The black clouds had been dispelled by the largest explosion the lands had seen since the last human war. The flames deep in the abyss beneath the metal tower had long since died down, the liquid rock solidifying once more. The Hero was dead, as was the Shadow King.
— Wow — I said, swinging my feet from the top of the ruined tower, staring up at the bright blue sky above with a wide grin on my face. — Alright. I'll admit it, okay? I'll admit it: that was fun. But make no mistake, that was only fun because you worked to my specifications.
...
— Oh, please don't act silly. It's obvious this was your doing! …Wasn't it? Anyway, regardless! It's like I just said. If it hadn't been beautiful elves in castles, brandishing swords and magic- oh, this stuff doesn't count — I kicked the ugly metal tower beneath my avatar. — What I mean is, if it hadn't been so comfortably familiar, I wouldn't have even bothered to notice all this.
...
— Yeah, yeah, I know, I know... You like your weirdness. And so do I, you know? I consider myself an eccentric too! So much so that I would be perfectly receptive if your elves actually hated trees or something extreme like that! Or if dwarves actually didn't have facial hair! See? I'm pretty radical, aren't I? Oh, but keep those bronze and stone weapons well away from me. And I also don't want to know about the society of sentient fungi that parasitize other living beings... unless they were elves, perhaps?
...
— Haha, stop. You think you're so superior to me, don't you? You even named yourself "Greater Will". Well, let me tell you something then: you are NOTHING without me. You don't EXIST without me. Everything you create, you create FOR me, and I can claim, destroy or change all your work. And do you know why?
...?
— Because you love me. So you better start preparing something more to my taste once again.
...
— Hm? You should have denied that statement, you idiot — I sighed. — Fine, I'll give bronze weapons a chance, okay? But they better have cool swords made of it — I stood up, snapped my fingers, and the Tempesternity dissipated, the mountains of the Guards Mountain Range gradually began to crumble into dust and be carried away by the wind, slowly being reduced to their original size, and the twelve billion ghosts that surrounded the entire border of the territory could finally rest in peace. From that day on, children born to the women of that land would no longer display pointy ears and other elven features, and there were no longer any invisible restrictions on the local cultural development, or System. Álfheim had once again fallen, as it had fallen many other times before. — What will happen to these people from now on? But there is no one interesting left! Well, I suppose the necromancer is still alive, but those guys never really interested me in the first place, all dark and weird. Such a shame... But if they've survived this far, no matter what happens, they must find a way. Humans are the most versatile species, isn't that the cliché?
...
— Pff! I should be the one saying this, not you! If it were up to me, people all over the world would soon realize that they need to break the cycle of violence, forgive each other, and let bygones be bygones. You know, I believe that if you kill a villain, you're just like them and all that!
...
— N-No way. Of course I'm not just trying to run away from the consequences of my actions... Anyway, this epilogue is already weird enough! And since you won this time, go ahead and do whatever you want.
...
— Are you sure? ...You really love me, don't you? Haha. Well then. First of all...
҉
To Veronico, I have granted a new reincarnation, but this time one free from the pain accumulated over two lives. In a more peaceful place, in a simple but comfortable house, in the heart of a village inhabited only by friendly people. Mariah, Landa and Saulo were also sent to his side, and even Celestino, who was born a few years before the others and became the village teacher. The former Hero did not know why, but sometimes when he saw his home from afar, and all those who loved him so much, he found himself crying with emotion. In the same way, his friends from a past life never had any doubts that their place was by that boy's side. In that life, Veronico married Mariah. Landa soon got over her love for her friend, finding the right person for her shortly after, and Saulo began working alongside his old master. Not once did those reincarnated ones doubt whether they were happy, because they knew they were, and that was not my influence.
