[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

[shockingblue]

[A - Immediate Aftermath]

[Gunvolt stared at the rising sun, the whispered, distant thanks from a voice he could scarcely place. Though it was familiar... it sounded much like the feeling he had in the darkest of hours, the one that told him to press on with all his might. Was it the same voice, though? He couldn't tell.

Either way, the sunrise cast shadows against the towering pillars of bone that was once the magnificent, imperial, and terrible Suneater.

He had never felt this tired. Somehow, he managed not to Overheat and short out through all of that... but he felt like he couldn't even make a static shock. Completely and utterly depleted, it felt like it took effort just to stand.

Morpho hung over his shoulder, the hologram looking with him to the dawn of a new day. The first day... of the rest of all of their lives.]

It's... beautiful.

And the sun will continue to rise, now and forever. ...That's what this was all for. This moment. And every one after.

[The Candle smiled brightly... and his legs promptly gave out beneath him. He collapsed onto his back, and looked up to the sky, laughing, with tears welling in his eyes.]

...We saved the world. We just saved the world and all I want is a shower and to sleep for a year.

[B - After]

[Gunvolt had been dragged off to the infirmary for fluids, rest, and treatment, and thankfully, he was released relatively quickly. A day or two after the foiling of Nightfall, he could feel his powers return, and with that a lot of his vitality. With classes still out, Gunvolt took the time... to actually not work out of a sense of obligation for the first time in forever. He sought out his friends and the faculty he respected... looking to check on them and give them his thanks.

The boy seemed to have a lighter step, back more upright and blue eyes more vibrant than ever. In his arms after stopping in the library appeared to be more books on runic artificing. Even if he wasn't 'working' right now, he clearly had some new project in mind for the future. He has those books under his arm when he finally finds you.]

Hey! How're you recovering?

[C - A New Name (Private to Ky)]

[There'd been something Gunvolt had been thinking about for some time. Something he could only ask Ky in private, after everything had happened. He'd asked the Academy to potentially look into his family history after the incident with Sumeragi, and when the data files about him as Subject Jupiter came to light. The Academy was never able to find anything in regards to his immediate family; parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, whatever else. Incomplete data and scrying failures, and even powerful Seers had a difficult time piercing the mystery of Gunvolt's heritage or lineage. For all intents and purposes, the Candle had no discernible family going back generations. Centuries.

It was a very lonely feeling. He knew he didn't pop out of the air, but that clues were so scarce that even the best struggled to find them... that was a challenge. And difficult news to swallow. That was, until finally, someone got a hit. A vision, dating back hundreds of years, to some sort of family tree... leading back to seeing a strangely familiar face. A certain knight templar, one lost to time. Best as could be put together, Gunvolt might've been descended from one of Ky's relatives.

He figured the Academy had told Ky separately, but... at this point their family bond was so distant how much of it existed by blood probably didn't even matter. But...

Gunvolt knocked on Ky's door.]

Hey, uh... can we talk? I have... something I need to ask.

[D - A Wildcard Option]

[Want something a little more personal with this guy? Hit me up here.]

B

[unlogic]

[Gunvolt bounced back from a lot of things slightly faster than most, so he was going to be released sooner than Desidera was. However, the infirmary staff decided to let her go with him instead of keeping her there, under the condition that she continue to take things easy for a bit longer, which mostly meant her usual training and tutoring sessions were being put on hold—not that there's any particularly pressing need for those now, anyway.

Eventually, after Gunvolt's done checking up on various friends, he's back in their dorm room checking on her.

So, how's she holding up?]

I'm bored. [Being removed from her usual routine certainly is a Thing.] How long did Becky say I needed to keep resting? At least two more days?

[shockingblue]

[Gunvolt smiled at her answer, actually somewhat relieved to hear it. He walked over to her, and offered her a bag, the smell of delicious takeout wafting from it.]

