hisato and Azusa’s betrayals hadn’t really brought any emotions on her, neither of them, stupid as they were, deserved Shizuka to feel even the slightest bit of emotion for them, not sadness, not regret and not sympathy. However, the former’s death had indeed brought her something.

Anger.

And it only lasted less than a second, it was a bridge that was burnt long ago now. A lifetime ago in her eyes, Hisato had been the one to set it aflame before they even built it. She hadn’t any fault in any of that, neither now nor then, it’s good to know that Hisato Kaneshiro was never her friend, not someone to grief.

Azusa Doigawa was worth even less than that; as was anyone that would kneel before him and herald him as king. They all angered her, but that too, passed before even a single muscle on her face moved. ...It seems she at least has the sense not to throw away  the opportunity to go home, her opinion won't improve one bit for it but it's the one good thing  Shizuka thinks Azusa's ever done.

Her spite is best shown through actions rather than just expressions

She would make sure their wish would never come true. She intended, from the beginning, the moment that they learned there was no escape just yet, to make sure Hisato Kaneshiro would never again touch a hair on Alphonse’s head. It was her final ploy to spite him, for as long as she lived -here or outside- the two of them will never meet again.

He had his chance, he had several chances, he had more chances than anyone else here, he had more than all of them combined but time and time again, Hisato denied himself that which could help him. And now he would never have it, someone to love, someone to care for. He’ll be miserable until the day he rots in his grave, after Chiharu and everyone else get them away from here. His eternity will be cut short. His life will be misery incarnated, all of his own making.

She looks over at Alphonse. It’s strange how alike, how different they are.

She can’t quite deny that perhaps, before their deaths, they had been friends. And friends should watch out for each other, even if she’ll have to watch out for him a few more times, even if she’ll be annoyed by him more often than not. He was, is, and will be her friend.

Much like Hisato had marked himself as her enemy, Alphonse will be her friend.

In a sense, much like Chiharu, Shizuka is motivated by love and sheer fucking spite.

But speaking of Chiharu and that love.

She had been holding her hand the entire time after they had said their pieces, listening to music as peacefully as possible given the circumstances, she hadn’t even paid much attention to everything else but this moment. It was nice and probably the last nice thing she’ll feel for some time, until she wakes up she thinks.

Her rough, calloused hand gently squeezes Chiharu’s when Saturday Calantha’s ends his speech about the decision the ones with the ability to take would need to make soon. They both knew the answer but she isn’t ready to let go just yet.

Her eyes dart across the room, so many people were in here and at the end of the day, they all were part of the same group, simply unlucky people that Hisato had somehow managed to get together, or rather someone else managed to get together for him.

...Man.

She really didn’t care for the vast majority of people that were here. It’s kind of laughable. ‘Much of what can be said for Chiharu can be said for Shizuka’, said that report and in turn, they had said Chiharu has a heart of gold. Which, in her bias, she would agree with. But for herself? Her heart is bronze, and kind of rusty bronze at that. And probably pretty small. ...There is some people she probably called friends before, though. Those people get a small smile before her eyes settle on Chiharu again.

Another light squeeze. The time of parting is so close. How… scary. She won’t be alone in the literal sense but she’ll be lonely for a time, at least. She knows Chiharu won’t keep her waiting, and she knows she doesn’t want to keep her waiting in turn.

She wonders; can she force herself to wake up? Hisato had said that sort of thing was next to impossible but Hisato was a fucking dumbass idiot anyway so clearly the answer has to be yes, actually. It just might take her time, and she’ll more than likely need help but she’ll be getting it. Even the people who put her and the others here say they’ll try. And they better, or god knows what she’ll do to them if they don’t.

Waking up… Waking up… it’ll be nice. And her memories too. They are so far behind, so far away, so out of reach, but all the feelings they bring, the happiness Chiharu made her feel time and time again, that hasn’t left her, that’s a part of her that no one will ever take away, not matter how they try, not even death could manage, after all.

Death. Her dead peers. They all begin to depart, Yaco gets the kindest gesture she’s shown him yet; a simple head nod of approval. Aina gets another in turn. She’s already told herself she’ll watch out for even those she doesn’t like, she doesn’t need to focus on them right now, they could use all the time, instead her thoughts are with the person in front of her.

In the same way that Shizuka Maemi refuses to lose to anyone, she won’t ever stop loving her Chiharu Maki and with that love and absolute belief in her, the future isn’t as uncertain as others want them to think.

