The battle was over, everyone else returned home, the creature was
destroyed so everyone had already returned to the living. Ungar along with Sun
Wukong and God Erlang returned to the site where Daniel had done the unthinkable,
giving up his life to spare the world. Ungar pondered for a moment, he had already
handed Talus to Zaiyal mid-flight so he knew it was okay for him to come back. Sun
Wukong tapped his staff against the ground, his usual playfulness absent. "I told him he
would live long ago," the Monkey King muttered, shaking his head. "Maybe I was
wrong." They heard a somber voice, "No... I can't believe it failed." Ungar shouted:
"ENOCH!" Sun Wukong leaped into the air, putting his hand out in front of Enoch's face.
Sun Wukong as a destroyer God and the Victorious Fighting Buddha shot a ray of energy
from his palm destroying Enoch completely, Sun Wukong said: "You're right. This is the
end of your story. Your misery will endure, though, because a hundred deaths wouldn't
purge the misery from your soul." Ungar sighed: "I guess all the way that ends well, you
did it Daniel, you saved us all."
Zaiyal sat beside Talus, who had finally awakened. They were far from the
battlefield now, resting in a quiet valley where the sun shone softly through the trees. The
air was warm, peaceful—mockingly so. Talus had said nothing for a long time. He just
sat there, staring at his hands, his emerald eyes dull. The weight of Daniel's sacrifice
hung over him like a phantom. Zaiyal watched him, waiting. He could feel something
stirring within Talus, something unfamiliar and heavy. Finally, Talus spoke, his voice
barely a whisper. "He did it for me." Zaiyal nodded. "Yeah." Talus clenched his fists, his
entire body trembling. "I... I was ready to die." His breath was ragged, uneven. "But
he—" His voice cracked. "He just—" Zaiyal placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it
firmly. "He believed in second chances. He believed in you." Zaiyal continued: "Zaiyal
reformed many people, he did it for Sarai, for Narcis, for Tatu, and in a way even for me.
You weren't the first, that's just how he was." Talus let out a shaky breath, his heart
pounding in his chest. For the first time in his life, he felt unworthy of his own survival.
Zaiyal exhaled slowly. "So what are you gonna do about it?" Talus didn't answer.
He just closed his eyes, feeling the weight of Daniel's memory settle into his bones.
Somewhere deep inside him, something had changed. Talus said: "I'm going to help the
Prophet, and I'm going to devote my life to making the world instead of just being
indifferent to it. I finally understand it took me half my life, but I finally understand what
I need to do." Talus looked up and smiled. But as he did, the earth began to shake. Zaiyal
immediately sprang to his feet, his muscles tensing as the tremors intensified. Birds took
flight from the nearby trees, their panicked cries filling the air. The once-peaceful valley
shuddered as if something ancient had awoken beneath its surface. Talus, still seated,
didn't flinch. His emerald eyes flickered with something new—not fear, but purpose. "I
thought it was over," he murmured, glancing at the trembling earth. "But maybe it never
really ends."
Zaiyal clenched his fists. "This isn't normal." The ground cracked. From deep
below, a golden light seeped through the fractures, pulsating like a heartbeat. Then, a
voice—distant yet impossibly close—whispered through the air. "You would devote
your life to making the world... Then rise, Talus. The world is not done with you
yet." Talus' breath caught in his throat. The voice was not his own, nor was it Daniel's...
and yet, something about it felt familiar, like an echo of a promise left behind. Zaiyal
instinctively stepped in front of Talus, his aura flaring. "Who's there?" The fissures
widened. A radiant force surged from the ground, enveloping Talus in its glow. He
gasped as warmth flooded his veins, his body weightless as the golden light lifted him
gently into the air. Memories flashed before his eyes—not his own, but Daniel's. Battles
fought, sacrifices made, the burning passion of a warrior who had never wavered. For the
first time, Talus truly saw Daniel—not just as the man who saved him, but as the
unbreakable force who had shaped the world itself. And then, in a final, fleeting moment,
Talus heard his voice. "Live, Talus. And do what I could not." The light exploded
outward, blinding and pure. When it faded, Talus collapsed to his knees, panting. His
body felt... different. Stronger. A fire that had never burned before now roared within
him. Zaiyal reached out, his eyes wide. "What the hell just happened?" Talus lifted his
hand, staring at his fingers as golden embers flickered around them. He clenched his fist.
"...I think I've been given a second chance." Before Zaiyal could respond, another
tremor struck. This one was different—not from the earth, but from the sky. The clouds
churned violently, splitting apart to reveal a vast rift opening in the heavens. And from its
depths, something was coming. From the ground a giant dragon that resembled a worm
appeared, this was apparently the perfect being. Ungar shouted: "This creature is about to
devour the world. We have no time before everything is destroyed." All seemed lost until
they saw the Spirit Blade that Zaiyal had given Hermes began to glow blue in her hands
just like it did when Zaiyal freed it from the Spirit Forest over 1,000 years ago.