Yep, two more at minimum. And even after that, you're supposed to be on reduced activity for another week. You can at least do stuff, but keep anything beyond basic magic to a bare minimum barring an emergency.

[He sat down beside her. Even if he had bounced back fairly quickly, there was still some dogging fatigue in his body. Two years of intensive training, stress, and near constant battles sometimes could take a toll like that.]

But... at least if you're feeling bored, that means you're not feeling miserable. That's good progress, at least. ...Even though we're both so used to being busy that doing nothing feels... foreign.

[unlogic]

At least the professor hasn't gotten on my case about that stunt we pulled, yet. [With that, she takes the bag and opens it to see what's in there, before looking back up.]

Ah, maybe we should find something else to do, then, once I'm allowed to do things again? [DESI.] At the very least, it would be things we want to do rather than things we need to do.

[shockingblue]

Didn't you say Professor Valvatorez tied some of his shadows to your own? I think he expected us to pull something like that if he did.

[His smile turned a lot more wry and knowing, and more than a little bit proud of both of them.]

Either way, I'm glad it worked out. ...I admit, I was... a little afraid of what might happen to you. ...A lot more than a little, actually.

[His expression softened from its more bemused, wry, and proud state to something more wistful, but still unmistakably happy. He knew he'd never be able to talk her out of going for it. That was just the kind of person she was. Someone brave and daring, willing to see things through to the very end with the people closest to her.]

Still, you read my mind. You don't need magic for the two of us to go on a date together, right? What do you think?

[unlogic]

[She hadn't told him about that until after the fact, but it had probably been clear enough, from how she had seemed surprised by something, that something had happened in the moments before she went and did the thing.]

It's a risk I had to take because we couldn't afford to take chances, you know? [If things had turned out badly for her because of it, well, as long as it still worked, she thinks she would have been fine with that.]

Mmm, what did you have in mind? The usual place again, or do you think we should change things up for the occasion?

[shockingblue]

Yeah. I know. If we didn't do everything in our power then, we might not be here now.

[Though it's not lost on him how close he might've been to heartbreak that day. Even if they still somehow won, if something happened to Desidera... he wasn't sure that stopping Nightfall would've felt like a victory at that point. At least, to him. It'd be... yet another scar. And that one would be tough to heal.

But thankfully, that was a fear he could put to rest for good now.]

No, I want to take you someplace nicer than that. One of the fancier places in Soleil. We don't get to celebrate saving the world often. And we don't have to worry about cost, either, consider the school's been paying me big royalties on that railgun design.

[unlogic]

[Sounds like somebody is planning to go all-out.]

And when did you want to do this? [They have the time, now; it could be literally whenever. Though, her eighteenth birthday is in just over a month and he'll almost certainly want to do something for that too, so chances are he would be looking at sooner rather than later for this.]

[shockingblue]

[Gunvolt grinned a little more, giving her a wink.]

Well, I was thinking a couple of days after you get off heavy rest. Go to a movie in the afternoon, come back here, get changed, go for a nice dinner and walk through town, and then come back. Like I said, not like you need to worry about magic for something like that. As long as we don't get dragged into a night of crimefighting vigilantism and superheroism I think we'll be okay, y'know?

[So yes, it was definitely sooner. A night just for the two of them, doing something that was definitely long overdue. Sure, they spent a good amount of time together in their room, either reading, watching movies, playing games, or something like that, but... this was a little different. More indulgent. Fun, without worry.]

And don't worry, we'll do something for your birthday too. But... after everything we've been through, I think we deserve it.

[unlogic]

[They've also gone out before, but those outings had been kept simple and weren't anything too large or too long, because until now, they each had certain obligations that they couldn't spend too much time away from. They'll still have some of those obligations for however long they remain at the academy, but it won't be nearly as pressing as before.

Having a chance to do something more substantial is...it'll be nice.]

Mmm, I wouldn't be too surprised if we did get dragged into something, but we could use a little break from being somebody's heroes for at least a day.