[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

[unpocoloco]

And I'll definitely have to have you there regardless, won't I, Puelita? I suppose I'll need to write to your parents. Ay, they must be so proud of you.

[hattersgonnahat]

Of course I'm going! [Another trip would be fun, anyway.] ...I'm sure they would be okay with it, if not I got other ways to get there.

[Puella.]

But...I think I should see them first.

[unpocoloco]

Please, do see your family first.

[There's a fond exasperation for this ever troublesome girl. That, and...]

I'll bet they've missed you endlessly. See your family. They're more important and I can wait.

[hattersgonnahat]

[Siiigh.] Alright, alright...

[They are probably worried. After all this Nightfall stuff.] There's a lot they probably want to know about anyway.

[unpocoloco]

[He laughs.]

I'll bet on that too. But, actually, there is one thing I'd like before even that.

[He takes a moment, eyes closing to let his marks and bones glow bright. Then, just as he used to do, that golden sparkling light reforms him, making him look almost alive again. And for once purpose.]

Think I could get a hug in?

[hattersgonnahat]

[A pause.]

[Of course, hugs are always free of charge and it is kind of funny that he even had to ask for it. But since he asked so nicely...]

[Puella goes in and holds tight. She is much warmer than usual at the moment; all that Flame usage. Not enough to harm undead by touch but it was noticeable enough, even by ordinary people.]

[unpocoloco]

[The sun is bright, warm on his skin in a way that just isn't the same on bone. As is her own warmth in his arms. It doesn't burn, not really. Neither that, nor is there the ache of missing Coco. At last, and long overdue, this hug is just for her. For Puella.]

[hattersgonnahat]

[It's very warm, even if it might just be mostly her own heat making it. It doesn't feel all that bad and especially after such a long night and working hard, it was well deserved.]

[...How long had it been, anyway? Not only that, but how much magic did Puella even go through? Even with all the extra reserves which by now, every hourglass on her had been spent fighting the dragon. So actually, that was the answer. The answer was all of it.]

[She snugged in a bit closer. Tiredness was barely an issue moments ago when there was a battle happening but now that everything was slowing down, apparently, she was too.]