One by one, their bodies began to glow—soft light blooming where shadow once clung. The soft pulses of light rose around them like stars returning home to the sky.
They were returning to the Candle-Eyed Long Night universe.
Kirihito twirled joyfully in the light. "I loved this game! I feel like a celebrity!~ And I look even prettier when glowing!"
Sozai giggled, looking at his glowing hands with a chubby smile. "Same here~"
The Author, her form also shimmering, smiled gently. "Would you all like to say something to the readers... and to me... before you go?"
A hush fell. Then, Kyoren stepped forward, pointing toward the reader as if addressing them directly. The others turned to look as well.
Kyoren: "I hope everyone won't just read us... but feel us. Our joy, our pain... our love, our hate. Just because we're fantasy doesn't mean we're fake. We were born from a person, too... maybe not like children are born, but from the same heart."
He began to fade, light swallowing him gently. Kuradome gave him a rare, faint smile—and for a moment, Kyoren felt he had finally touched his father's heart.
Xio: "Love those who are important to you... and never break promises. You don't know what the glass of it went through to bleed."
He vanished.
Kansai: "Goodbye everyone~ Have fun with us!~"
He faded next, leaving a lingering warmth. Suji watched him go, thoughtful.
Suji: "Silence doesn't always mean cold. It could be something... deeper, too."
A soft sigh, and he, too, was gone.
Kuradome stepped forward next, eyes cast in the same direction Kyoren had faced.
Kuradome: "The past is beautiful... but the present is even more so. The past is memory. The present... is the moment."
He faded, but not before offering a nod to the Author, who returned it with a knowing smile.
Lànhuā: "A family doesn't have to be blood to be true. It just has to be pure... like us."
She faded, her presence leaving the air soft and nostalgic.
Língxi, watching her with a faint smile, added quietly:
Língxi: "That was right... Eyes speak louder than tongue."
And he, too, was gone.
Then came Sozai, one arm around Yurei, whose cheeks were still pink from earlier. Sozai grinned.
Sozai: "Dying for someone we love... just to see them live happily... is sometimes the bravest act of all."
Then he turned to Yurei with a playful smile. "Isn't it, Yuyao?"
He faded before Yurei could answer. Left behind, Yurei stood still for a moment, thinking...
Then he looked toward the unseen audience.
Yurei: "I... I mean... We should enjoy life, too. Even if we live by rules, we shouldn't let our souls die. A cup of liquor and a late-night song... can be the most beautiful night."
He faded next, his smile lingering in the room like a slow melody.
The Author waved to each of them as they left.
Author: "Goodbye, my soulmates..."
Then she turned to Kirihito, her eyes soft with both pride and sorrow.
Kirihito grinned—his beautiful, chaotic grin that always felt like the perfect ending to a story.
He turned toward the same light the others had followed, but looked back at the Author one last time.
Kirihito: "Even if my story ends... I'll keep walking—quietly holding my mother's hand. I know... she won't let me die. She'll find a way to bring me back. Back to her. Back to everyone. Because I'm hers... and she's my other half."
He faded with a light that shimmered like tears.
The Author followed, the same glow consuming her... but her smile never faded. It was a smile of pure joy, and quiet, enduring love.
Then—darkness.
A moment later, a voice echoed from the stillness.
Unknown Voice: "Don't you feel abandoned by readers?"
The room stayed empty... but a new voice answered. Familiar. Honest.
Yàn Yè Xīn: "Sometimes. But even silence carries eyes. And even if they never speak—I still write. Because this story has become my breathing... and that's why Candle-Eyed Long Night will keep beating in me like a second heartbeat. I might die... without it."
And with that...
The lights shut off on their own.
And silence returned.