Cruz was reborn as a small town guard and had to constantly get his friend and co-worker, the reincarnated Vincente, out of trouble. He was reunited with the love of his life, with whom he conceived a little girl of the first generation of post-Álfheim humans, Criscina. Then, the former Princess felt all the warmth of love from a couple of parents who genuinely cared for her... But adventure ran in the girl's blood, and regardless of her upbringing, she yearned to explore the world, albeit in a less self-destructive way. Eventually, she set off on an adventure accompanied by her uncle and former Heroic Rogue.
Rael and Duke Constance were reborn into positions that would reward their efforts.
Maicon, Conrad, and Owl all had the opportunity to live happily with their families too.
The human deities were separated from their dichotomous forms and reconstituted for the first time in four thousand years, but those who did not go into hibernation immediately upon their release found themselves struggling to decide what to do next. Neither the cultures that had created them nor the ones that had betrayed them existed anymore, after all.
The soul of a certain Julia, I fished it out of the past and sent it as far away as possible, as well as that of a little elf who used to style her hair in pigtails.
Haicard's family was given a new life in a house with enough money to take care of everyone, and they were surprisingly kind in that situation.
And as for Haicard himself...
Well, if the "Greater Will" was so insistent on introducing me to the bizarre world it had built just for me, I needed a guide, a compass of normality to introduce me to this world, right?
— You're not going to leave me alone, are you? — complained a favorite soul of mine, who in that life went by the name of Alvaro.
— Only when I get tired of you — I replied, smiling and combing my silky shoulder-length black hair back. Despite being forced to use a human avatar, I would never walk around in an ugly body, after all.
— I hope you get tired quickly...
— I wouldn't count on it, it takes me about four thousand years to start getting tired of things.
— What are you, some kind of evil deity?!
— How cruel, calling your campaign partner evil... — I held my left elbow with my right hand, slyly. — And I didn't even do anything to you, I was just trying to make friends. I saw you talking to the other guys, and you seemed like a good guy to me.
— ...You're right. I'm sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. It's just... when I look at you... — It was hard not to smile when I saw sweat beading on Alvaro's forehead, his contempt and fear barely contained. — I don't know.
— Well, as long as you understand that you made a mistake and are truly sorry, it's okay! I'm willing to forgive you if you get on your knees and kiss my feet.
— No way! The guys here will treat me like a little whore if I lower myself to an effeminate like you!
— Effeminate? And who said I'm not a woman?
— ...Are you?
— Who knows, right? — I shrugged.
— Yeah, there's no way around it, I really hate you. Please, never talk to me again.
— That's impossible, partner, we're on the same expedition, after all! Haha! So, day and night, even if you lose arms and legs- no, even if you die, I'll be by your side, even if I have to bring you back from the realm of the dead again, and again, and again.
— Macabre. Please don't do this. If I die, just let me go away from you in peace.
— Request rejected — I showed all my teeth in a wide smile.
— ATTENTION! — finally shouted the expedition commander, gathering all of us, explorer soldiers.
I followed a very distressed Alvaro closely, and we positioned ourselves in rows in front of the commander.
— Today we begin mapping and exploring the lands beyond Álf- the Reborn Continent — the commander corrected himself. — And we'll be honest with you… No expedition has returned from the other side of these mountains in the last twenty years. We don't even know if they made it past the tunnels through the roots of the Guard Mountains. And by now, you've probably heard the news about the coast of the continent… we have no choice but to succeed, or be extinct. — The scoundrel commander told only half-truths. Saluting, he concluded with the biggest lie of all: — Map, report, investigate! Any and all new resources can help us, even if you don't know it, so don't ignore anything! Good luck!
Without many more formalities, we set off into the tunnel, actually after a very specific thing that the most influential human leaders, the last to still display elven characteristics, those who inherited the lost knowledge of the order of historians, were looking for.
— Hey, Alvaro, wait a minute, I'm afraid of the dark, man!
— How did you even manage to get into the army like that?
Whatever the point of this was for the inhabitants of the "Reborn Continent," I would enjoy it.
End.