Chapter 89: The True Ending (I)

  I walked in silence, disbelief weighing me down as Lady Mikaela led me toward the fallen.

  Around us, evacuations were still in progress. Adventurers searched through the wreckage, trying to find survivors – wreckage that I had caused.

  My mind reeled. I couldn’t believe her. I wouldn’t.

  No.

  I did all of this for Yana. She can’t be gone…can she?

  We passed the bodies of familiar faces – Jax, Henry, Waylan, Fiona – Luke still clutching her body, sobbing.

  Stephan Lorren lay among them too.

  A body unfamiliar to everyone but me was there as well. Gaelith Alloraine.

  Then, at the end of the row…Yana.

  My knees buckled, and I collapsed, unable to even walk the final steps to her.

  It was her. There was no denying it.

  It felt like my heart exploded. A cry tore from my throat. Tears streamed from my eyes.

  I crawled to her like a wounded animal, sobbing, choking on every breath. When I finally reached her, I buried my face into her stomach and wept.

  I told her to stay back. I had hoped she would. But I should have known better. She wouldn’t have just sat idly by. She followed me. She saved people. And she paid with her life.

  I pushed her away through every loop, convinced it was the only way to save her. But I failed.

  All I wanted was for us to be together. I would have suffered as much as I needed to – as long as at the end of it all she was there. Safe.

  I saved the world. But at what cost?

  “She managed to save three whole families.” Lady Mikaela murmured, her own voice breaking. “Before she was – “

  She stopped.

  And as I cried, I realized it wasn’t just her that had gone silent.

  Everything had.

  I lifted my head and saw Chronos – whole again, looking as strong as he had been when we first met. The blight was gone. Behind him Pix and Balthor followed, their faces grim.

  “I’m sorry, Aidan.” Chronos whispered.

  “Shut up!” I snapped through my sobs. “You told me to stay away from her, and look how that turned out!”

  “I know…and I’m sorry.” He placed a hand on my shoulder.

  I knocked it away.

  An idea struck my mind. One that I knew he would refuse – but I had to try.

  “Bring her back.” My voice trembled, but my resolve didn’t. “You can reverse time. Bring her back!”

  Pix and Balthor exchanged heavy glances, while Chronos shook his head.

  “Aidan…undoing her death would undo your victory.” He said, his voice filled with sorrow. “You already know I can’t do that. Erebus won’t lose a second time.”

  “I don’t care!” I roared. “I just want her back! I lost everything! Who cares about saving the world when I just lost mine?!”

  Silence.

  I finally felt what Dolos had felt when Arabella died.

  Chronos knelt beside me.

  And then – he broke.

  Tears fell freely from his eyes as he clenched his fists.

  “I didn’t want it to end like this.” He sobbed. “Not again.”

  Pix and Balthor stared in shock.

  Chronos punched the ground. “Aidan, I’m sorry! If there was a way to bring her back without risking the entire world, I’d do it in a heartbeat – but I can’t! I can’t think of one!”

  I was taken aback by his grief – but I refused to let it sway me.

  There had to be another way.

  “I still have one run left!” I said. “Let me have it. I know I can do this.”

  Chronos looked at me warily. “Aidan – “

  “No, listen to me!” I cut him off, desperation gripping me, but something else too. A plan was forming in my mind – slowly, but surely.

  “I can’t defeat him in a fight again. I know.” I admitted, looking around at the devastation. The countless bodies. The destruction. “But what if I can win without fighting?”

  Balthor straightened. “What do you mean, Mr. Dar?”

  The pieces clicked. The Prison. It might still be salvageable. And Erebus...I think I can stop him.

  I had a plan.

  “Aidan, it’s impossible…” Chronos said, shaking his head.

  “No, you don’t understand!” I leaned forward. “I’m not just saying this – I know what to do. I have a plan.”

  Chronos sighed, his expression pained. “I trust you. I know you might actually pull it off, but…the rules won’t allow it, either way. Once Erebus is defeated, I cannot restart another loop."

  "Unless humanity’s representative believes he was unfairly thwarted by the gods along the way.” Balthor added.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “Of course, I was thwarted by the gods!” I snapped. “Dolos screwed with us at every turn!”

