[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

[ninehilist]

[Nines doesn't say anything. He just shrugs and settles back against the pillows.]

[buddinghopes]

[Well, since he's not saying anything, she's gonna just continue.]

It was stupid and selfish of me, and... well, even besides the fact that I probably shouldn't have done that in the first place, I shouldn't have raised my voice, either.

[ninehilist]

No, you yelling made sense. I was hurting you, what else were you going to do?

[buddinghopes]

I dunno, take things more gracefully than that? Realize I was doing something stupid and back off?

[ninehilist]

Yeah, I've had migraines from my psychic blasts before. They're not fun. You yelling was fine.

[buddinghopes]

[She rubs at her head and makes a face.]

... There is one thing I want to say though: my feelings haven't changed... but I'm fine if nothing changes between us.

[ninehilist]

[A beat.]

Lia. You kissed me and I tried to kill you. [Not intentionally, obviously, but.] That...

[buddinghopes]

Well, you didn't manage it, and Suneater didn't manage it either.

[LIA]

[ninehilist]

That's not the point, Lia. Things are going to change between us, because I tried to kill you!

[buddinghopes]

I mean, it's not like you intended to. You'd be surprised how often that used to be a thing around here.

Either way, I don't hold it against you...

[ninehilist]

You should. God, you really are crazy...

[buddinghopes]

You knew that since you met me, Nines.

[ninehilist]

So you're seriously telling me that you don't have any issues with kissing a guy who then tried to kill you because he couldn't handle that and panicked? Any at all?

[buddinghopes]

I mean I sort of did it without warning to begin with anyway...

[ninehilist]

You kissed me. Even I know that's not "almost murder" worthy.

[buddinghopes]

[Shrugging!]

But yeah. I'm seriously telling you I don't have any issue with it.

[ninehilist]

You're insane. Why is every girl in my life insane...I mean, at least you didn't try to kill me, but...

[buddinghopes]

... Dare I ask or is this one of those 'drop it and leave it alone' things?

[ninehilist]

...let's just say the Red Girls use hypnosis and Bee was a favorite.

[buddinghopes]

[She grits her teeth.]

Still really wish we could do something about them, honestly...

[ninehilist]

They're super-soldiers, Lia. You can't.

[Softly:]

You can't.

[buddinghopes]

[She's just gonna... reach over and put her hand over one of his.]

[ninehilist]

[He, at least, doesn't pull away.]

And you still--

[buddinghopes]

I wouldn't be so stupid to try to do it alone, you know. That was never a consideration.

[ninehilist]

That's not what I'm talking about, Lia, and I'm not sure I believe you, anyway.