That’s why this isn’t a last goodbye.

[♫♫♫]

It might be a long-lasting one, but it’s not a farewell, it can’t be the end for them, they both will be working hard for it. Knowing this much, it’s all the reassurance Shizuka could need, her eyes begin to shine, there’s no use fighting the few tears that appear on her eyes, because Chiharu is right there in front of her.

Through her tears, the moon gives the sun her brightest smile, a choked out sound escapes her as she squeezes the other’s hand.

“I-I still can’t remember but that’s okay. You are right. I don’t care about this world, I care about you.”

But she has her feelings of love. It feels so nice to finally name them for the first time. Or more accurately, again. The others in her group might be less certain, and they might not even want to be who they were but she is convinced. She is Chiharu’s Shizuka.

“You and I… we are going to last forever, not just this life, but every one after. No one can take our love from us.” Her words are soft and gentle, calm and sincere, full of trust, the kind of trust that nothing, no one can temper with, the kind that makes you know for sure; it will all be alright in the end.

“I’ll love you well after the sun’s stopped, and after the world’s ended, after the universe has stopped I’ll love you, to eternity and even more. So… I don’t think it’s selfish. I can’t wait to be home with you.”

She blinks, trying to stop any tears from coming; even if they are happy because Chiharu is finally safe and even if they are sad because she’ll keep her waiting, a small laugh escapes her.

“I guess that’s just my job, huh? Just like before.” Before she was certain of who she was. “I promise. I’ll look out for them, so make sure you don’t get into too much trouble, okay? ...Take care of yourself, too.”

But she won’t be worried, because she knows Chiharu will do this for her. She’ll be ready to welcome her back with a smile on her face and she needs to take care of herself for that, too. A smile crosses her lips from imagining the antics people like the ones Chiharu mentioned would get into, she nods and then ---

Her scarf. The one Chiharu’s always been wearing; though she does not know it, this had been a gift she herself had given to Chiharu years back, now returned with the other’s warmth on it, she relishes the feeling around her, like the sun gently giving way to the moon in a slow evening.

“I’ll be sure to give it back. You always get so cold, don’t you?” She smiles, a little laugh following, and something comes to her, "I'll treasure it, I'll take good care of it, Haru-chi!"

Automatically, her arms wrap around Chiharu as soon as the hug is started, realy, they both had started it together as they had done with so many things before. Shizuka’s eyes squeeze shut as a few tears begin trailing down her cheeks, she rubs Chiharu’s back, warmly, gently, just as always, just like before. Just like she’ll do when she’s woken up.

“I love you, I can’t wait to see you again.”

It’s the tightest but also the warmest, most gentle hug she’s given, it’s careful and delicate and like it’ll never break apart, but it does because it has to, because she knows it’s the best for Chiharu, but she lets herself stay close, joined, just for a little bit. Just for a little bit to make up for the time they’ll miss.

As they part, Shizuka composes herself, shaking her tears off, and hugging the scarf to her neck, it’s not easy. It might be the hardest thing she’ll ever do in her life, but she has to do it, she has to see Chiharu off.

Chiharu Maki is not a good person.

That’s why, as they stand by and watch, as Hisato Kaneshiro is pelted with razors, and he weeps, she watches with an air that’s on the border of exasperated. He cries for a life he was not blessed with the chance to live, and that in his reincarnation he may be a man who is no king, no tyrant, but only that - a man. A happiness he might find and that Chiharu doesn’t think he deserves; one he’ll live with Alphonse, who he doesn’t deserve.

He’s been blessed with happiness already, and it’s too much.

She hopes he was in agony at the kindness the others showed. The smallest blessing she can ask for. 

The guillotine lowers, through their joint effort. Just like when investigation had started, and they had theorized-- Chiharu herself had said she wanted a guillotine, though she has to agree with Arisa’s sentiment that it makes the king seem like they’re worth something.

Hisato Kaneshiro was worthless.

And he may find peace in his rebirth; in his time in Elysium, spent without the burdens of what’s outside. There are those who maybe, in some way, will be better off left here. Live better lives. Fuller lives, where the people who have hurt them can’t hurt them ever again. Had things gone differently, Chiharu would be one of those people. Were she a weaker person, Chiharu would be one of those people.

But Chiharu Maki, for all she has suffered from the day she was born, is not weak.

Hisato wants peace and happiness in his rebirth, that he no doubt wants to spend with people like Alphonse. 

