[Fourth Wall Finale] Day: Break

[thewatchers]

[Fourth Wall Finale] Day: Break
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Suneater falls like a star’s dark mirror, crashing to the Earth in a haze of icy blackness so hard it shakes the ground for miles- but it still falls.

As the first rays of light begin to dawn on the horizon, the massive dragon raises its’ head one last time, straining to open its’ jaws in one last, hungry attempt to devour the light… and collapses completely, breaking apart into smoke and dust.

When it dissipates, only a massive skeleton is left behind, bones as clean and dry as if they had been resting there for years.

And very, very softly, so faint it almost can’t be heard, every Candle living hears the voice of something very far away- not even remotely human, but so deeply, endlessly warm:

”Thank you.”

It isn’t a voice you’ve ever heard before… but something about it makes you instinctively look up, towards the rising Sun. Somehow, the light and the voice remind you of each other.

Though the final blow doesn’t instantly destroy the various zealots and opportunists that followed in the last Herald’s wake, Suneater’s death and the knowledge that Nightfall has been lost to them is an unrecoverable blow to the enemy’s morale, and the remaining foes are fairly simple for Daybreak’s forces to finish up- those that don’t simply flee or surrender outright.

When the last of the opposition is fled, dead, or safely in custody, and none of the scouts or Seers report any further traps or tricks in store, the word goes out. The Headmistress, leaning heavily on her sword to support herself in her exhaustion, lifts her hand and calls out the signal, which is taken up and passed along:

The battle is over.

Cassandra sinks gently, carefully to one knee and plants her own massive sword in the ground, a golden grave marker for everyone lost in the struggle to stop the night... and maybe even for Suneater as well, last and lost master of a wild, primal world long gone, twisted though it was by the end.

Under her steady digital guidance, the vast construct disassembles itself and once more resumes the form of the school as you’ve known it.

...And yes, all your belongings were stored safely during the fight. (You may return to your dorms to find some particularly fragile items covered in bubble wrap. It’s unclear whether this served a practical purpose or was just a discreet little joke on Cassandra’s part.)

It’s time to lay down your weapons, treat the wounded, bury the dead. The cleanup may well take years, and those lost to the last Herald of Night may never be returned to us- but the casualties were the tiniest fraction of what the world would have suffered if the battle had been lost, and those who survived have time now. You are no longer the generation born into a world on the brink of disaster, a world running out of time. You can recover, rest, and rebuild at your leisure.

The duty of Daybreak Academy is complete.

Your job is done.

But…

Well. You’ve learned a lot, haven’t you? Part of it was just how cruel and wicked the world can be… but part of it was how beautiful and wondrous it is, too.

Even though its’ duty is done, Daybreak Academy will remain, offering guidance and knowledge to anyone who asks for it- and beyond the Academy’s doors, there’s a whole new horizon out there. Earth and the Outlands are open and free for anyone willing to brave the journey. In the world that has not died, there are endless possibilities for you to explore and discover, to find joy and sorrow and everything that you never expected until you found it.

It’s a brand new day.

Comments

infirmary

[lifeforced]

[Perhaps unsurprisingly, when Lia does make it to the infirmary, Becky insists on being the one to take care of things. After a bit of cleaning, bandaging, and anything else that's needed, she finds a spot to let one of her hands rest without agitating anything, so her power can do its thing.]

So, under any other circumstances I think I'd be giving you some hell over pushing yourself too hard, but I can make an exception this time.

[buddinghopes]

[Lia closes her eyes as she feels Becky's power at work.]

I think in any other case, I'd deserve catching some hell over pushing myself too hard. But hey, cancelling the apocalypse feels pretty good.

[lifeforced]

[Becky's quiet for a moment.]

So...

Now what? [With the apocalypse averted, the future is... It's a really, really big question mark now, at least as far as Becky's concerned. Not just her, but for her parents back home, too.]

[buddinghopes]

I... don't know. I've thought a little about what I might do if I came out of this alive, but it was never really... concrete, you know?

But... just because Nightfall's been averted doesn't mean there isn't clean-up to do.

[lifeforced]

Yeah, that's true.

But then after all the loose ends are taken care of, I'm not really sure what I'm gonna do. I mean, I've got stuff I could do, like at least stick around here until graduation and then there are some other things I've been thinking about a little bit, but mom and dad might want me to come back home so I'm not sure what I'm gonna get a chance to do.

Gonna have to talk with them a bit about that, probably.

[buddinghopes]

Yeah, probably... What sorts of things have you been thinking about?

[lifeforced]

Things like maybe getting into baking. [There's a brief pause before she adds:] As in like seriously. Not this hobby and club stuff we've been doing all this time.

The other idea is maybe seeing if I can stick around here after I graduate, like officially instead of as a volunteer.

Maybe both, alternating days or something.

[...]

What kind of ideas have you been kicking around?

[buddinghopes]

I'm definitely thinking about sticking around here after I graduate, too. Well, not here here, in the infirmary, but... I dunno. Maybe becoming a teacher would be nice?