Ungar and the others who had just flown back knew what to do in an instant.
Ungar shouted: "Give your energy to Hermes' sword, Hermes you have one shot, use our
energy to unleash a perfected Avatar state, and you can destroy this creature once and
for all. Hermes concentrated everyone held up their arm, the energy flowed into the
sword, behind Hermes a giant version of her clear and blue appeared. Hermes used its
energy and her Chakras to charge towards the creature with the Avatar state in complete
control. Hermes surged forward, the ethereal blue aura around her intensifying with each
passing second. The Spirit Blade in her grasp pulsed, a beacon of hope against the
encroaching darkness. As she ascended, the enormous worm-like dragon bellowed, its
roar splitting the heavens. Its endless coils twisted, blotting out the sky, as if it sought to
consume not only the world but existence itself. "This is it," Hermes whispered, gripping
the blade tighter. "One chance." Ungar, Zaiyal, Talus, and the others poured every ounce
of their remaining strength into her. The Avatar State had never been wielded with such
clarity before—Hermes was not merely a vessel for the power, but its master. As her form
blazed against the darkness, she felt the echoes of Daniel's sacrifice, the weight of his
final act fueling her resolve. The dragon lunged, its titanic maw stretching impossibly
wide, a swirling abyss of destruction within. But Hermes did not hesitate. She raised the
Spirit Blade high, channeling all the gathered energy into one decisive strike. The sword
shimmered, turning a brilliant shade of white-blue, and with a mighty cry, she brought it
down.
The blade met the creature's form, and for a moment, the world stood still. Then,
an eruption of pure energy cascaded outward, engulfing everything in radiant light. The
dragon screeched, its form unraveling, as though reality itself was rejecting its existence.
The force of the impact sent shockwaves through the cosmos, the very fabric of space
trembling under the weight of the Spirit Blade's might. Talus, still kneeling, felt the
resonance of the energy deep in his core. He clutched his chest as the golden embers from
before flared up again, intertwining with the remnants of Daniel's memory. He
understood now—this was not just about destruction. This was about rebirth. The
creature let out one final, deafening roar before it was cleaved in two, its form dissolving
into the void. The rift in the sky shuddered and collapsed, sealing itself shut with a
resounding clap of thunder. The battle was over.
Hermes, exhausted but victorious, descended slowly, the Avatar State fading. The
Spirit Blade, now dull and spent, clattered to the ground beside her. The others rushed to
her side, relief washing over them. Zaiyal exhaled shakily. "She did it..." Ungar nodded
solemnly. "No, we did it." Talus stood at last, his emerald eyes burning with newfound
purpose. "Then we honor them," he murmured. "Daniel, and all those who came before."
As the dawn broke over the battlefield, the world stood at the precipice of a new age. The
war was over, but the journey was far from finished. Talus, Hermes, and the others knew
there was still much to be done. For Daniel. For those lost. And for the future yet to
come.
1 year later, everyone celebrates Daniel's sacrifice and Hermes' 19th
Birthday:
Just one year later, everyone was at Nova's compound celebrating Hermes'
birthday. She had just a few years of University left before you could join the
Intergalactic Federation's Space Force. The sky above Nova's compound shimmered
with the hues of a thousand distant stars, their light casting a soft glow over the gathering
below. Laughter and conversation filled the air as friends and allies reunited, their bonds
forged in the fires of battle now strengthened by peace. Tonight was a celebration—not
just of victory, but of resilience, of new beginnings.
Hermes, now nineteen, stood at the center of it all, a quiet smile on her lips as she
accepted congratulations and warm embraces. She had grown—not just in strength, but in
understanding. The weight of what they had endured, what they had lost, would never
leave her. But neither would the hope that had been born from it. Everyone was having a
good time, Barabbas was making an ass of himself dancing. While Talus and Ungar
tapped their fingers to the beat. Qayyim and her other kids were playing with Sir Rhyme
and Narcis Martreya Buddha, and Alan couldn't keep his hands off Hermes. Talus
raised a glass, his emerald eyes reflecting the flickering lights around them. "To Daniel,"
he declared, his voice steady yet reverent. "And to the future he believed in."
The crowd echoed his sentiment, lifting their own glasses. Hermes closed her eyes
for a moment, feeling the presence of those who had come before. Daniel, the warriors
who had fought beside them, the sacrifices that had shaped this fragile peace. She carried
them all forward. Zaiyal nudged her playfully. "So, birthday girl. How does it feel to be
one step closer to the big leagues?" Hermes chuckled, shaking her head. "It feels... right.
Like this is where I'm meant to be." Ungar grunted in approval. "The Federation's lucky
to have you." The night stretched on, filled with stories, laughter, and quiet reflections.
But as the first light of dawn crept over the horizon, Hermes found herself looking to the
stars once more.
The journey wasn't over. The future was calling.
And she was ready...