And even if he’s happy - it won’t last for long.

Chiharu is going to wake him up, too, and he can go back to the life that drove him to become such a miserable human being. For every bit of suffering through the motives, through the fights, through the losses, the executions, the murders - for everything that happened here, he deserves tenfold.

He won’t be sleeping for long, she tells herself. He doesn’t deserve it.

It could be nothing but a pipe dream, one she’s making to salve the painful idea that he could dare live a happy life in any life to come while he’s left nothing behind but suffering. He touched a few lives here, and he made them worse.

Spite is a powerful motivator. It’s always driven her through her life, ever since she was old enough to talk.

But as she’s been blessed to know, ever since she was young--

Love is an even more powerful one.

The dead are beginning to leave. The alive - still such a weird fucking distinction to make - are going to have to go, too. Chiharu nods at Aina as they leave, not bothering with a goodbye when there won’t be too long before they speak again. A promise to tell their daughter just that.

They, too, would soon be awake.

She glances to Azusa and Arisa, just briefly - a moment that isn’t hers to watch - before she looks at Kamiya.

“I didn’t yell all that shit ‘cause I planned on staying here. I’ll be right behind you, Kamiya. I’m leaving. Just… Just give me a second, okay?”

[♫♫♫]

It won't be long, but that doesn't make it easier. And she finally turns to Shizuka.

“I know you don’t remember. You don’t need to. The memories will be there when you wake up. And if they aren’t, then we have a lifetime to make new memories to replace them.

… Hah. It’s selfish, maybe cruel of me, but I’ll make sure you wake up. Even if things would be easier for you here, and you’d never have to deal with everything we have back home, I want you with me. I love you, Shizuka. I’ll love you until the sun stops shining and the world goes cold, and I’ll love you long after that, too. In this life, and the next life, and every single one after that. I told you before, right? There’s no way it’ll last just one life--

But I’m not done loving you for this life. Maybe it’ll take months, or years, until you can open your eyes again… but when you wake up, I’ll be there to welcome you home.

Keep an eye on Alphonse-kun until then. You’re gonna have to babysit this whole circus. Start thinking about where you’d like to go on vacation when you all wake up, okay? Somewhere we can go, with Hanari-chan and Kamiya -- that has postcards we can send Sensei and Motoko-chan.”

She squeezes Shizuka’s hands, one last time.

Though it’s bittersweet, though it hurts… though her throat is closing up with tears that well no matter how many times she pauses, and her chest is beginning to ache, Chiharu smiles. Like departing at an airport, leaving for a trip that will last far too long; that’s what this was. Crying was for goodbyes.

This wasn’t goodbye.

“Don’t keep me waiting too long. You know me, Arisa-chan, Hisashi-kun and Aria are way too off the shits without you there. We’ll get in way too much trouble. You gotta keep us in line.”

The sentiment is useless; Chiharu knows she’s gonna wake up with this scarf still on, but she still unclasps the flower that holds her blue scarf together, and puts it around Shizuka. After a beat, she laughs.

“-- This doesn’t match you at all, Shizu-tan, but it’s all I’ve got to give. You’re way too tall for my cardigan. Keep it safe, okay?”

With the laughter, tears want to come, too. She closes her eyes tightly, and pulls Shizuka into a fierce hug. The last one for a long, long time - but not the last one ever.

“I love you. I’ll see you soon.”

She lingers too long, betraying her own hesitance. She doesn’t want to let go quite yet, but as always, the end comes beyond their control. But she can spare those last few seconds, and remember them, so when the late nights of studying with Hanari become too much to bear, she can grasp this memory and know that it’s all worth it.

Being alone is terrible. Chiharu’s always been afraid of it. The dark is only scary because of the nothing inside; that’s why the mountain hadn’t been as scary when she knew Aria was there next to her. So as much as she’s afraid, of not having her other half - the name always spoken in tandem with hers, the other part that makes her whole - she’s not so foolish as to think she’s alone.

Somehow, after all she’s done, she can look around this room and know she has the privilege of calling some of these people her friends. Somehow, after everything, she’s still not alone.

Knowing that, she can let Shizuka go, and give her the warmest smile she can; for one last time, shining for the sake of the moon in the night sky.

It’s time to leave.

Stepping back, Chiharu huffs out a fast breath, and with that, the tears blocking her throat still. She nods at their little guitar corner, knowing that Aria and Hisashi won’t be far behind her. They’d drag her out if she took too long, anyway, so she’ll take the initiative.