  Chronos sighed. “I know. But as you heard it from the bastard yourself – he exploited loopholes. That won’t be enough for Themis to allow this.”

  I gritted my teeth. My mind reeled.

  Then – it hit me.

  “You owe me a run.”

  Chronos lifted an eyebrow.

  “Pix’s mistake.” I said, my voice firm. “I didn’t get the Déjà vu System until after my second death. I wasted an entire run without access to the Déjà vu System because of your administrative error. Like hell, humanity’s representative feels he was thwarted by the gods – I was thwarted by Chronos himself! That's why Goren had a head start on me with all those extra runs!”

  Chronos, Pix, and Balthor exchanged glances. For a long moment, no one spoke.

  "That's right!" Pix suddenly exclaimed, her eyes filled with hope as she glanced at Chronos. "I ruined an entire run for him!"

  Then, slowly, Chronos smiled. “That…might actually work.” He turned to me. "Are you sure about this plan of yours?"

  I nodded. "Yes."

  He then turned his gaze to the side, as if addressing someone unseen. “And what does my new assistant think?”

  A familiar voice rang through the air - one I never thought I'd hear again.

  “I think Spellsword deserves every bit of our help!”

  My head snapped toward the voice.

  There he was. Grinning.

  “Hello, hello, Spellsword.” Goren said.

  “Goren…but how?”

  He smirked. “The reports of my death were greatly exaggerated.” He gestured toward Chronos. “A second before disappearing, your god over there offered me a job. And well…” He grinned at me. “Here I am.”

  I was glad he wasn’t gone for good, but my heart still ached. So many emotions collided at once, I couldn’t say anything.

  “Don’t worry about me, Spellsword.” Goren continued, waving off my shock. “Your girlfriend – she’s the priority. No way the hero of humanity ends up broken and alone. Not on my watch!”

  Chronos chuckled. “Your first advice on the job, assistant Goren?”

  Goren inhaled deeply, then grinned. “We abuse the shit out of this loophole!”

  He turned to me, gripping my shoulders and lifting me to my feet. “Spellsword, you know what to do, right? You’ve figured it out? I can tell you did.”

  I took a deep breath, my resolve clear. “I know what to do.”

  “Good.” He patted my shoulder, turning to Chronos. “Send him back, boss. He still has a world – and a girl – to save.”

  Chronos approached me, placing a hand on my forehead. “I know you can do this.”

  I nodded, reassured by his trust.

  And then, I died.

  [Health: 0% - You Have Died]

  ***

  [Déjà vu System: Level 54 - MAX]

  [Loop Count: 66 – FINAL RUN]

  The moment I woke up, I jumped out of bed and threw on my gear. I likely won’t have to use it, but it won’t hurt to have it. All of my weapons were lost during the fight expect Nightfall, Golden Bow, and Oblivion Orb. But again, I likely won't have to use any of them.

  Once I was ready, I darted outside the house.

  As soon as I stepped out, I saw her.

  Yana.

  Just like in the previous run, she was stunned, her eyes widening as she took in my new level.

  But I didn’t care.

  I wrapped my arms around her, lifting her off her feet, pulling her close – breathing her in.

  She was alive. And that was all that mattered.

  “Aidan, wha-what - ?” She stammered, her hands gripping my shoulders.

  “There’s no time right now.” I said, holding her hand tightly. “I promise I’ll explain everything once this is over, but for now, please – trust me.”

  She searched my face warily, but after a moment, she nodded slowly. “O-okay…”

  I hugged her again, tighter, longer.

  I’m not going to make the same mistake again. This time I won’t let her leave my sight for a moment. “I need your help.”

  She pulled back slightly, her eyes narrowing. “My help?”

  “Yes.” I nodded. “I need to find Aric Kelltins. I know he quit your guild this morning – where is he now?”

  Her eyes widened further. “Kelltins? How do you know he quit?”

  “I’ll explain later.” I promised. “Please, come with me. Let’s find him together.”

  She hesitated, her lips parting as if to ask more questions. But whether it was my resolve or her feelings that won her over, she finally nodded.

  “He said he was heading back to the capital. But he didn’t take a horse – we can still catch him in a few hours. If we hurry.”

  I grinned. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Before she could react, I scooped her into my arms.

  “Aidan?!” she yelped, flustered.

