Chapter 413: Dreams End 2 (2/2)

It would all end just like this?

"Not destroyed" Elaine put a hand on the Hero's shoulder Her touch, even now, even in this apocalyptic"Our time was just up"

"Our tilanced back at Elaine, confused

She stared up at the Hero with speckling her rainbow tinted eyes

"This world was never meant to be Remember, my love" Elaine turned the Hero around and put her hand to his cheek "Remember, Aldrich"

Meles together The laughs they had between each other The love they shared The daughter they raised

And -

Elaine as a zombie

Then, it was then that the Hero knew

"None of this…none of this is real,"hand to his forehead

"That depends on your definition of real," said Elaine "In ether - it was real to hter In that way, it was real Even if everything here was a creation of your mind, creation still has substance

But it isn't 'real' in the sense that this isn't where you belong"

"Like mo to reet back to yours"

The Hero knelt down, dropping his shi+eld Waran to trickle down his cheeks "I-all of this- you two, the people I loved the o, not like this, not so suddenly"

Krysa hugged the Hero, sniffling "I know, dad, I know I don't want to say goodbye either ButThere's a ton of people that are waiting for you out there, hoping for you

You have a daughter there too, so to cry a lot harder than I am if you never come back She needs her dad"I know everything's breaking apart so quickly I felt the same way too, but I came to realize that this peace we had, this peace you built - it shows that our story here is over

You won here

But out there, you still have a fight to get to

I want you, no, I need you to be strong

I need you to save the world out there like you did with ours

And, ht in her throat She held on to the Hero tight, the tightest she had ever held hi she had to "I want you to love out there properly I want you to find happiness Just like you did here"

The Hero held the two close to hio I don't want to let you two die"

Krysa tried to say soan to sob into the Hero's chest

"Death doesn't have to be the end, my love Nor does it have to be cold and lonely In your arms like this, I'm reminded of the years of happiness we had In your waro," said Elaine She rested her cheek against the Hero's own "Keep us in yourhow to love and raise a daughter - use them out there

Because just liketo hold you"

The Hero lurched forward, his arti shards of what once was

The Hero watched as the petals shone, reflecting a lifetime ofaway into the darkness

The world turned darker

Now, there was nothing except the dark

The Hero stood up He turned around

The entity was there Its shi+eld was gone Instead, it held out its foggy hand

The Hero, no Aldrich, reached out and took it

As their hands locked together, light bloo