She turns, and she walks, until she’s standing next to Ami. Silently, she takes the other blonde’s hand in her own, and gives it a squeeze. Hopefully that can convey to her that, just like Ami had relentlessly stayed by her side, Chiharu is going to do the same.

Ignoring Calantha to the bitter end, she looks to Ami.

“Let’s go, Ami-san. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”

For one last time, she looks at the trial room of Elyisum. A room she’s going to see in her nightmares, she’s sure, until the day she dies.

She smiles at the people left behind.

For all the conflict in her heart, if not on her face, Azusa still breaks into the happiest smile when Hisato holds out his hand. For old time’s sake is right. All these months feel like a lifetime. She can barely remember all that came before, when they were simply Hisato and Azusa.

Quiet talks over tea, not always about grand plans. Sharing poems and songs and other loves. Listening to Hisato’s own works, Azusa sometimes interpreting the rhythm with her dancing if the mood struck.  They were...weird, weren’t they? But it felt normal.

And it doesn’t matter if he’s in costume or in his daily clothes – this dance, too, feels normal. Her eyes well up with tears even as she smiles softly up at him. When he spins her she laughs - free and light and with the only real joy she’s had since his reveal. 

“I’ll be waiting for it, Hisato-kun. I love you too, so much. I’ll make sure to carry that with me, and we’ll find each other soon.”

She bows back, wiping her eyes. He’s been so steady to help her through her pain. She can’t save him from it, but she can do her best to appear the same.

Azusa stands in front of the throne throughout the whole execution. Even more than with Wakako, she wants to look away. But she wouldn’t deny him the right to be seen in his last moments. This is a pain she wanted to spare him from. She would have gone through all of this, truly. But they both knew that was...simply not how it was meant to be. When he starts to beg she clutches the poison, biting on her lip so hard it draws blood.

She reaches back. He can’t see her, of course not. But she hopes...she hopes he knows she’d reach back. When the Chart falls, she flinches, hand slowly lowering. Azusa trembles for what might as well be hours for as long as it feels. It’s indescribable, the pain it causes. She’s shattering.

Like thrown wine bottles. Like mirrors pulled down in rage. Anger and heat. But all Azusa feels is heartbreak and cold.

Four people in her whole time here have had the privilege of seeing her cry. Now her emotions are laid bare as she sits down on the throne, burying her face in her hands as she sobs.

I’ll still have to watch you die, whether or not you come back.

She sniffles, tears still falling, as she looks back up at the group. Honestly, with the barrier being down, she sort of assumed she’d be dead already. But she’s not, and there’s a final decision to be made...

The hardest lesson for Hades and Persephone to learn was how to be apart. Even when Hades let her go, Persephone stayed behind too long, even when the world above needed her. But at least she could come back to the underworld. That’s not an option – either Azusa stays or she goes. There can be no in between.

It’s not that she’s never had to make decisions before. It’s true mostly everything has been decided for her, but she wouldn’t be ready to take over for the Doigawas if she stumbled through every possible choice. Still, business is different from deciding whether a life is worth living.

The memories will come back, but she probably won’t wake up. If she lives she’s going to face the consequences - she doesn’t know what that will be. Getting killed, probably. And then what? What’s it worth to abandon her best friend if she’ll just be separated from him forever? Assuming she doesn’t get killed...what comes after that? She’ll have to...well, she’ll have to figure it out with her friends, who have more important matters on their hands.

If she dies, for a few moments, maybe weeks, maybe months, maybe years, she will be someone new. Someone happier and untouched. Someone good. She’ll still get killed, though, won’t she? It’s not the suffering or the death that scares her, really. It’s the idea of what happens when the memories come back, or on the small chance the freaks actually manage to do the impossible and wake her up.

Caring is not easy, but she loves them, and they have to know that. Azusa hugs Ami, softly. It’s strange...they haven’t hugged just...plainly, have they? Not out of greeting or joy. It’s only sadness or comforting hugs every time. And this is no different. 

“...I was always a bit of a freak, huh, Ami-chan? And you still tried your best to make me into something better….I hope you get all the happiness you deserve out there with the one you love, and I hope...I don’t know. I hope if we all wake up, I’m able to see it….I love you.”

She turns, smile on her face as she makes eye contact with her sister. 