  I smiled, savoring her cute reaction. “Hold tight.”

  Then, with Flight and Wind Rush, we soared into the sky.

  ***

  Carrying Yana didn't leave me encumbered. It seemed that in addition to all the levels and skills, I also gained Goren's inventory's capacity, allowing me to carry more weight than ever before without getting encumbered.

  Unlike the previous run, the End of the World message hadn't displayed yet, making me more certain about my plan.

  We flew through the morning sky. Yana hugging me tightly, as we scanned the road below.

  There he was – Aric Kelltins. Erebus' aura around him made him hard to miss.

  It only took us twenty minutes to reach him.

  Just as Yana had said, he was walking east, toward the capital.

  I landed us carefully a few steps away, but before I could even call out to him, he turned around.

  At first, his stance was guarded, combative. But the moment he saw me and Yana, his expression turned calm. Then, without a word, he turned back around and kept walking.

  “I don’t know why you’re here, Aidan, but leave me be.” His voice was distant. “You have a world to save, and a damn high level to do this, so go do it.”

  “That’s exactly why I’m here!” I called after him.

  He didn’t stop.

  “This is the last run, Aric.”

  That made him freeze. But he still didn’t turn.

  “This is it, then, huh?” he whispered. “I guess if you’re here…then that means you failed.”

  “No.” I tightened my grip on Yana’s hand. “I won. Goren and I won, but – “

  “Goren?” Kelltins cut in, his voice puzzled. “Who’s that?”

  My heart twisted.

  No one remembered him. No one but me.

  But at least I knew he wasn’t really gone.

  “It doesn’t matter.” I pressed forward. “I won, but the cost was too great. Too many people died. I had to redo it.”

  Kelltins finally turned, looking like he was about to kill me. “Let me get this straight. You won – you defeated that abomination, but because the result wasn’t to your liking, you decided to try again – fully knowing this will be your last shot?”

  I nodded. My resolve didn’t waver.

  “You’re insane.” He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “I can’t believe someone as reckless and foolish as you was chosen as humanity’s protector.”

  I wanted to retort so badly. To lash out. To call him a coward for abandoning the fight. Maybe if he had helped, Goren wouldn’t have died. But that wasn’t the right approach with him.

  “There is a better way to end this.” I said instead. “And I need you for it. I can save the world – we can save the world. Together.”

  He sighed deeply, then turned away. “I’m not interested. Good luck.”

  Before I could say anything, Yana stepped forward.

  “Aric.” She called after him. “I have no idea what this is about, but…you’ve never been one to turn his back on others. This isn’t like you.”

  He scoffed. “And what do you even know about me, Yana?” He turned to us sharply. "Everything you and our guildmates know about me is a lie. A fake character my father and I created so I could live among you all, awaiting my moment. Aric Kelltins was never real.”

  I watched, amazed, as Yana pressed on. “Well, maybe that’s true.” She nodded. “But I’ve seen you in action. I’ve seen you on quests. You always helped people. Was that part of the act, too? I’d bet my life that was the real you.”

  Kelltins dropped his gaze at her words.

  He said nothing.

  Now was my chance.

  “You’re conflicted.” I stepped in. “I can’t imagine what’s it like, having your supposed destiny hammered into your head from childhood. You feel like choosing to help me – help humanity – would be a betrayal of the other side of you – the Axul side.”

  Yana’s eyes widened, but she stayed quiet.

  “But there was never a choice between two sides, Aric.” I continued. “The Axul are human too. It doesn’t matter how it started – what matters is that we were all misled by those more powerful than us. But we all bleed the same blood. Always had.” I caught his gaze and pressed on. “I know you feel this way too. Please. Help me.”

  I extended my hand.

  For a moment, he didn’t move.

  “What about Gaelith?” He finally asked, curious about who he believed was his last known family member. But I wasn't about to tell him the truth. Not yet.

  I nodded, keeping my hand extended. “He’s part of the plan too. I’m sure you two have a lot to discuss.”

  His jaw tightened. “We do…”

  Another long silence followed.

  Eventually, he exhaled slowly. Then stepped forward.

  He shook my hand.

  “I don’t know what kind of wild plan you have to involve me of all people,” he muttered, “but…let’s do this.”