“You don’t have to worry about anything. Just go out and live and be happy and...try not to forget me. I don’t know what tomorrow will look like for us, but...maybe someday we’ll see it again.”

She steps down the stairs, running to embrace her. She knows how stupid it is, that Arisa would definitely never let her go if she was given the chance, but...who cares. This might be her last chance.

Azusa uses her free hand to tug her into a hug, burying deep. She tries to take in all of the sensations. She’s gotten so used to this. To the sound of her heartbeat, to her soft side, to all of it. It was only a couple of months, but she has already become her other half in every way a sister can be. No matter what comes next, she’s going to feel so empty without her.

A sob escapes her lips.

“I don’t want to let go…”

….

Arisa doesn’t watch the execution. She doesn’t care. Hisato has never been of concern to her, and he never will be. He’s nothing but a fake, a fraud, a phony, and he’s simply not worth her time. He’s not worth letting her eyes off of Azusa for a single moment. She looked back once. Maybe she’ll look back again. Maybe she’ll look back again and see her standing there with her arms still open to her sister. Maybe she’ll look back again and see her home is still here for her.

As she watches her sister’s other exchanges including the one-sided reach towards Hisato (an act of love Arisa will never understand and, quite honestly, doesn’t want to) and the hug with Ami, she hopes, at least, Azusa will hug her like that once more. She hopes because, if she does, she won’t let go. She doesn’t need to be a hero in the same way as Mitsugi; she can create her own superpower.

So, when Azusa buries herself in the curves of her body, perfectly and miraculously molded to fit someone her size, what else can Arisa do but curl herself around the smaller girl and keep her safe. Protect her. Hold her so tightly that nothing and no one can come between them. There might not be a forcefield anymore, but there’s now another barrier between Azusa and the rest of the world.

If people thought she was scary when she was pissed, she’d like for them to see her if they tried something now.

Tears that never quite stopped erupt from her eyes, and she adjusts to comb through the hair before the braid with her fingers and smiling gently. It reminds her of their conversation in the kitchen over pink cupcakes and supposedly broken dreams that pieced themselves back together through joined spirits.

“Then don’t. Don’t because I don’t want to either, and I never will want to. I don’t know if I even can. You will always have a home with me, no matter what. Family is forever. We’re forever.”

She smiles through her crying and lets out a little chuckle.

“I’ll carry you out if you want, even. Hop up and swing your legs around my waist. We don’t have to let go of each other now or ever.”

Tilting her head down, she kisses Azusa gently on the crown of her head. The other girl can probably even feel her smile grow a little bigger as she softly sings her declaration to the ballerina.

“You’re the one I choose.”

---

Azusa sobs harder once Arisa starts, clutching tightly. The guilt is heavy in her heart, but she can’t help it. She wants to go home, no matter where that is. Because it’s not really a ‘where’. It’s her family, her real family. It’s Arisa.

The hand holding the remaining vial loosens, and Azusa flinches a bit at the sound of it breaking. But it feels lighter. She feels lighter. She leans back, reaching up to wipe at Arisa’s tears.

“I...I’m going to walk out on my own feet. I can do it. It’s my choice.”

She doesn’t let go of her hand, though, quietly humming the notes Arisa sang back to her before adding her own small line. A different song but still...one familiar.

The death is something he'll never be able to wipe free from his mind. No matter how many times Alphonse wipes his mind, he thinks, he will still remember this.

He can feel the horrific sound of the head's separation down to his marrow, the lingering attachment of the man who loved Hisato tightening his grip on his own arm. The sound, the sight- both will haunt him, he thinks, for the rest of his life.

…

His expression is one of a man haunted, breathing ragged as he's finally witnessed what everyone else in the room has- seemingly useless violence. Rage. Hate. Vitriol for a man who, by all accounts, had he still had all his faculties… Al would probably give a pardon to.

...But, that's why Alphonse isn't running the show, hm?

He would spend the rest of his life in the simulation in good company. Whoever would be willing to find him, and… 

...and…

He can't think about anything but the fact that, not long ago, he'd been in that tent with Hisato. Chatting. Enjoying each other's company, learning about each other, thinking of the future…

His hands go up to his face, hands over both eyes as he quietly, miserably sobs. He's quiet. What was the point in mourning a man who wanted so desperately to die? What was the point? What…

...What….

What to say about the friend Hisato left behind? His partner in arms, Azusa, left behind with the mob?

In another lifetime, Alphonse might have had the guts to push her into friendship.

But they were too similar.

Too close to the sun, twin Icaruses circling the drain, two miserable people whose lives never quite stopped getting worse. Desperation. Agony. Loneliness. A lifetime of pain for both of them.

Alphonse looks about the space, at Azusa, at… at the world he had been borne into, the people he'd only just met, a lifetime of sorrows he would never want to know.

He never wanted to know.

So when the chance comes, Alphonse exits the room, back through the doors, away, away, away. He walks, the old world dying, fading with every footstep. He breathes out a shaky sigh, feeling the icy grip of a life at the back of his neck. 

Alphonse walks with the gait of a practiced dancer. One who would never hit the big leagues, but one who moved in the throes of passion. His legs are strong, the sound of his heels clacking along the tiled floors of the kingdom as he finds himself breaking into the gardens. 

In short order, Alphonse Sebastian Garrard is sitting under a tree. A tree with faces, with twisting patterns and memories he would never have. Memories of Hisato Kaneshiro, really. 

…

There's beauty in nature. All things growing on their own time, in their own way, their own schedules with their own beautiful paths they take.

Acorns grow into mighty oaks. Miniscule seeds turn into fruits, and vegetables, and thriving greenery. A single seed, no larger than that of your fingernail, grows from something so easily missed into a sunflower larger than a person. 

They grow, they change, and yet- in all things, nature stays the same. A constant path is tread through dirt roads, winding on into forests, and deserts, jungles and coasts overlooking water so deep you could lose yourself in the sight.

Somewhere, Alphonse grows, from where he left the castle. He changes, but stays the same; a seed planted and given time to grow in his own plot of soil. A world changes, grows, expands, and he stays simultaneously the seed so small you could miss it, and a sunflower, turning up, straining for the sight of sunlight. 

Paths are tread, feet pressed to the soil so lightly, one might miss the prints if they don't look close enough. Blonde hair trails behind him, ringlets and waves making for a fascinating silhouette against a backdrop of a sunset, bathing a forest in its heavenly glow.

Instead of straining toward the sunlight, it turns to meet him head on.

They had done it, the king was executed, the game was over but.... It didn't really feel like a success, not in Kamiya's eyes at least.... Yeah, he was pissed, why wouldn't he be? So many people were gone... Hell, they had a chance to come back, but what was really promising that they would? There wasn't really much he could do about that, what could he actually even do? He was an idiot, plain and simple.... There wasn't really all that much he could do to help them, he was just a D.J.

In a way? He really didn't deserve to be there as much as most of them, they all had plans to do something right, they all knew exactly how they were going to solve this but... He had said so much, so much that he knew he couldn't possibly do... There really wasn't much reason to go back, right? Simply living there again and living in a whole new life, maybe becoming a hero. Someone who could do something right... That was tempting, he really did feel like that could have been the better option but...

Then he looked to everyone around him, fixating on the people who had to make the decision in the end. Chiharu, Arisa, Aria, Ami, Kushiko, Shouri, Azusa... And hell, even Hisashi for a moment, until finally fixating on Hanari at last.

They all were going to do great things, should they have chose to... Which caused the D.J. to let out a deep breath, he didn't know what he was going to do but he gave Yamaguchi a look, as if a new spark of determination grew at that last moment.

"...I sure as hell ain't stayin' here, if I lose my memories... If I forget everythin' that happened 'ere... I ain't really me in that case... I've run away from too much shit in my life, an' even suggestin' that bullshit is... It pisses me the hell off, we're going t' do somethin' t' save them... I don't know what but... We can do somethin' with our lives. I ain't ever done nothin' useful with my life 'till now, so I'll make damn sure that we get 'em back... That we reunite 'em with the people who love 'em."

He then gave Hanari a look, as if asking her for help in this scenario. Something he often did throughout his time in Elysium, she was always there for him... And if they chose to leave and figure this out? He would need her support through this all too.

"...Yer comin' too, right Hanari? I uh... Kinda made that speech assumin' ya'd be doin' so! Gyhahaha! --Ya said ya wanted t' help 'em, right? Let me be there an' help ya do that... I uh... Know I ain't smart, but knowin' I can keep supportin' ya through everythin' from now on would give me a bit'a peace'a mind too... --'sides, you me an' everyone else gotta meet Gramps sometime. Even him."

He motions to Hisashi, sorry buddy. You're meeting an old man sometime. But he offers another smile to Hanari.

"...Thanks for bein' there for me though, from the very beginnin' an everythin'... I would'a probably been in the same shoes'a everyone else 'ere if you weren't keepin' me on the right track an' safe... Same goes for everyone. Hell, it's hard t' really say anythin' too sappy or some crap. Just know... I really care 'bout'cha okay? Let's save 'em t'gether, okay?"

There! He got his sappy words out! Looking a little nervous about that for a moment, before turning his gaze to the others who had to make the choice, Hisato was right about one thing regarding him... He knew how to encourage people, he knew how to be a positive force for others when they needed it... And now? With a choice like this, he kind of did a little fist-bump into the air.

"I ain't stayin' here! Ya guys should do the same an' leave too! I ain't gonna be pissed if none'a ya wanna, but know that even if ya do stay here, yer gonna have t' put up with my bullshit when we get'cha awake, yeah? 'Sides, if ya sleep I'm gonna draw shit on yer forehead fer when ya wake up an' ya'll be real pissed. Ya don't want that, right? So let's all get outta here an' put those big brains t' the test, 'cause I sure as hell didn't think this part through! Gyhahaha!"

Ahhh. Ahhh.

The game is over. The king is dead. Yaco still utterly refuses to acknowledge this grand theatre. Defiant in not giving the Tyrant King an encore.

Hooray. Hoo. Ray. Breathe in, breathe out. Hoo. Ray. Of course, Yaco does not see a key. He doesn't see a way out of here. He'd been right; salvation wasn't in the cards for their group of dead.

If you cannot save yourself, how could you possibly delude yourself into saving others.

Was Iago Molina someone he wants to be? Does he even want to be Yaco? Was the fact that he was someone else once and fighting for something for once in his life, lives, not just an elaborate act of decieving himself into having a purpose?

He doesn't want to be Iago Molina again. Hell, he doesn't want to be Yaco either.

Maybe its starting to seep through, then. The self loathing that Iago acted like a ridiculous peacock for. Always over-compensating.

Looking down at his podium to hide the tears welling up in him, he realizes he doesn't even have to stand at it anymore.

He dons his jester collar once again, carefully smoothing out the dirtied ruffles. And he steps away, the familiar sharp sounds of click-clacking heels and the jingle.

"Good job, Shizuka. Wakka." He touches the latter's shoulder lightly. "I think I'm going to need some time for myself. Exorcise the, aha, clown in me, shall we say. I'll find you again. I promise." One last time, he pats her head.

With that, he's off, immediately leaving before he starts sobbing with chances lost and a life he'll only be able to properly mourn once the immediate moment is long gone.

"See you, everyone", he laughs, forced. It's nasally from the fit he won't make everyone see.

He's... he's already left through the door of the trial room so it's incredibly quiet. Yaco keeps talking, something about coming to see him in Asfuc, the place he made up for a pointe, but, well. Too concerned with the appearances of cooly and quickly leaving people with his back turnt, not very much with the substance of actually having anything meaningful to say.

Before you're even given time to process what has happened in front of you, the bloodied paper dove springs forth from the mirror, dripping as it emerges and splatters the deep red all across the floor below. In a final, magnificent twist of light, it vanishes, only to be replaced by a single, shining key. Your eyes are drawn as if by some unforeseen force to the mirror it came from, and you see a message written across it in large letters, unable to be missed.

THE KEY HAS BEEN REVEALED.

YOU MAY NOW EXIT “SCROLLS OF ETERNITY.”

DON’T FORGET TO FILL OUT THE FEEDBACK FORM AFTER YOU LOG OUT!

THANK YOU FOR PLAYING!

From behind, you can hear a slow clap resound from none other than your friendly mascot Calantha. As she speaks, however, the tone and demeanor is off in a way, but you can't quite put your finger on why until she explains it for you.

"Congratulations, heroes! You've defeated the tyrant king and, thusly, are given the opportunity to leave the game! However, as your friendly Saturday Calantha, Yamaguchi, I figured that I should give you a little more of an explanation of the choice that you're about to make. Are you all ready?"

[♫♫♫]

Much like the creative process, at first, there’s nothing. The canvas is an empty, pitch black. There’s the murmuring of voices, the faint grumble of an audience impatiently waiting for the show to begin. Elysium’s mortal heroes and immortal saviors weren’t the only ones who were clamoring for the Tyrant King’s execution. This will be a spectacle for the ages.